Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" for R&B

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

Black Men United Black Men United (B.M.U.) was a collaboration of many African-American male contemporary R&B, R&B, neo soul and soul music artists. Their only song "U Will Know", written by a young D'Angelo, was released in 1994. It was featured in the film ''Jas ...

. His debut studio album, '' Brown Sugar'' (1995), received widespread acclaim from music critics, who have credited the album for ushering in the neo soul movement; and was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). Its third single "

Lady The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...

", reached the top ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. He would then collaborate with artists such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and then girlfriend Angie Stone. His next album, ''

Voodoo Voodoo may refer to: Religions * African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups * African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo ** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...

'' (2000), debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and continued to receive critical acclaim. The album's lead single " Untitled (How Does It Feel)", earned him the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance; likewise, ''Voodoo'' won Best R&B Album. Following this period, D'Angelo became increasingly uncomfortable with his growing status as a

sex symbol A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive.Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to ...

. This was followed by numerous personal struggles including alcoholism, and a fourteen-year long musical hiatus. D'Angelo returned to music with his third studio album '' Black Messiah'', in December 2014. The album was met with critical acclaim and peaked at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The same year, D'Angelo was hailed as the next

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

by '' GQ''. D'Angelo also contributed to the soundtrack for the 2018 video game '' Red Dead Redemption 2'', performing the song "

Unshaken "Unshaken" is a song by American singer-songwriter D'Angelo. It was produced by Daniel Lanois, who wrote the track with D'Angelo and Rocco DeLuca. The song was written for the Music of Red Dead Redemption 2, original soundtrack to the 2018 video ...

Early life

D'Angelo was born Michael Eugene Archer in

South Richmond, Virginia The Southside of Richmond is an area of the Metropolitan Statistical Area surrounding Richmond, Virginia. It generally includes all portions of the City of Richmond that lie south of the James River, and includes all of the former city of Manc ...

. His father was a Pentecostal preacher and D'Angelo was raised in an entirely Pentecostal family. Archer's musical talents were discovered very early as a child. He was 3 when spotted by his 10-year-old brother Luther, playing the house piano. After the formation of his native-

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

musical group, Michael Archer and Precise found success performing in the Amateur Night competition at Harlem, New York's

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

in 1991. The 18-year-old dropped out of school and moved to New York City as an attempt to develop his music career.D'Angelo: Biography
'' NME''. Retrieved January 28, 2009. The group previously enjoyed some notice in Richmond, evenly dividing their repertoire between soul covers and originals while D'Angelo accumulated compositions of his own and developed his songwriting skills. The group's turnout on Amateur Night resulted in three consecutive wins and cash prize,Samuels, Allison
Pop Music: A One-Man Soul Revival
'' Newsweek''. Retrieved January 28, 2009. and upon returning home to Richmond, D'Angelo was inspired to produce an album and began composing material. This took place after a brief tenure as a member of the hip hop group I.D.U. (Intelligent, Deadly but Unique).H.W. Wilson Co. (2001), pp. 36–39.

Career

1991–1995: ''Brown Sugar''

At the age of 17, D'Angelo met Afropunk Festival partner Jocelyn Cooper, who signed him to Midnight Songs LLC, her joint venture publishing company administered by Universal Music Publishing Group after hearing a demo of the hip hop group I.D.U. (Intelligent, Deadly but Unique), which D'Angelo produced and rapped in. After signing, Cooper introduced D'Angelo to musicians Raphael Saadiq, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Angie Stone to collaborate as songwriters. Cooper then introduced D'Angelo to Fred Davis, Head of A&R and Gary Harris at

EMI Music EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

. After an impressive audition D'Angelo was signed to a recording contract in 1993.Oblender (2001), pp. 35–36. Cooper also introduced D'Angelo to attorney Kedar Massenburg who helped negotiate his contract.Gale Staff (1998), pp. 138–139. Massenburg later became D'Angelo's manager. In 1994, his first significant success came in the form of the hit single "U Will Know".Huey, Steve. D'Angelo: Biography AllMusic. Retrieved January 28, 2009. D'Angelo co-wrote and co-produced the song for the all-male R&B supergroup

, which featured R&B singers such as Brian McKnight,

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** Fiel ...

