Film + TV
Luke Cage's swear jar was inspired by Prince
by Tyler Munro
October 7, 2016
Prince used to fine visitors of Paisley Park when they cursed.
Have you been watching Luke Cage yet? You should be. The latest in Netflix’s Marvel Universe series, the Mike Colter show is immediately compelling, addicting television. It builds an authentic world within a comic universe, seamlessly peppering references to the alien invasion of The Avengers into its vibrant Harlem setting.
One of the ways the show keeps things feeling real is music — no surprise, given show runner Cheo Hodari Coker got his start as a music journalist. We’ve already told you that every episode in the series is named after a Gang Starr track, and anyone who’s viewed it would be quick to notice cameos from Raphael Saadiq, Faith Evans, Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley, and more. But there’s another bit of music hiding in plain sight throughout: Pop’s swear jar.
On Twitter, Coker wrote that the Swear Jar in Pop’s barber shop was inspired by Prince, who famously charged potty mouths who visited his Paisley Park compound (remember that if you’re headed there for a tour).
Coker had actually planned to show a few episodes of Luke Cage to his Purpleness before he died in the hopes that he could convince Prince to appear in the season’s 13th and final episode; the two had a working relationship after Coker profiled Prince for an Essence cover story.
Oh, how we wish that would have happened! At least we’ll always have his New Girl episode…
