Prince: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Prince built the Minneapolis Sound by fusing James Brown's discipline, Sly Stone's utopian funk, and new wave synthesizers into something wholly his own, then spent four decades outrunning his imitators. This mix traces the documented roots of his art, the Twin Cities scene he ruled, and the generation of artists who still work in his shadow.

The Kynda mix for Prince

• Key Influence · Sex Machine by James Brown (1970). Prince's entire performance vocabulary starts here. As a child in Minneapolis he saw Brown live — his stepfather reportedly put him onstage briefly at a Brown show — and he absorbed the Godfather's model of the bandleader as drill sergeant: fining musicians for missed cues, running marathon rehearsals, and treating the groove as sacred. The one-chord vamps of 'Sex Machine' echo directly in Prince's own extended funk workouts with the NPG.
• Influencia Obscura · They Say I'm Different by Betty Davis (1974). Davis's snarling, sexually confrontational funk — raw guitar, explicit lyrics, total ownership of her own image — maps almost point-for-point onto the persona Prince unveiled on 'Dirty Mind' six years later. She was commercially buried in her own era, which is precisely why the lineage goes unremarked: the shock tactics, the falsetto-to-growl vocal swings, and the idea that funk could be avant-garde and obscene all circulate through her records first.
• Local Roots · What Time Is It? by The Time (1982). The Time was the Minneapolis scene in concentrated form: fronted by Prince's high school bandmate Morris Day and staffed by local players including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with Prince himself secretly writing and playing most of the music under the pseudonym Jamie Starr. The band became his onscreen rival in 'Purple Rain' and his fiercest live competition on tour — a rivalry Prince engineered to sharpen his own shows and dominate his hometown scene.
• Beyond the Medium · Book of Revelation by John of Patmos (c. 95). Apocalyptic scripture is the single most persistent extra-musical source in Prince's catalog. '1999' turns Judgment Day into a dance party, 'The Cross' and 'Anna Stesia' work its imagery directly, and '7' on the Love Symbol album draws its seven-headed adversaries and plagues straight from Revelation. Raised Seventh-day Adventist and later a Jehovah's Witness, Prince spent his whole career staging the war between flesh and spirit that this text frames.
• Peer · Thriller by Michael Jackson (1982). The Prince–Jackson rivalry defined 1980s pop: two Midwest-born prodigies of the same age, both breaking MTV's color line, both redefining what a Black pop auteur could command. Jackson invited Prince to duet on 'Bad' — Prince famously declined — and their one-upmanship played out from the 1983 James Brown show where both were pulled onstage to their competing world tours. 'Thriller' set the commercial bar that 'Purple Rain' came closest to clearing.
• From the Canon · Sign o' the Times by Prince (1987). Widely regarded as his masterpiece, this double album was salvaged from three abandoned projects — 'Dream Factory,' 'Camille,' and 'Crystal Ball' — after the Revolution dissolved. It spans stripped-down drum-machine funk, the pitched-up Camille persona on 'If I Was Your Girlfriend,' gospel ('The Cross'), and live-with-horns funk ('It's Gonna Be a Lonely Christmas' era Sheila E. band on 'It'), mapping the full range of what one artist alone could do.
• Key Collaborator · The Glamorous Life by Sheila E. (1984). Prince met percussionist Sheila Escovedo in 1978 and drafted her into his inner circle during the 'Purple Rain' era, writing and co-producing this debut — the title track, largely a Prince composition, became a top-ten hit. She sang on 'Erotic City,' opened the Purple Rain tour, and later served as his drummer and musical director on the Sign o' the Times and Lovesexy tours, one of the longest and most musically consequential partnerships of his career.
• Legacy · Voodoo by D'Angelo (2000). D'Angelo has been explicit about Prince as a formative model — he performed Prince covers throughout his career and studied the one-man-band method, playing most instruments on his own records. 'Voodoo' channels the smeared, behind-the-beat feel of Prince's slower funk, and the 'Untitled (How Does It Feel)' single and video were widely read as a direct homage to Prince's falsetto ballad mode and physical presentation. Questlove has detailed the lineage at length.

