Curated #PopLife40
At the #PopLife40 virtual symposium on April 11-13, 2025 (Fri-Sun), we celebrated 40 years of Prince’s Around The World In A Day (ATWIAD), The Family, and Sheila E.’s Romance 1600, all of which Prince produced, arranged, composed, and performed with the assistance of some amazing musical collaborators!
ATWIAD marked the bold and unexpected left turn Prince took while still riding the wave of Purple Rain’s massive commercial success. This symposium explored why he chose not to capitalize on that momentum with a “Purple Rain 2,” why the tour was cut short and never made it to Europe, and broader themes of race, gender, politics, and sexuality, as well as his impact on music, film, and fashion.
Over three days, the symposium featured 42 speakers across 10 sessions, including 13 presentations on five panels, three lively roundtable discussions, an integrated segment of the weekly What Did Prince Do This Week? webcast, and two very special keynotes. The first keynote brought together members of The Family—St. Paul Peterson, Susannah Melvoin, Jellybean Johnson, and Eric “Blow Your Horn” Leeds—on one virtual stage. The second keynote spotlighted Eddie M., whose iconic saxophone work could be heard throughout Romance 1600 and on two unforgettable tracks from Around the World in a Day.
MASSIVE THANKS to our wonderful sponsor, NYU!
#PopLife40 was the 9th polished solid Prince symposium and the 14th Prince event, curated by De Angela L. Duff!
This event was FREE, but please consider donating to DIVAS (Digital Interactive Visual Arts Sciences) for Social Justice, a 501(c) nonprofit that empowers and inspires youth living in underserved communities in NYC and very soon MPLS to use tech and visual arts to promote social justice and become change makers in their communities. On Juneteenth 2024, DIVAS opened its first satellite office in South Minneapolis. The organization launched a social justice makerspace designed by the community. To learn more about DIVAS, watch this trailer and visit https://divasforsocialjustice.org.
Featured in We Want The Funk! PBS Doc
📣 While it premiered on Tuesday, April 8, the doc can be currently streamed from the PBS YouTube channel or the PBS website.
De Angela is thrilled to be featured as a scholar and cultural critic in We Want the Funk!, a brand-new documentary from Emmy® Award-winner Stanley Nelson (who is also the Director of the equally important, Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool documentary) and Co-Director/Producer Nicole London.
We Want the Funk! explores the legacy and cultural impact of funk music through powerful first-hand accounts from legendary artists, including:
💥 George Clinton (Parliament-Funkadelic)
💥 Fred Wesley (The J.B.’s)
💥 Marcus Miller
💥 Nona Hendryx (of Labelle)
💥 David Byrne (of Talking Heads)
and SO many more!!!
It also features insights from contemporary scholars and cultural voices such as:
💥Questlove
💥Donnie Simpson
💥Rickey Vincent
De Angela appears alongside a dynamic group of esteemed colleagues from the Prince and music studies community, including:
💥Scot Brown
💥Miles Marshall Lewis
💥Jason King
💥Mark Anthony Neal
💥Fredara Hadley
💥Melissa A. Weber aka DJ Soul Sister
She is deeply honored to contribute to this celebration of funk’s enduring spirit and cultural significance.
If you love music history, Black culture, or just want to feel the funk, don’t miss this soul-stirring, head-nodding, must-watch experience because funk music is ALWAYS good for the soul! But, more than that, its rich history holds deep cultural truths and significance!💜
Curated and Moderated Prince Panel for PopCon 2025
Curated and Moderated Prince Panel for PopCon 2025
At the 23rd Annual #PopConference (PopCon 2025), held at USC Thornton School of Music on Friday, March 14, 2025, I curated and moderated a multidisciplinary panel titled Dressed to Thrill: Tracing the Cultural Impact of Prince’s Iconic Fashion and Style. As Prince’s influence on popular culture continues to resonate across generations, this panel offered new frameworks for understanding how his revolutionary fashion choices shaped and continue to shape visual culture, gender expression, and identity politics in popular music.
