MINNEAPOLIS -- Legendary music producers Jimmy Jam Harris and Terry Lewis dropped in on Minneapolis North High School, where they took in dance performances and dispensed solid advice to students about how to stay grounded.
It was a true homecoming for Lewis, a North High alumnus, who excelled in music and sports in his days as a Polar.
"I used to run these halls just like you do, sit in these chairs just like you do, go to classes and do athletics, just like you do," Lewis told the students.
"So to speak, I am you and what you will become, because you are already great. Now you just need to be the contribution, not the conversation."
Harris and Lewis are based in Los Angeles now, but they're in the Twin Cities to produced 10 days of free music for Super Bowl Live, part of the events surrounding the NFL's championship game.
Both members of the Grammy-winning duo are products of the Minneapolis Public Schools system. Jimmy Jam is a Washburn High School alum, who also took piano lessons with Prince at Central High School in the 1970s.
"Even though I grew up on the South Side, I used to play hooky sometimes and come hang out here at North," Harris told reporters.
"This so special for me to share with Terry, because this school meant so much to him, and continues to mean a lot to him."
Harris and Lewis met 45 years ago at the University of Minnesota's Upward Bound program, which was designed to create the next generation of teachers. Harris said that's one of the reasons it felt right to be on a high school stage Wednesday.
"It’s important to be good human beings is always the message first, no matter what you’re going to pursue in life," Harris remarked. "We chose music, but that doesn't mean it’s the right thing or the wrong thing to do."
The pair first played together professionally in the Minneapolis funk and R&B band Flyte Tyme, with Harris on keyboards and Lewis on bass. That band morphed into The Time, featuring Morris Day, and was part of a coalition of musicians that worked Prince in the early 1980s.
But Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis made their mark in the music industry as record producers and song writers, collaborating with artists such as Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, Drake and many others.
They've picked up five Grammy awards so far, and share a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
Mayor Jacob Frey mentioned some of those accomplishments as he officially proclaimed January 30 as "Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Day" in Minneapolis. He joined them on the North High stage to read the proclamation, and give them framed copies.
"You are living legends, and I am so honored to be here today to formalize that legendary status!" Mayor Frey told the duo.
During a question-and-answer session, one student asked how the prolific song stylists had been able to remain true to themselves through all the years.
"I never did music for money. It was just a passion of mine," Lewis answered.
"I grew up on the North Side. It was always about honor, and being down for the people that you love. And once you get that, and that becomes your habit, you can never break it. You cannot be something that you’re not."
Harris told the students to follow their passions, but to also keep their options open.
"Terry thought he was going to go to Notre Dame on scholarship for track and football, and then he had a knee injury that derailed that," Harris recalled.
"And so, music was the next thing he had he wanted to do. Stay in pursuit of your passions, but don't just do the one thing. You want to try to do all things, and make sure you have different things to fall back on. That's why the education is so important."
He also said that aspiring artists shouldn't think in terms of "waiting" for their big break, but rather "preparing" for that break.
North junior Omar Brown called the event inspiring.
"It was great to learn about people who came up here, and went on to accomplish things like this. That's something that's good for all of us to know and keep in mind."
Fellow student Shequila Harris-Anderson surprised Harris by announcing they're related.
"Your grandpa is my great grandpa, so you're my great uncle!" she announced, and was immediately whisked onto the stage for a spontaneous hug with Jimmy Jam.
Mayor Frey said he was really struck by the advice the stars of the show were dispensing.
"When you listen to the things Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were talking about -- 'You’re not waiting for your break, you’re preparing for it' -- and that is exactly the right message, and I think it resonated today."
Frey pointed out the graduation rate at North High was 81 percent last year, and that the school is experiencing a revival just a few short years after being faced with the prospect of shutting down.