Music

Professor Questlove schools NYU students in Prince 101

Take it from somebody who knows from experience — students who scribble Prince’s unpronounceable logo on their books are likely to get detention. But there is one class where it might actually earn you extra credit.

The Purple One is now the subject of his own college course for 20 lucky students enrolled at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU. And one of the teachers dishing out the diamonds and pearls of wisdom in the spring course is Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of the Roots.

20 students were lucky enough to get into the class taught by Questlove and Harry Weinger.Astrid Stawiarz

“I’m not expecting people to walk away with their Ph.D. in Purple-ology, but I want to light a spark,” Questlove tells The Post. “It’s a mistake to assume that even in this age of information, people just know about the fundamental records and artists of the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s. What’s the point of being a walking encyclopedia if you don’t share the information?”

The seven-week course (co-taught by music-business veteran Harry Weinger) might sound like an excuse to earn college credit by debating Prince’s many hairstyles and watching a DVD of “Purple Rain” once a week. But his career is a case study like no other.

Over the course of almost 40 years, the Minnesotan has blended multiple music genres into his work, was one of the brave few who spoke out about exploitative terms in recording contracts, embraced the Internet as a way of releasing music when most people didn’t even have e-mail addresses and, perhaps most importantly, he brought his smoldering sexuality to the front and center of pop music.

That destruction of taboos annoyed parents, including Questlove’s mom and dad. But that only made Prince a magnet for the younger generation. “I remember my mom saying, ‘That guy who performs in his diapers . . . Prince! Don’t listen to that guy.’ I may not have been interested if it wasn’t for that!”

Questlove wasn’t brought in to teach just because he’s a big name. The Roots are national celebrities thanks to their role as the house band on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” but the drummer is also a card-carrying Prince nerd. Throughout the course, he will allow students access to his private stash of bootlegs and demos. In the introductory class, which wraps up on May 9, he even passed around an original reel-to-reel demo of the song “Baby” dating back to 1976.

Prince, 2012Christopher Polk/Getty Images

“Just the fact that I got to hold one of Prince’s original demo tapes blew my mind,” says 22-year-old NYU student Travis Yablon during a brief break in the three-hour session. “The class has gone so fast. It’s so interesting, and Questlove is extremely knowledgeable. Regardless of the fact it’s Questlove, he’s also a really good teacher.”

This year, Prince is due to launch another exciting phase of his career with his 25th album, the first with his all-new band 3RDEYEGIRL. If students are very lucky, he may take a break from promotional duties and grace them with his presence.

“In the history of this class, the subject matter has often visited,” adds Questlove, who started teaching music-based courses at NYU last year. “The Beastie Boys came to the finals of the class about them. I’ve put the word out to his camp; if Prince would like to visit, I’d welcome it!” Sounds like skipping out on any of these classes is probably a really bad idea.

Questlove’s top 5 Prince songs

By night, Questlove plays in the Roots, Jimmy Fallon’s house band. But by day, he’s become a college professor, teaching a class on Prince at NYU.

Here are Questlove’s Top 5 Prince songs:

5. “Controversy” (from “Controversy,” 1981)

“It’s a perfect introductory song. It explains who he is and what his mission statement is,” says Questlove.

4. “Automatic” (from “1999,” 1982)

“It’s experimental, but also really catchy.”

3. “Do Me, Baby” (from “Controversy”)

“Prince as a balladeer is extremely undervalued, which is why I picked this song. Also, I think it’s his best recorded vocal.”

2. “When Doves Cry” (from “Purple Rain,” 1984)

“It was the moment that shook up the world. It’s the prototype of a lot of music today — very sparse, very simplistic, but also very dense.”

1. “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” (from “Sign o’ the Times,” 1987)

“Picking a favorite Prince song is kind of like picking a favorite breath you ever took. But for now, I’m gonna say this because it shows his prowess as a live performer.”