The panel featured an international roster of speakers:
- Professor Kirsty Fairclough (Manchester Metropolitan University)
In “Style as Legacy: Examining Prince’s Influence on Beyoncé’s Fashion and Artistic Expression,” Fairclough examined the stylistic and cultural lineage connecting Beyoncé and Prince, revealing how Beyoncé’s fashion both introduces and reinterprets Prince’s iconic aesthetic for a new generation. - Casci Ritchie (Northumbria University)
In”Embodied Intimacy: Studying Prince’s Dressed Moving Body on Screen,” Ritchie introduced “embodied intimacy” as a theoretical lens to analyze the audience’s sensory and emotional response to Prince’s clothed, moving body, using the performance of “Hot Thing” from Sign o’ the Times Live (1987) as a case study. - Robin Shumays (Independent Scholar)
In “Bedlah Bedlam: An Exploration of Orientalist Fantasy and Fashion via the Lens of Prince Rogers Nelson,” Shumays explored how Prince’s early 1990s fashion was influenced by Middle Eastern belly dance aesthetics through his relationship with Mayté Garcia. - Karen Turman (Harvard University)
In “‘A Long Fur Coat of Mink’: Semiotics of the Fur Coat in Sheila E.’s ‘The Glamorous Life’,” Turman analyzed Sheila E.’s mink coat in the “The Glamorous Life” video as a complex symbol of wealth, race, class, sex, and environmental politics.
Together, these presentations illuminated how Prince’s fashion legacy transcends mere aesthetics to interrogate broader conversations about culture, identity, and artistic influence.
Interviewed on Entry Points
De Angela joins Arthur Turnbull on ENTRY POINTS. They dive deep into her work in higher education, focusing on the future of teaching and learning with generative AI.
Of course, the discussion wouldn’t be complete without talking about… 🥁 drumroll… Prince!💜
Audio
Join them on Apple Podcasts, Spotify & elsewhere…
Video
Curated #Come30 Virtual Symposium
Symposium website: https://come.polishedsolid.com
The Prince #Come30 virtual symposium, celebrating 30 years of Prince’s Come, was held on August 10-11, 2024 (Sat-Sun)!
Over 2 days, there were 41 speakers over a total of 8 sessions, featuring 12 presentations over 3 presentation panels, 4 roundtable discussions, and an integrated segment of the weekly What Did Prince Do This Week? on the conference platform, Zoom Events, instead of the usual YouTube and Facebook!
MASSIVE THANKS to our wonderful sponsor, NYU, and Marco ‘t Hart of 9t99art for the amazing graphics!
#Come30 was the 8th polished solid Prince symposium and the 13th Prince event, curated by De Angela L. Duff!
This event was FREE, but please consider donating to the DIVAS (Digital Interactive Visual Arts Sciences) for Social Justice, a 501(c) nonprofit that empowers and inspires youth living in underserved communities in NYC and very soon MPLS to use tech and visual arts to promote social justice and become change makers in their communities. On Juneteenth 2024, DIVAS will open its first satellite office in South Minneapolis. The organization will launch a social justice makerspace designed by the community. To learn more about the DIVAS, watch this trailer and visit https://www.divasforsocialjustice.org.
To keep abreast of future symposia, subscribe to https://polishedsolid.substack.com or https://polishedsolidevents.substack.com.
The Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson is not affiliated, associated, or connected with the ‘Prince #Come30 Virtual Symposium’ nor has it endorsed or sponsored the ‘Prince #Come30 Virtual Symposium.’ Further, the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson has not licensed any of its intellectual property to the producers, advertisers, or directors of the ‘Prince #Come30 Virtual Symposium.’
Presented at the Prince on Screen: Images and Ideology Conference
De Angela is presenting at the Prince on Screen: Images and Ideology Conference at the University of Minnesota on June 17-18, 2024! This conference is curated by the International Centre 4 Prince Studies!
