Minnesota’s only all-hip-hop record store, Fifth Element, is the latest casualty to the coronavirus.
A staple of Minneapolis’ Uptown area since 1999, the Fifth Element location at 2411 Hennepin Av. S. was shuttered on March 16 and will now stay permanently closed, its operators at Rhymesayers Entertainment announced Friday. They will continue to operate the website fifthelementonline.com as the official retailer for its large roster of artists.
The closure’s announcement hinted Rhymesayers — the record label behind the Soundset festival and such acts as Atmosphere and Brother Ali — was already refocusing its attention to new ventures even before the now state-mandated quarantine.