The wave of Prince memorials that erupted after the Purple One died last Thursday is abating but hardly stopping. (If you haven’t read our tributes from J.R. Nelson, Jon Kirby, and Jake Austen, I highly recommend doing so promptly.) One that’s caught my eye is a mural of mid-80s Prince that’s popped up in Logan Square—he’s playing guitar, wings unfolding from his back, and he’s flanked by the words “Purple” and “Rain.” The decades-old J4F Krew is behind the mural, which adorns a long wall atop X-it European Clothing—the same wall that held the Frankie Knuckles tribute mural that was buffed over last summer. It’s just west of Milwaukee on Fullerton, across the street from the Phife Dawg tribute mural that artist Stef Skills made late last month.
You can get a good view of the Prince mural from the confines of a Blue Line car—the tracks run parallel to the wall. I spotted it from a train yesterday, and I could take in the full scope of the image, which seemed to appear from the ether in a rush of energy. Perhaps the noise of the train tracks flying by was just invading my thoughts, but in a way, that sound conveys Prince’s intense, indescribable majesty. Like the musician who inspired it, the tribute wall brought a little magic to an otherwise ordinary experience, even with just a fleeting impression.
For the benefit of those of you who can’t make it to Logan Square anytime soon, Reader photo intern Sunshine Tucker took pictures of the whole Prince tribute mural. It’s not the only spot in town honoring Prince—DNAinfo has reported on a mural going up at Stony Island Avenue—but there’s no wrong place to honor the Purple One.