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

, Raphael Saadiq, and Gerald Levert.D'Angelo Signed to RCA Music Group (J Records)
PRWeb. Retrieved December 8, 2008. D'Angelo composed the music for "U Will Know", while his brother, Luther Archer, Midnight Songs LLC writer, wrote the lyrics.Onnell (1997), pp. 103–105. Originally featured on the soundtrack to the film '' Jason's Lyric'' (1994), the single peaked at number 5 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and at number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Jason's Lyric: Charts & Awards AllMusic. Retrieved January 28, 2009. The music video for "U Will Know" featured D'Angelo as the group's choir director; he reprised the role for the live performance of the song at the Soul Train Music Awards. That same year, he wrote and produced the song "Overjoyed" for the Boys Choir of Harlem,Farley, Christopher John
D'Angelo: Salvation Sex and Voodoo
'' Time''. Retrieved September 15, 2008. which appeared on their studio album ''The Sound of Hope'' (1994).Amazon.com: The Sound of Hope
Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved February 1, 2009. The success of "U Will Know" helped build the buzz surrounding D'Angelo, which was followed by a number of highly promoted showcases, and added to the buzz among

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

insiders. '' Brown Sugar'' was released in July 1995. Although sales were sluggish at first, the album was eventually a hit. The album debuted at number six on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Top R&B Albums chart in the week of July 22, 1995. It ultimately peaked at number four in the week of February 24, 1996, and spent a total of 54 weeks on the chart. Chart History: D'Angelo – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ''Billboard''. Retrieved May 9, 2010. ''Brown Sugar'' also spent 65 weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 and peaked at number 22 on the chart. Chart History: D'Angelo – Billboard 200 ''Billboard''. Retrieved May 9, 2010. It sold 300,000 copies within its two months of release. The album had been selling 35,000 to 40,000 copies a week through to November 1995, and by January 1996, it had sold 400,000 copies. With the help of its four singles, including the gold-selling ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit "

" and R&B top-ten singles " Brown Sugar" and "Cruisin", the album reached sales of 500,000 copies in the United States by October 1995.Ayers, Anne.
D'Angelo Cruisin' Through His First Tour
'' USA Today'': 14.D. November 1, 1995.Gold & Platinum – Searchable Database: Brown Sugar
. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 9, 2010. On February 7, 1996, it was certified platinum by the

, following shipments in excess of one million copies in the U.S. The album was certified gold in Canada on May 9, 2000.Search Certification Database: Brown Sugar
. Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 9, 2010. Its total sales have been estimated within the range of 1.5 million to over two million copies.Wells, Chris
"Pop: Just Got to Keep It Real"
'' The Independent''. Retrieved May 9, 2010.

1996–2000: Sabbatical period and ''Voodoo''

Following the success of his debut album '' Brown Sugar'' (1995), D'Angelo went into a four and a half-year absence from the music scene and releasing solo work. PR
D'Angelo Signed to RCA Music Group (J Records)
. PRWeb. Retrieved December 8, 2008. After spending two years on tour promoting ''Brown Sugar'', D'Angelo found himself stuck with writer's block.Seymour, Craig
Why D'Angelo's No. 1 Album Almost Didn't Happen
. ''Entertainment Weekly''. Retrieved August 9, 2008. On the setback, D'Angelo later stated "The thing about writer's block is that you want to write so fucking bad, utthe songs don't come out that way. They come from life. So you've got to live to write." During his sabbatical period, he generally released cover versions and remakes, including a cover-collaboration with Erykah Badu of the

and Tammi Terrell duet song " Your Precious Love" for the soundtrack to ''

High School High ''High School High'' is a 1996 American comedy film about an inner city high school in the Los Angeles, California area, starring Jon Lovitz, Tia Carrere, Mekhi Phifer, Louise Fletcher, Malinda Williams, and Brian Hooks. It is a spoof of movies c ...

'' (1996). D'Angelo also covered Prince's "She's Always in My Hair" for the ''

Scream 2 ''Scream 2'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O'Connell, Elise Neal, Timot ...

'' soundtrack (1997), as well as the

Ohio Players Ohio Players is an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire (Ohio Players song), Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of t ...

' "Heaven Must Be Like This" for the '' Down in the Delta'' soundtrack (1998). He also appeared on a duet, "Nothing Even Matters", with Lauryn Hill for her debut solo album '' The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' (1998). The much-delayed follow-up to ''Brown Sugar'', ''

'', was released in 2000 on Virgin Records after the EMI Records Group was absorbed by the former label. ''Voodoo'' received rave reviews from contemporary

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

s.Evanoff, Rob
Review: ''Voodoo''
. '' All About Jazz''. Retrieved December 21, 2008. who dubbed it a "masterpiece" and D'Angelo's greatest work.Columnist.
Hot Singer D'Angelo
. ''

Jet Jet, Jets, or The Jet(s) may refer to: Aerospace * Jet aircraft, an aircraft propelled by jet engines ** Jet airliner ** Jet engine ** Jet fuel * Jet Airways, an Indian airline * Wind Jet (ICAO: JET), an Italian airline * Journey to Enceladus a ...