What influenced Prince

• The Pleasure Principle by Gary Numan (1979). The Pleasure Principle (Gary Numan) — ghost for Prince “Prince gave highly specific music and equipment recommendations from the era they were drawing on, including Gary Numan, whom he loved.” (Rolling Stone)
• James Brown (1933). Dirty Mind (Prince) — legacy for James Brown (via Dirty Mind, Sex Machine) “Dre, Little Richard, Dick Gregory, Prince, Jesse Jackson, Ice-T, Jerry Lee Lewis, LL Cool J, Lil Wayne, Lenny Kravitz, 50 Cent, Stevie Wonder and Don King.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Jimi Hendrix. Purple Rain (Prince) — legacy for Jimi Hendrix (via Purple Rain, Red House) “He has directly influenced numerous funk and funk rock artists, including Prince, George Clinton, John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic, and Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Joni Mitchell (1943). Wikipedia states Mitchell influenced Prince. (also via Sign o' the Times, The Hissing of Summer Lawns) “Mitchell started singing with her friends at bonfires around Waskesiu Lake, northwest of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Sex Machine by James Brown (1970). Sex Machine (James Brown) — titan for Prince “Dre, Little Richard, Dick Gregory, Prince, Jesse Jackson, Ice-T, Jerry Lee Lewis, LL Cool J, Lil Wayne, Lenny Kravitz, 50 Cent, Stevie Wonder and Don King.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Hissing of Summer Lawns by Joni Mitchell (1975). The Hissing of Summer Lawns (Joni Mitchell) — titan for Prince “Mitchell started singing with her friends at bonfires around Waskesiu Lake, northwest of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• A Wizard, a True Star by Todd Rundgren (1973). A Wizard, a True Star (Todd Rundgren) — ghost for Prince “Eventually the group completed their lineup with former Rundgren bassist Kasim Sulton and studio drummer Prairie Prince of the Tubes, who had played on XTC's Rundgren-produced Skylarking (1986) and who has recorded and toured with Rundgren.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Minnesota Dance Theatre. Prince trained in ballet at the Minnesota Dance Theatre. “He was trained in classical ballet at the Minnesota Dance Theatre through the Urban Arts Program of Minneapolis Public Schools.” (Wikipedia)
• Marvin Gaye (1939). Dirty Mind (Prince) — legacy for Marvin Gaye (via Dirty Mind) “Commonly referred to as the "Prince of Motown" and "Prince of Soul", he helped to shape the sound of Motown and soul music in the 1960s and 1970s.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• There's a Riot Goin' On by Sly and the Family Stone (1971). There's a Riot Goin' On (Sly and the Family Stone) — titan for Prince “British musician and ambient music pioneer Brian Eno cited Fresh as having heralded a shift in the history of recording, "where the rhythm instruments, particularly the bass drum and bass, suddenly [became] the important instruments in t…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• They Say I'm Different by Betty Davis (1974). They Say I'm Different (Betty Davis) — ghost for Prince (musicbrainz.org)
• City Lights by Charlie Chaplin (1931). City Lights (Charlie Chaplin) — culture for Prince (wikidata.org)
• Book of Revelation by John of Patmos. Book of Revelation (John of Patmos) — culture for Prince
• The Glamorous Life (mutual influence) by Sheila E.. Additional finding: Sheila E. explicitly describes a reciprocal influence relationship with Prince, in her own words to Time magazine.