De Angela’s presentation is “”Life Is Just A Party, And Parties Weren’t Meant To Last:” Life, Death, And Celebration In Prince’s Cinematic And Musical Odyssey, by De Angela Duff” on the “Brave New World”: Prince’s Cinematic World Building” panel!
Abstract:
Prince’s prolific oeuvre traverses a spectrum of human emotions and existential reflections, manifesting most evocatively through the themes of life, death, and celebration and crafting a narrative that is as melancholic as it is euphoric. This talk explores these thematic recurrences in Prince’s narrative films, Purple Rain (1984), Under The Cherry Moon (1986), and Graffiti Bridge (1990), alongside a parallel analysis of these themes within his musical compositions.
Moreover, the interplay between joie de vivre and mortality is further nuanced as we approach the 40th-anniversary celebration of Purple Rain, Prince’s award-winning, debut film, and eight years since Prince’s own transition. Through a multidisciplinary lens encompassing film studies, musicology, and cultural analysis, this presentation seeks to understand Prince’s embrace of the inevitable– death, thereby enriching the understanding of his life, his moving image, and his musical legacy, as we continue to celebrate and honor his “everlasting now.”
Learn more about Prince on Screen: Images and Ideology Conference at https://www.internationalcentre4princestudies.com/events.
Curated #EroticCity40 Prince Symposium
Symposium website: https://eroticcity.polishedsolid.com
The #EroticCity40 symposium was held at NYU 370 Jay Street, Rm 202, Brooklyn, NY & livestreamed on April 12–14, 2024 (Friday through Sunday) to celebrate the four albums that defined 1984—Prince’s Purple Rain, The Time’s Ice Cream Castle, Apollonia 6, and Sheila E’s The Glamorous Life—alongside the Purple Rain film.
Over 3 days, there were 48 speakers and a total of 14 sessions, featuring 14 presentations, 5 roundtable discussions, a daily 80s fashion contest, a special in-person segment of What Did Prince Do This Week?, and a very special keynote with Vaughn Terry, best known as one-half of the design team duo Louis & Vaughn, who crafted Prince’s iconic looks during the Purple Rain era! We will also discuss film, race, gender, and sexuality in addition to music and fashion.
For more details, including the schedule and speakers, visit the symposium website: https://eroticcity.polishedsolid.com.
#EroticCity40 is a polished solid production, curated by De Angela L. Duff!
The Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson is not affiliated, associated, or connected with the ‘#EroticCity40 Prince Symposium’ nor has it endorsed or sponsored the ‘#EroticCity40 Prince Symposium.’ Further, the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson has not licensed any of its intellectual property to the producers, advertisers, or directors of the ‘#EroticCity40 Prince Symposium.’
To keep abreast of future symposia, subscribe to https://polishedsolid.substack.com or https://polishedsolidevents.substack.com.
Presented & Moderated at Pop Con 2024
De Angela presented and moderated at the 22nd annual Pop Conference at the USC Thornton School of Music, March 7-9, 2024!
Her presentation was “Wax ‘N Facts: A Musical Odyssey of an Avid Record Collector and a Liner Notes Junkie!” on the “Legacy Junkies and Collectors: The Archive and the Personal” panel!
Abstract: Record collecting and music listening practices are more than hobbies; they are sacred duties that preserve musical legacies and shape cultural narratives. These practices create a tapestry of collective memory. My tale reflects a universal experience: the endless horizons that a love of music unveils and how it connects and sustains us. My journey into this world began in childhood through my aunt and uncles and since morphed into a lifelong mission to keep Prince’s name on the lips of the children. How does collecting physical forms of media and reading liner notes impact individual lives—a journey where every record spun connects us with other music listeners of the past, present, and future, keeping the collective narrative threads enmeshed? Collecting, cherishing, and sharing music isn’t just a pastime; it’s a way to shape the musical legacies that resonate across time and space through specific, individual actions. I invite you to reflect on your journey and ruminate on how we can collectively ensure that our love of music persists and resonates through the annals of time, honoring past listeners and acting as a bridge to future generations to come.
