The Gold Experience (1995) album was Prince’s first album to be released using an unpronounceable symbol to represent his name. A couple of years prior to this release he referred to his former self as dead and his rebirth as o(+>. Although his “no name” status was largely negatively perceived, such a change, re-creation, reinvention, transformation in the name of freedom, was not uncharacteristic. Neither was the melding of masculine and feminine aspects as we see symbolized in his unpronounceable new name. These rebirths are Prince constantly and freely practicing his right to self-define, chart his own artistic path while also navigating a racist and sexist music industry. In this presentation, I use core themes, specifically self-definition and controlling images from Black Feminist Thought to explore the extent to which P. Control, the opening track on The Gold Experience album, simultaneously voices Prince and Black women’s struggle for freedom.

Crystal N. Wise is an assistant professor in literacy education at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include the historical and contemporary language and literacy practices of African-Americans as acts of liberation and resistance. Her publications on Prince, “(A)Political Prince: An Analysis of Prince’s Political Consciousness” and “It’s All About What’s In Your Mind: The Origins of Prince’s Political Consciousness” explore his evolving world views and (a)political identities represented in his lyrics.