In 1977 a shy teenager with an Afro and an attitude signed a record deal. Twenty years and twenty remarkable albums later -- after such acknowledged classics as Sign O' the Times and Lovesexy -- the man who used to be Prince is still making music and still hitting the headlines. Over these two decades he became one of the most influential musicians in rock and pop history. In fact, he changed the face of popular culture. In 1996 alone, he divorced his record company, married a twenty-three-year-old dancer, became a father, and released the longest pop album ever. He has crossed boundaries of race and sex, created a brand-new sound, and shaped a legend through his live performances.Purple Reign takes a long, hard look at the artist formerly known as Prince as he approaches forty. It goes behind the scenes at Paisley Park for an exclusive interview with the artist, in which he talks openly of his battle with the music industry, his new wife, his new life, and how he makes music. In other interviews members of his family, friends, fellow musicians, producers, dancers, and managers shed new light on perhaps the most misunderstood, and certainly most elusive, artist of our time.The book also delves into the music industry at large -- how artists are packaged, marketed, consumed; it looks at the racism endemic in American society; it traces the artist's music through jazz, soul, funk, punk, and hip-hop and talks to a new generation of performers, D'Angelo, Tricky, Me'shell Ndegeocello, who have been influenced by him. It explores, through the women who have worked with him, his special affinity with the opposite sex.Featuring a contemporary review of every album -- from RollingStone, Spin, Vibe, the Times, Melody Maker, and other publications -- Purple Reign also incl