She also moderated the “Repackaging Dreams: Media as Archives from Greatest Hits” panel.
Learn more about Pop Con 2024 at https://music.usc.edu/spotlights/popcon-2024.
Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Virtual Celebration
#DPSDVC Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Virtual Celebration
#DPSDVC Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Virtual Celebration was a 2-day virtual celebration on Saturday, December 9, 2023, and Sunday, December 10, 2023, for the release of Prince’s Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe.
This event was in the spirit of the#W2AVC Welcome 2 America Virtual Celebration (2021), #SOTTSDC Sign O’ The Times Super Deluxe Celebration (2020), and the tradition of Harlem Renaissance salons, where gifted & creative poets, writers, artists, musicians, activists & scholars came together 2 have conversations & debates in a supportive & welcoming space!
This event was FREE, but please consider donating to the Purple Playground, a 501(c)3 nonprofit fan-based group formed in June 2017 to honor Prince’s legacy and create their Academy of Prince music program for teens. To learn more about the Purple Playground, visit https://www.purpleplayground.org.
The AMAZING Graphic Design by Reverend!
#DPSDVC is a polished solid production, curated by De Angela L. Duff!
For more info including the speakers and video archives, visit https://bit.ly/dpsdvc.
The Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson is not affiliated, associated, or connected with the #DPSDVC Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Virtual Celebration nor has it endorsed or sponsored the #DPSDVC Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Virtual Celebration, etc.
Wrote Essay for Prince's Grammy-Nominated Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe
Wrote Essay for Prince's Grammy-Nominated Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe box set
How can I convey the “unlanguageable”(as my brother in Lovesexy would say)? It’s nearly impossible as I struggle to find words to express this singular moment.
So, I’ll tell you a quick story instead. When I got my copies of the Prince’s Grammy-nominated Diamonds and Pearls Super Deluxe Box Set, I thought once I had the accompanying 120-page hardcover book in my hands and saw my name in black and white as an essayist for “Everything U’ll Look 4, U’ll Find,” my contribution to the box set would sink in and feel real. But, to this very moment, I am still in disbelief. It feels surreal… like my essay is someone else’s, not mine.
To an outsider, this might seem like just another accomplishment, but those who truly know me understand the profound significance of this once-in-a-lifetime occasion.
Even though I am still in shock, “there comes a time in every (wo)man’s life that” they need to pause and express gratitude. So, here we go…
I wouldn’t have gotten here without so many people supporting my Prince work… So, here are my album credits, once again in no particular order: Londell McMillan, Charles Spicer, Duane Tudahl, Warner Records, Sony Legacy Records, C. Liegh McInnis, R. Luke DuBois, Scott Fitzgerald, Dr. Deborah Willis, Lisa M. Coleman, Ph.D. (she/hers), ayoka chenzira, Joe Holt, Kirsty Fairclough, John Wyatt IV, Zaheer Ali, Anil Dash, Miles Marshall Lewis, Elliott H. Powell, Arthur Turnbull, Kamilah Cummings, Harold Pride, Michael Dean, KaNisa Williams, Edgar Kruize, jooZt of PrinceVault, Matthijs L. Nicolay Rook, Marco ‘t Hart, Rev3rend, Ivan Orr, Chris Rob, Tammy Sharpe (Alana Mika), Sam(antha) Jackson, Tracy Figueroa, special and heartfelt thanks to Krysta Battersby for always having my back even when she doesn’t have to do so, Mable Ivory who is the light source that gave me the push I needed to get my ball rolling, and to each and every presenter, roundtable panelist, and moderator of all the symposia, and, last but definitely not least, every single person who has ever attended my weekly, virtual book club, What Did Prince Do This Week?, one of my Prince symposia, listened 2 one of the Grown Folks Music Prince podcasts or my Prince birthday mixes on my online radio show, No Turn Unstoned.
