The album and movie my piece commemorates is so Minneapolis. Watching it back as an adult is very much a surreal experience. I LIVED in First Avenue for several years. I only hate that I missed its peak. Between Prince, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis, we shaped the sound of the 90s. Add to that, how much he advocated for artists and the importance of owning our IP, our voices, our brands, our being. As an artist, his words live rent-free in my head. Also, as an alternative Black man — an eyeliner, fishnet wearing, painting nails having, Black man — what Prince represented regarding fashion and embracing his divine feminine and masculinity has had a very real effect on how I show up in the world.
