If ever anyone put on for their city, it was Prince.
The Artist, as he was referred to for a time after he famously switched his name to a symbol amid a beef with a record company, died at age 57 on Thursday. He didn't just make some of the best music the world has ever partied or procreated to; he emerged onto a music scene that had been dominated by artists who recorded out of hotbeds such as Detroit, Philadelphia and Memphis.
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Instead of mimicking their marketable styles, Prince carved out his own lane, and it the process he put himself and his hometown of Minneapolis on the map.
The former high school basketball player and avid sports fan never stopped wearing the banner for the Twin Cities. He and mega-producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, also locals, were fixtures at Timberwolves games over years. In 2010, Prince recorded a fight song for the Vikings as they marched their way through the playoffs.
According to ESPN.com, Prince put "Purple and Gold" together in 2010 shortly after Brett Favre led Minnesota to a victory in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs and a berth in the conference title game. Prince happened to be at that contest, seated in a suite.
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The Vikings ultimately fell short, losing 31-28 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Saints in the title game, and the song never became a mainstay at the Metrodome.
It's no "Purple Rain," but you can still check it out over on Vikings.com.
And here's a masterful Prince mix, courtesy of DJ R-Tistic, to help you remember, as you mourn, all the jams he gave us.