I am deeply grateful to the Prince Estate for affording me this opportunity, and I’m extremely honored to be among the esteemed company of the other essayists: Chuck D of Public Enemy, Andrea Swensson, Jason Draper, Duane Tudahl, and KaNisa Williams!
But, above all, #Prince! 💜
What Did Prince Do This Week? #WDPDTW
What Did Prince Do This Week? #WDPDTW
New Year! New Prince project! What Did Prince Do This Week? #WDPDTW
Hope you’ll join De Angela, co-host Michael Dean, and various guests for a very, very, very slow read of Duane Tudahl’s entire Prince Studio Sessions book series through a weekly, online book club, beginning Sat, 7 January 2023.
They are live every Saturday at noon ET on YouTube and Facebook to discuss with YOU what Prince did during the parallel week, beginning in 1983.
They are beginning with Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984 (Expanded Edition) by Duane Tudahl! We’ll read it over the course of two years. Yes, it is a commitment, but we’ll be reading the book in very short, digestible, bite-sized chunks!
You can find the weekly schedule here: http://bookclub.polishedsolid.com/schedule.
To keep up with the latest videos, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@polishedsolid.
Featured in Prince: The Final Secret Documentary
Featured in Prince: The Final Secret Documentary
De Angela is featured in a documentary, Prince: The Final Secret, for the first time ever, alongside one of her musical/bass heroes, Levi Seacer, Jr., as well as Michael Bland, David Z., and several others. The documentary premiered on Reelz on Sunday, June 11, 2023, at 9pm ET/ 6pm PT. You can watch it on Peacock.
This documentary is the first to focus on Prince’s philanthropy. Prince was a generous giver, and his philanthropic side should be talked about more. This documentary only touches the tip of the iceberg, and we’ll probably never know the depths, as more often than not Prince gave, anonymously. Many thanks to Randy Martin, the director, and David Cook, the writer for a wonderful documentary and experience!
Spoke at Prince Celebration 2023 @ Paisley Park!
Spoke at Prince Celebration 2023 @ Paisley Park!
De Angela is endlessly grateful for the honor and privilege to be on Prince’s stage for #PrinceCelebration2023 #Celebration2023 on Saturday, June 10, 2023 in the same sacred space where the greatest concert film of ALL TIME (Sign O’ The Times live) and even Graffiti Bridge were filmed, where Prince rehearsed tirelessly for a gazillion hours and performed countless performances upon performances! It’s a memory that she will carry with her forever, forever ever… Forever, ever, ever…
Thank you to Londell McMillan and Charles Spicer for the invitation to speak on the Fam panel, all the staff/crew of Paisley Park particularly Mark Webster for all of his hard work and extraordinary efforts to make the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway and other historic purple results a reality, her fellow panelists Dr. Funkenberry Rodney L Fitzgerald Casey Rain Kim Camilia, and Reg Chapman of WCCO | CBS Minnesota for the wonderful moderation, everybody who cheered her on when she got on Prince’s stage, and every single person who continued to give her words of encouragement before and after.
Prince left all of us Paisley Park 2 commune and celebrate his life & legacy! It is up to ALL of us to keep his name on the lips of the children so it can remain open for generations to come! It’s gonna take a village!
Interviewed on WURD Radio
Interviewed on WURD Radio Philly
De Angela was interviewed by Tonya Pendleton on the radio show “Reality Check” on WURD Radio in Philly!
Quoted in Marketplace Article
De Angela quoted in an article on marketplace.org about Prince
De Angela was quoted in the article, “30 years ago, Prince changed the way artists negotiate with the music industry,” by Stephanie Hughes on June 7, 2023, at marketplace.org. She was featured alongside Anil Dash and writer Dan Piepenbring, who collaborated with Prince on his posthumous memoir The Beautiful Ones.
Spoke at All 7 Years: The Past, Present, and Future of Prince Studies @ UROC!
Spoke at All 7 Years: The Past, Present, and Future of Prince Studies @ UROC!
