With the outcry about Prince's estate taking down unauthorized fan merch, commentary on what Prince should or shouldn’t have released, or even fiery opinions about “what he would have wanted”, there is important historical context that should be explored. With special guest Anjali Vats, we place Prince's crusade for the control of his own intellectual property in context with the historical struggle of Black people and their agency or lack thereof over their own bodies and bodies of work. 

In this episode, we conclude this two part discussion this time examining three areas : "The Mandingo Factor", "The Cool Factor" and "The Tragic Figure". Guests : Kamillah Cummings, Erica Thompson and Tonya Pendleton.

Commentary around Prince often notes his “magical” quality as he seemed to be someone who defied definition or even understanding. In this 2-part episode, we thread the connotation of the word “magic”  through the trope of the “magical Negro” to weave a nuanced conversation exploring Prince’s embodiment of Black exceptionalism. Guests : Kamillah Cummings, Erica Thompson, Tonya Pendleton

Muse 2 the Pharaoh returns with special guest Janelle Bellgrave of So Above. She is an astrologer, licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, clairvoyant intuitive, and meditation instructor. In this episode, we discuss Prince’s Natal (Birth) chart to explore what the stars have to say about the story of Prince’s life.

It’s been about 4 years since we lost Prince and we’re still finding our way in how to navigate as a fandom without him. In this episode, we reach outside the purple bubble to connect with another fandom that has been dealing with this for over a decade now. With special guest MJFANGIRL, we discuss what it’s like to support the legacies of Prince and Michael Jackson.

What did you just feel? What is it about Prince that makes us so suspicious of the women in his life? Why are some ladies celebrated while others are disparaged? Why aren’t Prince’s later associates not also allowed to be multi-dimensional? We have a discussion about the prejudice against women in the purple world and explore the artistry of his later proteges, muses, and associates.

In this special #LessonsFromTheProfessor episode, the ladies give advice about how to woo women, citing lessons from a one Professor Nelson.

Racism is a system of advantage based on race and supported by institutions, policies and practices that benefit dominant groups and disadvantage subdominant groups. It is a social expression of power and privilege. Today on Muse, we discuss systemic racism, what that REALLY looks like, and how it is reflected in the purple fandom.

It’s the one year anniversary of Muse 2 the Pharaoh! The ladies get together to talk Celebration and revisiting where they are in processing the loss of Prince, 3 years later. Questions to think about as we move into year 3 as discussed in this episode : 1. We are 3 years post “duckout” now. Has your consumption of Prince changed since he first transitioned? If so, how? 2. How engaged are you with the Prince fandom these days? 3. How do you feel the estate is doing with promoting him/releasing music? 4. What is his impact as a MAN on you now vs when he first ducked out? 5. If you had to introduce Prince to a young person who had never heard of him before, how would you do it? 6. What have been some of the longer term effects of changes you have made in yourself that might have been kicked off by P passing away?

Darling Nisi chats with Dr. Margena Christian, former Senior Editor and Senior Writer for Ebony magazine and former features editor for Jet magazine. She shares stories about her time at these publications promoting Prince, The Original 7ven (Formerly Known as The Time), and other tidbits about working for these historical publications. Jet Magazine : Prince Royal Rocker Still Reigns After 25 Years of Music Jet Magazine : Prince Continues His Purple Reign at 50 Holding Court : The Gift Prince’s Mother Bestowed Upon Him Ebony Magazine : The Time : 30 Years Later