Peers and kindred spirits

• Madonna (1958). Prince co-wrote and performed a duet with Madonna. (also via Purple Rain) “Madonna co-wrote and co-produced it alongside Patrick Leonard , Stephen Bray, and Prince .” (Wikipedia)
• The Time. Prince founded the side-project band The Time. (also via What Time Is It?, Cool, The Bird) “In 1981, Prince formed a side project band called The Time.” (Wikipedia)
• Sheila E. (1957). Sheila E. joined Prince's band as drummer. (also via The Glamorous Life, The Glamorous Life (mutual influence), A Love Bizarre)
• Michael Jackson. Purple Rain (Prince) — peer for Michael Jackson (via Purple Rain, Thriller, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough) “(commonly known as Prince) was born on February 13, 1997.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Glamorous Life by Sheila E. (1984). The Glamorous Life (Sheila E.) — collaborator for Prince “"'The Glamorous Life' was the last song we worked on," she wrote in her 2014 memoir The Beat of My Own Drum. "In fact, we weren't even going to include it on the album.” (Ultimate Prince (Townsquare Media))
• Stevie Wonder. Prince played guitar on a Stevie Wonder single. (also via 1999) “Prince played guitar, along with En Vogue singing backing vocals, on Stevie Wonder 's single " So What the Fuss "” (Wikipedia)
• André Cymone (1958). André Cymone later collaborated with Prince musically. (also via Livin' in the New Wave, The Dance Electric) “He befriended the Andersons' son, André Cymone , who would later work with Prince.” (Wikipedia)
• Beyoncé. Prince and Beyoncé performed together at the Grammy Awards. (also via Purple Rain) “In a performance that opened the show, they performed a medley of "Purple Rain", "Let's Go Crazy", " Baby I'm a Star ", and Beyoncé's " Crazy in Love ".” (Wikipedia)
• Livin' in the New Wave by André Cymone (1982). Livin' in the New Wave (André Cymone) — geography for Prince “He was a bass guitarist for Prince's touring band, pre-Revolution.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Thriller by Michael Jackson (1982). Thriller (Michael Jackson) — peer for Prince “(commonly known as Prince) was born on February 13, 1997.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Street Songs by Rick James (1981). Street Songs (Rick James) — peer for Prince “Around that same period, Rick James launched his first headlining tour, the Fire It Up Tour, and agreed to invite the then-upcoming artist, Prince, as well as singer Teena Marie, as his opening act.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Wendy and Lisa by Wendy & Lisa (1987). Wendy and Lisa (Wendy & Lisa) — collaborator for Prince “They began working with Prince in the early 1980s and were part of his band the Revolution, before branching out on their own and releasing their eponymous debut studio album in 1987.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Wendy & Lisa (with Prince and the Revolution) by Wendy and Lisa. Lisa Coleman describes Prince directing Wendy & Lisa's image/collaboration during the Purple Rain era in a joint interview with both musicians. “We had a photo shoot for the Purple Rain poster. We were all in our different positions and he at one point walked over to me and Wendy and lifted my arm up and put my hand around Wendys waist and said, There.” (Out Magazine)
• Cool by The Time. Performed live 118 times (2010–2016) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• Nasty Girl by Vanity 6. Performed live 109 times (2011–2016) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• A Love Bizarre by Sheila E.. Performed live 101 times (2010–2016) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry. Performed live 83 times (2011–2015) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• Stratus by Billy Cobham. Performed live 71 times (2010–2015) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• Theme From "Which Way Is Up" by Stargard. Performed live 41 times (2010–2015) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• Crimson & Clover by Tommy James & the Shondells. Performed live 39 times (2011–2015) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• The Bird by The Time. Performed live 37 times (2010–2014) per setlist.fm (YouTube)
