Happy Birthday Prince – Today We Celebrate a Legend

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has declared today June 7th Prince Day in Minnesota, to mark what would have been his 58th birthday. Today BET announced artists participating in their Prince tribute, Sheila E., The Roots, D’Angelo, Janelle Monae and others. Prince, who died in April at age 57, received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.

The artist who will forever be known as Prince—and could fittingly be known simply as “THE Artist”—is one of the most brilliant, versatile, and influential musical forces of his, or any, time. Prince took R&B and regally marched it into genre-blurring horizons previously unknown, fusing rock, funk, soul, psychedelia, pop, and singer-songwriter aesthetics into a sound that was mind-bending and booty-shaking.

Sensual, literate, explosive, and groundbreaking, his artistry never stopped evolving, and the hits and acclaim never stopped coming. His adventurous reinventions, bold experimentation, stellar instrumental and composing skills, and genius for showmanship have placed him high in the pantheon of all-time superstars. “Unique” doesn’t begin to describe his royal powers.

In 2014, Warner Bros. Records returned to Prince the master recordings of his pioneering ’80s albums, including Dirty Mind, 1999, Purple Rain and Sign ‘O’ the Times. Prince would then resign with the label and release the albums ART OFFICIAL AGE & PLECTRUMELECTRUM.

Today we celebrate the legend on his birthday with footage of performances and his last televised interview.

Stay Tuned for our Prince: R&B Bridgez Tribute feature later this month.