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How Prince's 'Purple Rain' brought R&B and funk to the masses in the 1980s

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Prince performs during the "Pepsi Halftime Show" at Super Bowl XLI between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears on Feb. 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.  (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Prince performs during the "Pepsi Halftime Show" at Super Bowl XLI between the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears on Feb. 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

In the 1980s, Prince and his iconic album "Purple Rain" brought R&B and funk to the masses.

For Black History Month, we're going through the decades and discussing artists who shaped popular music. Elliott Powell, a professor of American Studies at the University of Minnesota, joins us to discuss.

This segment aired on February 5, 2025.

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