• One of Us by Joan Osborne. States Prince recorded a cover of Joan Osborne's song. “Prince covered Joan Osborne 's top ten hit song of 1995” (Wikipedia)
• Betcha by Golly Wow! by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. Lists Betcha by Golly Wow! as a cover on Emancipation. “Thom Bell and Linda Creed 's " Betcha by Golly Wow! "” (Wikipedia)
• Can't Make You Love Me by James Allen Shamblin II and Michael Barry Reid. Lists Can't Make You Love Me as a cover on Emancipation. “James Allen Shamblin II and Michael Barry Reid's " Can't Make You Love Me "” (Wikipedia)
• La-La (Means I Love You) by Thom Bell and William Hart. Lists La-La (Means I Love You) as a cover on Emancipation. “Thom Bell and William Hart 's " La-La (Means I Love You) "” (Wikipedia)
• While My Guitar Gently Weeps by George Harrison. Prince performed a cover/tribute rendition of a George Harrison song. “Prince also participated in a tribute to fellow inductee George Harrison in a rendering of Harrison's " While My Guitar Gently Weeps "” (Wikipedia)
• Red House by Jimi Hendrix. Prince covered Jimi Hendrix's Red House for a tribute album. “He also performed the song " Red House " as "Purple House" on the album Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix.” (Wikipedia)
• David Z. David Z produced/engineered Prince's early demo. “Husney signed Prince, then aged 19, to a management contract, and helped him create a demo at Sound 80 Studios in Minneapolis, with producer/engineer David Z.” (Wikipedia)
• The Revolution. Prince founded/led the band The Revolution. “the backing band for Prince would be referred to as the Revolution.” (Wikipedia)
• NPG Records. Prince founded his own record label NPG Records. “The album was released via his own label, named NPG Records , with distribution through EMI.” (Wikipedia)
• New Power Generation. Prince founded the band New Power Generation. “marking the debut of Prince's new band, the New Power Generation.” (Wikipedia)
• 94 East. Prince was hired to record tracks with the band 94 East. “Pepe Willie, the husband of one of Prince's cousins, formed the band 94 East with Marcy Ingvoldstad and Kristie Lazenberry, hiring André Cymone and Prince to record tracks.” (Wikipedia)
• Maceo Parker (1943). Maceo Parker performed as part of Prince's band. “Featuring Maceo Parker in his band, Prince's residency at the O 2 Arena was increased to 15 nights” (Wikipedia)
• NPG Publishing. Prince founded NPG Publishing to manage his music. “he launched NPG Publishing, a music company to administer his own music” (Wikipedia)
• Salaam Remi. Producer compares Miguel's artistry to Prince. “To me he kind of feels like Prince, where he's doing this eclectic blend but still coming back to focused songs.” (Wikipedia)
• Miles Davis (1926). Davis and Prince recorded together, unreleased for decades. “Davis collaborated with Prince on a song titled "Can I Play With U," which went unreleased until 2020.” (Wikipedia)
• Jean Paul Gaultier. Gaultier was tailoring a costume for Prince. “In 1989, he was tailoring a costume for Prince when the singer walked away, offended, thinking Gaultier had told him "fuck you" where the couturier with a heavy French accent had said "faux cul" (false bottom).” (Wikipedia)
• The New Standard. The article states that The New Standard interprets songs by Prince. “In 1995, the release of The New Standard had Hancock and an all-star band that included John Scofield , DeJohnette and Michael Brecker , interpreting pop songs by Nirvana , Stevie Wonder , the Beatles , Prince , Peter Gabriel , and others.” (Wikipedia)
• The Electric Lady. Prince made a guest appearance on the album. “The album features guest appearances by Prince , Solange Knowles , aforementioned Miguel and Esperanza Spalding [ 56 ] with production from previous collaborator Deep Cotton (a psychedelic punk act) and Roman GianArthur (a soul music com…” (Wikipedia)
• John Mayer (1977). Performed live 63 times (2017–2022) per setlist.fm (via The Beautiful Ones) (YouTube)

