Photos: Nandy McClean / Facebook

40 Reasons Why Prince Was A Hip Hop Pioneer, According To Questlove

The Roots’ drummer Questlove has taken to Instagram to honour his friend Prince by offering up 40 reasons why the late musician was a legitimate hip hop pioneer.

Questlove’s ’40 reasons’ Instagram post (below) comes in response to hip hop magazine The Source recently putting Prince on their front cover. Beginning his post, Questlove writes, “First I chuckled cause well — okay it’s been a min since I saw The Source but after I pondered — yeah it made sense.”

Then, Questlove goes all out with 40 — count em’, 40!! — reasons why Prince is so important to hip hop, including number six, “takes fashion taboos & makes them mainstream and acceptable”; number 29, “Parental Advisory was invented because of him”; and number 33, “had an MTV mansion/compound long before anyone did”.

Damn straight!

Prior to his ’40 reasons’ post, Questlove paid tribute to Prince by playing a section of the animated film Finding Nemo during a DJ set in Brooklyn, New York, which he did for good reason. He has also spoken about Prince’s legacy and influence on episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

A private ceremony was held for Prince at a Jehovah’s Witness temple earlier this month, with a public memorial planned for August.

Catch Questlove’s 40 reasons alongside his original Instagram post, below.

40 Reasons Why Prince Was A Hip Hop Pioneer, According To Questlove

1) came from troubled home

2) limited access to music forces him to create his own world of music

3) Overcame Poverty

4) creates fictional background tales to keep the press guessing

5) lives by the DIY creed

6) takes fashion taboos & makes them mainstream and acceptable

7) cock blocks & steals yo lady on the low (ask Rick)

8) puts his crew on—get them deals & makes them stars

9) pretty much wrote the book on gettin some better than any of his contemporaries

10) had beef w his peers who hated on him

11) invented the remix (not disco edits, but reimagining the album version)

12) played mystery card—let us think what we wanted—gave the press middle finger

13) ghostwrote for everyone

14) used mad aliases

15) refused 2 b ordinary & eschewed the proper English language as a ways 2 communicate

16) knew the B side wins again and again

17) used the exotic honey to his advantage

18) used his music to give his views on the po po, politicians, gun control, war, god, squares & “the man”

19) turned a long music video into a revolution

20) best drum machine programmer ever

21) used synthesizers as a way of life

22) could make an entire album in less than a week

23) balled so hard in Paris & other parts of France—so he made a film about it

24) cut his crew off and got a new crew

25) went all hippie like it was nothing

26) made dis records

27) never wifed em, mostly replaced em

28) started his own label

29) Parental Advisory was invented because of him

30) made a Black Album w a chip on shoulder to prove to black people he was still bad

31) plays sports better than u

32) had mad songs in the stash

33) had an MTV mansion/compound long before anyone did

34) changed looks constantly

35) dropped music on the net in record time

36) looked out for his peeps on the low doing benefits and raising money like a modern day Robin Hood

37) tries taking on the man for his complete freedom

38) couldn’t tell him NOTHING

39) always escaped into thin air

40) left us way too early #PrinceRogersNelson #HipHopPioneer

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