De Angela spoke at All 7 Years: The Past, Present, and Future of Prince Studies at the University of Minnesota Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC), on Prince’s birthday, June 7, 2023, at 1-2:30pm CT, alongside Kirsty Fairclough, Andrea Swensson, and Elliott H. Powell!
Curating Prince #TripleThreat40 Symposium
Event website: https://triplethreat.polishedsolid.com
#TripleThreat40 is a 3-day symposium, celebrating Prince for 40 years of the albums 1999, What Time Is It?, and Vanity 6 on Friday, March 31, 2023–Sunday, April 2, 2023, at NYU Tandon In Brooklyn, New York. We are planning to livestream it, as well.
This will be the first in-person @polishedsolid symposium since 2019! There will be 40-plus speakers and 11 panels with 17 presentations, 5 roundtable discussions, and 1 keynote. We are extremely excited that Jill Jones, who recorded, toured, and acted in Purple Rain and Graffiti Bridge with Prince, is our special guest. In addition to music, we'll also discuss race, gender, politics, sexuality, and fashion.
It is open to the public, so please invite your friends and consider joining us!
For more details, including the schedule and speakers, visit the symposium website: https://triplethreat.polishedsolid.com.
FREE Registration at http://triplethreat40.eventbrite.com!
Follow @polishedsolid on Twitter to be kept abreast of announcements.
This event is FREE, but please consider donating to the PRN Alumni Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit officially formed in 2017 and founded by former employees of Paisley Park and the international icon Prince. The group’s mission is to continue the generosity of their late boss who supported opportunities for underprivileged youth to grow in music, tech, arts, and education, and helped alumni members in need. The foundation also supports urban farming initiatives that create sources of healthy foods where they are otherwise scarce. To learn more about the PRN Alumni Foundation, visit prnalumni.org.
#TripleThreat40 is a polished solid production, curated by De Angela L. Duff, and co-produced by princesyllabus.org!
The Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson is not affiliated, associated or connected with the ‘Prince #TripleThreat40 Symposium,’ nor has it endorsed or sponsored the ‘Prince #TripleThreat40 Symposium.’ Further, the Estate of Prince Rogers Nelson has not licensed any of its intellectual property to the producers, advertisers or directors of ‘Prince #TripleThreat40 Symposium.’
Published in AMP: American Music Perspectives special issue on Prince
Super excited to be in this AMP: American Music Perspectives special issue on Prince, Vol. 2 No. 1, Pennsylvania State University Press, alongside Natalie Clifford, Sam Coley, Kamilah Cummings, Darryle Merlette, and Twila L. Perry, with an expanded version of my Prince 78-88: An Interdisciplinary Conference presentation entitled “Controversy: Materializing the Mystique and Mythology of Prince”!
You need a university account to read it, though!💜 However, you can always watch the actual presentation!
Participated in the Dance / Music / Sex / Romance Controversy Podcast
I had a blast talking for (four) hours about my favorite Prince album, Controversy, on the Dance / Music / Sex / Romance podcast with my brother in Lovesexy Harold Pride and host, Zachary Hoskins.
It is my very first time being on somebody else’s podcast to talk about one of Prince’s albums and not one of the polished solid symposia or other Prince events!
Thank you, Zach, for having me on–even though I invited myself (LOL!), and for compiling all of the podcast notes–a very nice touch (as I am a liner notes junkie)!
Published in Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture Volume 12 Numbers 2&3 (September 2022)
Super excited to be in this special issue of Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture Volume 12 Numbers 2&3 (September 2022), “Dream Factories: Prince, Sign o’ the Times, Box Sets and Cultural Artefacts,” alongside Casci Ritchie and others with my essay, “Prince as producer and creator of worlds: Absent narratives in Prince’s Purple Rain, 1999 and Sign o’ the Times deluxe box sets”! You’ll need a university account to read it, though!
MASSIVE thanks, again, to the amazing Dr. Kirsty Fairclough and extraordinary Dr. Mike Alleyne for the opportunity.