…and 10 more on the map above.

Who Prince influenced

• D'Angelo. Questlove states Prince was the biggest influence on the making of Voodoo. (also via Sometimes It Snows in April, Sign o' the Times, She's Always in My Hair) “I realized that Prince was a true artist. He wrote, produced, and performed, and that's the way I wanted to do it.” (Wikipedia)
• Janelle Monáe (1985). Establishes Prince as a mentor figure and early supporter of Monáe's music. (also via Dirty Mind, Dirty Computer) “Prince was the first person to get a physical copy of The ArchAndroid - she presented the CD to him with a flower and the titles written out by hand.” (Rolling Stone)
• Voodoo by D'Angelo (2000). Voodoo (D'Angelo) — legacy for Prince “The biggest influence on the record was someone who never came to the studio: Prince. Way after Voodoo was finished, D and I sat down and listened to it, and we both admitted that this was our audition tape for Prince.” (Far Out Magazine (quoting Questlove's Rolling Stone interview))
• Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe (2018). Dirty Computer (Janelle Monáe) — legacy for Prince “Monáe stated in an interview with BBC Radio 1 : "Prince was actually working on the album with me before he passed on to another frequency, and helped me come up with some sounds. And I really miss him, you know, it's hard for me to talk…” (Wikipedia)
• Miguel (1985). Miguel names Prince as an influence. (also via Sign o' the Times) “Miguel cites musicians Prince , David Bowie , Jimi Hendrix , Freddie Mercury , Phil Collins , Donny Hathaway , the Notorious B.I.G. , Kanye West , Saul Williams , Queen , Usher and Pharrell Williams as influences” (Wikipedia)
• Lucky Daye (1985). Wikipedia states Lucky Daye cites Prince as a primary influence. (also via Sign o' the Times) “He cites Stevie Wonder , Prince , and D'Angelo as some of his primary influences.” (Wikipedia)
• Frank Ocean. Pareles hears echoes of Prince in Ocean’s songwriting. (also via Sign o' the Times) “In Ocean's songwriting, Jon Pareles of The New York Times observes "open echoes of self-guided, innovative R&B songwriters like Prince , Stevie Wonder , Marvin Gaye , Maxwell , Erykah Badu and particularly R. Kelly” (Wikipedia)
• Kendrick Lamar (1987). States Prince impacted his vocal register. “He performed with Prince , who impacted his vocal register” (Wikipedia)
• Andy Warhol (1928). Warhol made visual art depicting Prince, a cross-medium connection. “pop artist Andy Warhol created the painting Orange Prince” (Wikipedia)
• Zayn Malik. Malik was influenced by his father's records including those of Prince. “He was influenced by his father's urban records, including those by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, R. Kelly, Usher, Donell Jones, Prince, 2Pac, Biggie, Gregory Isaacs, Yellowman and Chris Brown .” (Wikipedia)
• TV On The Radio. Critic Ken Tucker identifies Prince's syncopated rhythm approach as an influence on the song 'Golden Age.' “TV On The Radio mixes David Bowie in his '70s disco mode with the approach to syncopated rhythm that Prince has perfected and come up with a song who's refrain is, there's a golden age coming around.” (Fresh Air (NPR))
• Britney Spears. Spears names Prince as an inspiration. “Spears has also named Michael Jackson , Mariah Carey , Sheryl Crow , Otis Redding , Shania Twain , Brandy , Beyoncé , Natalie Imbruglia , Cher , and Prince as inspirations” (Wikipedia)
• Usher. Usher says Prince influenced his music across albums. “every album I'd always do like one song that is very Prince-influenced, because he's a great influence on me musically, especially just kind of being expansive and creating music that represents many different genres.” (Wikipedia)
• Nice & Slow. The article says Prince inspired Usher's song Nice & Slow. “Prince would inspire " Nice & Slow " while giving him his first number-one single on the Hot 100 chart.” (Wikipedia)
• Flight of the Conchords by Flight of the Conchords. Purple Rain (Prince) — titan for Flight of the Conchords (via Purple Rain) (musicbrainz.org)
• The Roots (1987). Sign o' the Times (Prince) — titan for The Roots (via Sign o' the Times) “The Roots jam session, produced by Okayplayer, Goodtime Girl Entertainment, and Keldof, has been attended by celebrities ranging from Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Tom Cruise to Don Cheadle, Jeremy Piven, and Prince, with impromptu performances fr…” (en.wikipedia.org)