The Billboard Music Awards– contrived in recent years — have done something really crazy. They’ve chosen Madonna to perform a tribute to Prince tonight on TV instead of real artists associated with Prince like Sheila E., The Time, Chaka Khan, Judith Hill, etc.
Why Madonna? She never covered a Prince song, and probably hadn’t seen him in 20 years. Is it because of Michael Jackson, Prince and herself, she’s the only one who’s still alive?
On top of this, songwriter Linda Perry, who slagged off Diane Warren and Lady Gaga early in the Oscar season, appeared on “The Talk” and said all those real Prince artists weren’t relevant anymore.
Good grief. So Prince will get a very white tribute from someone who had nothing to do with him. It’s like having Celine Dion salute James Brown.
Here’s Sheila E.’s response. Sheila Escovedo (who by the way is the biological aunt of Nicole Richie) had a massive hit called “The Glamorous Life,” written with Prince. They toured together for years and were close friends.
And the Billboard awards are remiss in not having Chaka Khan perform “I Feel for You” or the Bangles sing “Manic Monday.”
