Prince Shared His Thoughts About the Internet in 1999 & They’re Spot-On
Prince once shared his thoughts about the internet at an award show in 1999. Spoiler: The icon seemed to be on to something.
Prince’s remarks took place at the Yahoo! Internet Life Online Music Awards. The Verge notes he was there to present the “Online Pioneer” award to Public Enemy. He may have been there to present an award, but Prince’s words were ominous, to say the least.
“Don’t be fooled by the internet,” begins Prince in the clip below. “It’s cool to get on the computer, but don’t let the computer get on you. It’s cool to use the computer, but don’t let the computer use you. Y’all saw ‘The Matrix.’ There is a war going on. The battlefield is the mind, and the prize is the soul. So, be careful. Be very careful.”
Interestingly enough, David Bowie had similar thoughts on the internet in 1999. Bowie told BBC Newsnight, “I don’t think we’ve even seen the tip of the iceberg. I think the potential of what the internet is going to do to society — both good and bad — is unimaginable. I think we’re actually on the cusp of something exhilarating and terrifying…
When the interviewer responds, “It’s just a tool, though. Isn’t it?” Bowie fires back, “No, it’s an alien lifeform.” He adds, “…The actual context and state of content is going to be so different to anything we can envision at the moment. The interplay between the user and the provider will be so in sympatico. It’s going to crush our ideas of what mediums are all about.”
Latest on the Prince Estate
Prince and his estate are at the center of a new lawsuit, which sees his heirs fighting among themselves and potentially putting the estate in jeopardy.
Billboard reported in January that this new lawsuit filed in a Delaware court comes a year after issues with Prince’s estate had finally been settled. The new lawsuit was filed by L. Londell McMillan and Charles Spicer. These two people are longtime friends of Prince and managers of Prince Legacy, one of two holding companies that run the icon’s $156 million estate.
McMillan and Spicer filed the lawsuit against four of Prince’s family members: His half-sisters, Sharon Nelson and Norrine Nelson, niece Breanna Nelson, and nephew Allen Nelson. McMillan and Spicer allege these family members have been trying to squeeze them out of the business of Prince’s estate.
Billboard quotes McMillan and Spicer’s legal filing stating, “The Individual defendants lack any business and management experience, have no experience in the music and entertainment industries, and have no experience negotiating and managing high-level deals in the entertainment industry.”
Noting the history of infighting among Prince’s family members, the lawsuit also states, “Based on the amount and complexity of the work that Prince Legacy is involved with, they are simply not capable of stepping in and managing its business.”
The previous Prince estate lawsuit was resolved in 2022 and lasted for over six years. Billboard reported at that time, ” … The agreement paves the way for disbursement of Prince’s assets, including $6 million in cash and many times that in music rights and other intangibles. They’ll be split between three heirs and their families, their advisers, and Primary Wave — which owns roughly half of the estate.
Prince died suddenly in April 2016 at age 57. He did not have a will, which is the reason for these many legal issues.
