top of page

📰 His Name Was Prince and He Was Funky — NME Tribute Cover (2016)

  • Writer: GlamSlamEscape
    GlamSlamEscape
  • Apr 30, 2016
  • 2 min read

Updated: 2 days ago



Stark, black‑and‑white NME cover and three‑page tribute feature published in the immediate aftermath of Prince’s passing in April 2016, honouring his life, legacy, and unmatched musical fire.


📰 Excerpt

The cover captures Prince mid‑performance — face pressed to his guitar, body coiled with intensity — distilling his essence into a single, unforgettable line: “His Name Was Prince and He Was Funky.”


📰 Overview

Released in late April 2016, this NME tribute issue stands as one of the most visceral and emotionally charged memorials published in the UK music press. The monochrome portrait, raw and electrifying, foregrounds Prince’s physicality as a performer: the sweat, the grit, the sensuality, the absolute surrender to the moment.


The feature inside reflects on his career with equal urgency, tracing the arc of an artist who refused boundaries — musically, visually, spiritually — and whose influence reverberated across generations.


📰 Source Details

Publication: New Musical Express (NME)

Issue: April 2016

Format: Tribute cover + three‑page feature

Provenance Notes: UK print edition; part of the wave of immediate memorial issues following Prince’s death.


📰 The Story

The three‑page feature blends remembrance, cultural analysis, and personal testimony. It highlights:


• Prince’s explosive live presence — the sweat‑drenched, guitar‑driven performances that became legend

• His genre‑shattering approach to funk, rock, pop, and soul

• His mastery of the guitar as both instrument and theatrical weapon

• His influence on generations of musicians, from indie to R&B to electronic

• The shock and grief that rippled through the music world in April 2016


The article frames Prince as a once‑in‑a‑century artist — a visionary who fused virtuosity with vulnerability, swagger with spirituality, and who left behind a catalogue that continues to expand in meaning.


The cover’s minimalism — just a photograph, a headline, and the dates 1958–2016 — amplifies the emotional weight of the moment.


📰 Key Highlights

• Iconic black‑and‑white tribute cover

• Three‑page memorial feature reflecting on Prince’s artistry

• Emphasis on his live performance power and guitar mastery

• Cultural impact across genres and generations

• Published days after his passing, capturing the immediacy of global grief


📰 Article Text

Paste your cleaned transcription or selected excerpt here.

(Short excerpts only — no full copyrighted reproduction.)


📰 Related Material

• GlamSlamEscape entries on 2016 memorial issues and tribute covers

• GlamSlamChronicles features on Prince’s live performance legacy

• External references on NME’s coverage of Prince across decades

• Explore the tags below for connected eras and themes.


📰 Closing Notes

This NME tribute remains one of the most striking visual memorials to Prince — a cover that captures his ferocity, sensuality, and musical genius in a single frame. It stands as both farewell and celebration, a reminder of the fire he carried every time he stepped onstage.


📰 Sources & Copyright

All original text and images remain the copyright of their respective publishers and creators.

This post is presented for historical, educational, and archival purposes only.




Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating
bottom of page