The Beautiful Ones: 10 Prince Stories You Need To Read

Prince tribute artwork illustrated by Jaeil Cho for Okayplayer.

Hard to imagine that it has already been six months since Planet Prince disappeared from our musical cosmos. It's a tough milestone to swallow, no doubt, but if anything has been gained in the wake of the icon's passing, it's the seemingly countless tales that have been illuminated in his purple afterglow. On his birthday (June 7th, BKA Prince Day) we rounded up all of the fascinating accounts of His Purple Majesty from musicians and scholars alike, including Bilal,Common, Talib Kweli, Touré, Alan Leeds and The Family's St. Paul Peterson.  

The stories range from Bilal's hilarious can't-get-rights to Kweli's attempt to liberate himself from labels to Common recounting the first time he ever heard the Minneapolis sound. We figured we'd put them all in one place to carry you through the tributary weekend. Hit any of the links below for lessons galore and join us in remembering the singular talent that is and always will be Prince.

Questlove's Prince Primer (Album-By-Album Review Of The WB Catalog) 

A Death In The Family (St. Paul Interview) 

Toure On The Everlasting Purple Afterglow 

Alan Leeds On Prince's Miles Davis Collaboration and The Vault 

Bilal's Can't-Get-Rights

Prince And His Cookies (The Recipe) 

Common Hears The Purple Sound 

Talib Kweli Ditches The Label System Per Prince's Suggestion 

Nelson George Finds The Funk In Prince (Purple Re-Edit) 

The Kid Could Ball With The Best Of 'Em ("Daisy Chain" Video)