I got a text from a girl I used to know, any other time I would be pleased to hear from her but her news left me with a bittersweet feeling.
She told me Prince was dead, at first I was hoping he was dead the way social media had killed Sinbad but to no avail.
It felt surreal to me that Prince could be dead, a person who seemed to be other than human with his talents to be plagued with simple mortality
My debut to Prince was from my father, The Very Best of Prince CD was the sample tray for me. Driving around in the 7 series on a nice day to Let's Go Crazy for the first time is a game changer. It was after blasting Purple Rain at disturbing volumes in the parking lot of a Jim Dandy dry cleaners, and befuddling other patrons, my curiosity peaked and my fandom began.
Prince's conviction is what I appreciated the most about him. He understood the power in his talent and got the most out of his leverage. He was defiant and non conforming and was still beloved, traits that are not usually met with admiration. The ability to dabble with a feminine ascetic while exuding heterosexuality and leaving no doubt that your woman can be had, depending on his mood, is as unique as his musical prowess.
Prince was a genre less artist, his proclivity to blend and combine genres into beautiful ballads, dance inducing party songs and tales of analogous characters. There will never be another Prince, his influence will transcend future decades as his genius will continue to be appreciated posthumously.
A legend has gone and fans along with colleagues and loved ones will tell their favorite anecdotes to inject snippets of his personality into the public sphere. There is nothing that can be said to make his death less hurtful, and all we have is his music and memories to console us. The walk down Alphabet Street will be different from now on and the doves will cry a little louder.
"Clearly, we are not where we want to be on this level," Goodell told reporters last January. "We have a lot of work that's gone into not only the Rooney Rule but our policies overall. It's clear we need to change and do something different.”
Just how long a new approach is developed that will allow more Black coaches to become head coaches remains to be seen. For now, it's been more of the same, and that is a sad reality. Like in old folk stories and Halloween tales where ghosts are depicted as spooky figures that you avoid and stay away from, Black coaches get the same treatment in the real world. Through sports debate shows and many football publications, you'll see hardly any real conversation about Black coaches and why they are disproportionately misrepresented.
It's almost like they are forbidden.
It's like they are ghosts.