Is Prince Rogers Nelson A Modern Day Sage?
The Floridant/10008193

TAMPA, Fla. - Jan. 11, 2019 - Floridant -- Almost three years ago, the world lost an icon, Prince Rogers Nelson. As many know, he was a musical genius, a gifted performer, a trend setter, a boundary breaker, and an industry game changer. To many in his fandom, Prince was also a life transformer. Around the globe, there exists a large purple army dedicated to keeping his legacy alive and helping more people learn about him beyond his 80's and 90's hits.

In an upcoming free video release in late January, YouTube personality Prince's Friend will explore the reasons why he sees Prince as a modern day sage-- a person of great wisdom.

In the ancient world of Greece, philosophers were wisdom-seekers, but sages were those that were distinguished for their already-attained wisdom. Linked to self-mastery, history shows that sages strive for balance, harmony, and human perfection. Sages possess insight or understanding beyond that of ordinary people. Not only does a sage give thought to the relationship of himself with others, but more importantly to the relationship of humans with the greater order of all in the world.  "I apply this concept to Prince's life in my upcoming video release on YouTube," says Prince's Friend content creator Eloy Lasanta. "I think there are important things to learn from people who have such wisdom and Prince was definitely in this realm."

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Prince's Friend has the largest global following on the popular YouTube platform for its' subject-matter and is growing at the rate of over 300% annually. With over 370 originally-produced videos so far, the channel had more than one million views in 2018 alone.   Working independently of Prince's estate, Prince's Friend remains aligned with the overall mission of keeping Prince's legacy alive through explorations of Prince's music, movies, messaging, estate news, as well as his posthumous celebration events and music releases.  Prince's Friend takes some deep dives into Prince's career which spanned over five decades and looks closely at all directions of his journey.

In addition to examining Prince's extensive catalog of albums song by song, Prince's Friend also shares music news, hosts trivia games, has live Q&A sessions, conducts interviews with alumni who have worked with Prince, and looks at other artists created or inspired by Prince.  He even highlights other artists from various genres and eras. In addition to sharing his personal thoughts, opinions, and ideas based on his perspective and research, Prince's Friend also encourages viewers to connect after watching his videos by posting video comments. "I want my channel to be a community and to have conversations," he explains.  "This is how we learn and grow. I am sharing information about the Prince that I have come to know, but we each have our own unique perspective. I love this discussion and it's why I created this channel after Prince's passing as a form of grieving and healing. We have to do that together."

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Lasanta has modeled his work ethic after Prince in his business endeavors. "I consider myself a student of Prince and have been inspired by his persona and work since the early 90's," he says. "There are many lessons to be learned from him and I hope that my upcoming Sage video will shed some light to the role that Prince played in our world and the messaging that he left us."

Lasanta lives in Florida with his wife and children, but considers Minneapolis, Minnesota his second home staying connected to the Minneapolis Sound music mecca and hometown of Prince. Most recently, Lasanta visited Minneapolis to attend a launch of photographer Allen Beaulieu and the Minneapolis Historical Society Press' new book Prince: Before the Rain.  This 2018 photographic literary release puts into focus the hallmark imagery—including behind-the-scenes, candid, and casual shots—with recollections from photographer Allen Beaulieu on his personal and professional relationship with Prince in the late 70's and early 80's. Lasanta was a contributing writer of the book providing the accompanying copy that takes readers deeper into the context of these crucial early years. He joined other contributors including music artist Dez Dickerson who wrote the forward and writer and musician Jim Walsh who shared reminiscences from former bandmates, including Bobby Z., Dez Dickerson, André Cymone, and more.

The YouTube video, Prince is a Modern Day Sage, will be released on Tuesday, January 29th on YouTube.com/PrincesFriend.