Prince’s Minneapolis: A Biography of Sound & Place

In this symphonic exploration of the music of Prince, geographer and sociologist Shabazz (Spacializing Blackness) reveals how the history, ecology, and culture of Minneapolis incubated a unique musical style that shaped pop culture worldwide. Many credit Prince with creating the “Minneapolis Sound,” a fusion of funk, R&B, rock, synth-pop, and new wave. But Shabazz argues that, while Prince was “its high priest and the singular figure who impacted it more than anyone,” the Minneapolis sound predated and evolved beyond him, emerging from a unique combination of factors, including the area’s segregated but racially diverse history (Shabazz investigates Indigenous influences on the sound and spotlights the collision of Black and white pop music that occurred along the borders of segregated neighborhoods). Other determining factors include the city’s many empty, unfinished basements and unused “backrooms” where the Minneapolis sound was born, and its commitment to the arts, particularly the Minnesota public school system’s uniquely strong mid-20th-century investment in music education. After mapping the world into which Prince was born, Shabazz analyzes Prince’s life, career, and discography, showing how it was intrinsically shaped by Minneapolis, and shaped Minneapolis in turn. Shabazz’s innovative music analysis imbued with geography, history, and social science deserves a standing ovation. Music lovers will be captivated by this textured view of a beloved artist. (Feb.)