Chris Rock once again donned his Prince symbol necklace during his latest Netflix special, Selective Outrage.
The one-hour comedy special released to the streaming platform on March 4, 2023. With family anecdotes about his daughters and a 10-minute segment addressing Will Smith and the infamous Oscars slap, there was much to be discussed after Selective Outrage aired. But one thing that caught viewers’ attention was the necklace Rock wore throughout the special.
Let’s take a look at the meaning of Chris Rock’s necklace and how it is a tribute to late musician, Prince.
Chris Rock wears Prince symbol necklace
During the Selective Outrage special on Netflix, Chris Rock was spotted wearing a necklace with a unique pendant. It features a symbol which is known among Prince fans as the “Love Symbol.” In 1993, the Purple Rain singer announced that he would no longer go by the name Prince but would be referred to by this “Love Symbol.” As it is an unpronounceable symbol, when written, the musician would be referred to as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince (TAFKAP) or The Artist.
Chris Rock has been wearing this necklace on occasion over the past few years.
Rock is not the first celebrity to sport the Prince Love Symbol in public. Other high-profile figures such as filmmaker Spike Lee have been seen wearing this necklace.
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What is the meaning of the Prince symbol?
On Prince’s 35th birthday, in 1993, the artist announced that he would be changing his name to the Love Symbol. This unpronounceable glyph was designed by graphic designer Mitch Monson, who had been working with Prince for decades.
In his announcement, Prince explained that it is intended as “an unpronounceable symbol whose meaning has not been identified.” However, in later interviews, Prince would explain that the symbol serves as a kind of morphing of the female and the male symbol together.
Prince requested Monson to fuse the astrologically-inspired Mars (male) and Venus (female) symbols together. This intention came from his exploration of the feminine while working on the Love Symbol album. It is also said to be partly inspired by Carmen Electra, who was then his dancer, and Mayte Jannell Garcia, who would go on to become Prince’s wife. Electra and Garcia were Prince’s dancers at the time.
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Chris Rock and Prince became friends in 1997
Prince was a notoriously aloof figure in Hollywood. But one of the high-profile friendships the Raspberry Beret singer was known for was with comedian Chris Rock. The pair became friends after meeting on a television show in 1997.
After rocketing to fame on Saturday Night Live, Rock emerged with his own primetime talk show, The Chris Rock Show. For the series premiere, Rock managed to secure Prince as a guest. What followed was an eye-opening conversation in which the singer shared his thoughts on religion and sexuality.
A year after they met, The Purple One was celebrated at the Essence Awards. Chris Rock was selected to bestow the award to Prince. Rock called Prince “the baddest man in the land” and “the best songwriter” when giving him the honor.
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