Mag·nan·i·mous

see page 9 of this issue for my article on Chicago-based hip-hop artist Prince Early The Magnanimous (or keep reading this post)

mag·nan·i·mous
1.generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness: to be magnanimous toward one's enemies.
2.high-minded; noble: a just and magnanimous ruler.
3.proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.: a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness.
(from dictionary.com)Prince Earl Simpson was born in Indianola, Miss., as the second of three children. He was raised in Illinois and studied marketing at Illinois State University. So far, nothing sounds out of the ordinary for the life of a 28 year old. Don’t be fooled – nothing about the Chicago native’s life has been ordinary.
“I’ve seen a lot of things in my life and I don’t want everyone to have to go through everything I did to learn the lessons I’ve learned,” Prince said.

Rap artist Prince Early the Magnanimous grew up with a rough life where he became well acquainted with the streets. His two best friends (and hustlin’ partners) while growing up were taken from him in a span of five months – before reaching the prime of their lives. One of the friends was gunned down while involved in drug trafficking, while the other was shot during a police chase. Suddenly, of the three friends, all that was left was Prince.
“I’ve tasted the world – and it’s painful,” Prince says. “But the bad times make the good times even greater.”

Music became Prince’s outlet from life’s struggles. He writes all his lyrics and is heavily involved in the musical production. He now feels that his musical talent influences his spiritual life.
“Creation is a gift from God,” Prince says. “When we create something, we get closer to our God because that’s what He does. [With music], I began to see life differently with every stroke of the pen.”
Driven by past tragedies and hard knocks, Prince is passionate about helping others avoid life’s pitfalls. He practices what he preaches – as you can see when he works with at-risk youth in Utah.
“I want to instill a sense of hope for better things,” says Prince. “There’s a greater degree of glory in another life.”

This “Magnanimous” artist is peculiar for reasons besides his bumpy early life. For instance, Prince has refused to have a TV in his apartment for the past year. He prefers reading books instead. Besides, reading is more beneficial than watching TV for someone whose craft requires skills of flow, rhythm and performance while using an extensive vocabulary in his rhymes.
Prince is currently living in Utah and banging out new tracks for his fans. He has performed locally at sites such as Velour in Provo, and is prepping for a spring/summer tour that will hit hot spots like Miami, Atlanta, Chicago and New York, before coming back to the West for shows in California, among other places.
With his second album, “The Lost Files: Memoirs of a King,” set to be released soon, Prince is looking to attract a wide audience with his fusion of eclectic sounds. Working with his Magnanimous band and collaborating with other vocalists, Prince’s set melds the tunes of hip-hop, jazz and soul music. Plus, his intelligent and clean lyrics apply to a broad audience that transcends age, gender, race and ethnicity. Prince’s faith drives his music and his socially conscious and spiritual messages are designed to uplift the listener and give them a proper perspective on life.

Prince is upbeat about his upcoming release.
“On my first album, ‘King Me,’ I was trying to see what people liked,” Prince says. “On the new album, every song is going to sound different. The hard times represent real life, and people can relate to it.
“My music is to help people get a message. They should ask themselves ‘what’s the message? How can I grow from this?’ Everybody has a cross to carry, but you have to move on to get through it.”
Prince said he saw the potential in everyone to become great.

“We are all magnanimous, or at least we have the opportunity to be.”