you said he was "a mess" though same thing
I know that Black people have, for a long time, use the word 'mess' ... to describe someone buckwild or crazy.
Ex: "James mooned his science teacher after graduation. That boy's a mess..."
It's not meant to be an insult, when used in that way.
As opposed to(which I'm sure Modern_Drummer didn't mean)...
"I heard Nathaniel's mother is on drugs. I saw her walking down the street ... and she's just a mess."
The word mess has been used to describe someone a little on the rambunctious side, yet laughable ... and someone's life who appears to be in ruins. If you see Pridgen's page ... clearly he's the former. That dude is BUCK-WILD!
That's why no one is surprised that he cursed. Also, sense WHEN did Thomas become a Gospel drummer, lol? That dude can't be classified as a Gospel drummer anymore than Tony Royster, Jr. I never even thought he was Christian, to be honest. On his clip on gospelchops.com ... how many times did he mention God?
I think Gerald brought him in, 'cause he has played gospel .. and was also very skilled drummer.