Prince Wouldn't Have Approved of His Hologram Being Used for Tomorrow's Super Bowl
Speculated to be featured alongside Justin Timberlake.
Guest appearances are not uncommon for Super Bowl halftime shows, which is why there have been speculations circulating as to who may be joining Justin Timberlake tomorrow for this year’s performance. Although many fans were hoping for an ‘NYSNC reunion, or another Janet Jackson cameo, TMZ sources have reported that it will be neither. Instead, it has been suggested that the special guest will be a hologram of the late Prince. This isn’t the first mention of a Prince hologram however, it has also been publicly mentioned by his only full sibling Tyka Nelson in an interview last year.
With word surfacing again yesterday, and the performance date approaching, Prince’s drummer, protege and collaborator Sheila E. took to Twitter to express her disapproval.
Prince told me don’t ever let anyone do a hologram of me. Not cool if this happens! https://t.co/khtCjXr2mY
— SheilaEdrummer (@SheilaEdrummer) February 3, 2018
Prince has also openly discussed the topic in interviews. In a 1998 conversation with Guitar World magazine, he had responded to the idea of digitally jamming with artists from other eras with total disgust; “Certainly not. That’s the most demonic thing imaginable. Everything is as it is, and it should be. If I was meant to jam with Duke Ellington, we would have lived in the same age. That whole virtual reality thing… it really is demonic. And I am not a demon.”
Not only would a hologram be disrespecting the late artist’s views and wishes, it would be fueling an ongoing beef Timberlake has had with him. It supposedly started in 2006 when fans recognized Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds as an uncredited reference to Prince’s album LoveSexy. As a response to the situation, Prince announced to a crowd during an Emmy after party performance “For whoever is claiming that they are bringing sexy back, sexy never left!” Timberlake later responded to him on the Timbaland song “Give it to Me” with ”Now if sexy never left, then why is everybody on my shit?” Adding to the petty drama, Timberlake also mocked Prince about his height while accepting a Golden Globe on his behalf.
Even after Prince’s passing, the beef seems to continue, as Timberlake hosted a listening party for his most recent album Man of the Woods at Prince’s Paisley Park Estate. Prince who was a devout Jehovah’s Witness, never permitted alcohol on Paisley grounds, however this was not taken into consideration for the listening party, and alcohol was sold during the event.
Here’s to hoping the rumors stay rumors, and Prince’s wishes are respected. So far, his brother has taken to Twitter to shoot down the idea of a Prince hologram, saying that the family hasn’t authorized it, and it is not happening. For the rest of the internet’s reactions, check out what some fans had to say in the Tweets below.
— PRNFamily® (@PRNFamily) February 3, 2018
Both
— PRNFamily® (@PRNFamily) February 3, 2018
Prince didn’t even want his music online. I’m positive he wouldn’t want to be a hologram at the Super Bowl with Justin Timberlake. Let legends rest in piece. pic.twitter.com/rmr55tV4YU
— Chris Stuckmann (@Chris_Stuckmann) February 4, 2018
May the spirit of Prince possess that hologram, pull Timberlake’s dick out, do a 17-minute guitar solo, and fly to heaven with Jessica Biel.
— Dave Holmes (@DaveHolmes) February 3, 2018
cancel the fucking Prince hologram if you don’t want to condemn us all to hell
— Jason Linkins (@dceiver) February 3, 2018
Prince considered posthumous performances through virtual reality tech to be “demonic.” Timberlake won’t be “honoring” him. It is a violation, and as others have noted, an apt metaphor for how black art is regurgitated for predominantly white audiences. https://t.co/382aP2OI3Z
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) February 3, 2018
How Prince fans watching Justin Timberlake Super Bowl performance pic.twitter.com/YPuHa8EMMN
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) February 4, 2018