'': 58–62. July 3, 2000.McPherson, Steve
Warp + Weft: ''Voodoo''
Reveille Magazine. Retrieved December 21, 2008.Scholtes, Peter S
Review: ''Voodoo''
. ''

City Pages ''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a ...

''. Retrieved December 21, 2008. The album debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart,0 ''Billboard'' Music Charts: ''Voodoo''
''Billboard''. Retrieved August 9, 2008. selling 320,000 copies in its first week.Century, Douglas

'' The New York Times''. Retrieved January 23, 2009. It entered the ''Billboard'' 200 on February 12, 2000, and remained on the chart for 33 consecutive weeks. As of 2005, the album has sold over 1.7 million copies in the US, according to

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

.Hall, Rashaun
D'Angelo Heading To J?
''Billboard'': July 26, 2005. Archived fro
the original
August 9, 2008. In 2001, ''Voodoo'' won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the

43rd Grammy Awards The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 21, 2001, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Several artists earned three awards on the night. Steely Dan's haul included Album of the Year for ''Two Against Nature''. U2 too ...

which was awarded to D'Angelo and recording engineer Russell Elevado. The album was executive produce by then manager and creative collaborator, Dominique Trenier. Its first two singles, " Devil's Pie" and " Left & Right", peaked at number 69 and number 70 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.''Billboard'' Music Charts: Devil's Pie
''Billboard''. Retrieved August 9, 2008.0 Billboard Music Charts: Left & Right
''Billboard''. Retrieved August 9, 2008. The latter was commercially aimed at R&B and hip hop-oriented radio stations due to the prominence of rappers Redman and Method Man on the track. According to Rich Ford, Jr., producer of the "Left & Right" music video, both the single and the video went commercially unnoticed due to

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's refusal to place the song's video in rotation, serving as punishment for missing the deadline for its initial premiere. The fifth single " Feel Like Makin' Love" was less successful, reaching number 109 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.0 ''Billboard'' Music Charts: Feel Like Makin' Love
''Billboard''. Retrieved August 9, 2008. " Send It On", the album's fourth single, achieved moderate chart success, peaking at number 33 on ''Billboard''s Pop Singles chart.0 Billboard Music Charts: Send It On
''Billboard''. Retrieved August 9, 2008. The album's third single, " Untitled (How Does It Feel)", became its greatest chart success, peaking at number 25 on the Hot 100 Singles and at number two on the R&B Singles chart.0 ''Billboard'' Music Charts: Untitled (How Does It Feel)
''Billboard''. Retrieved August 9, 2008. Its infamous music video helped in boosting the song's appeal, as well as D'Angelo's. ''

'' wrote of the video, "It's pure sexuality. D'Angelo, muscularly cut and glistening, is shot from the hips up, naked, with just enough shown to prompt a slow burning desire in most any woman who sees it. The video alone could make the song one of the biggest of the coming year".Columnist.
Singles Reviews: 'Untitled (How Does It Feel)'
. ''Billboard'': 23–24. January 15, 2000. Archived fro
the original
on December 20, 2008. It earned three nominations for the

2000 MTV Video Music Awards The 2000 MTV Video Music Awards (stylized as MTV Video Music Awards vma.00) aired live on September 7, 2000, honoring the best music videos from June 12, 1999, to June 9, 2000. The show was hosted by Marlon and Shawn Wayans at Radio City Music Ha ...

, including Video of the Year, Best R&B Video, and Best Male Video.

2001–2013: Second sabbatical, personal struggles and delayed album

Towards the end of his worldwide tour in support of the album that same year, D'Angelo's personal issues had worsened, affecting performances. He became more conscious of and uncomfortable with his status as a

, and after the tour D'Angelo returned to his home in Richmond, Virginia, disappearing from the public eye.Peisner, David (2008)
Body & Soul
. ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', pp. 64–72. Several of D'Angelo's peers and affiliates have noted the commercial impact of the "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" music video and ''The Voodoo Tour'' as contributing factors to D'Angelo's period of absence from the music scene. His former music manager, Dominique Trenier, explained his disappointment in the music video's impact in a 2008 interview for ''

'' magazine. Trenier was quoted as saying that "to this day, in the general populace's memory, he's the naked dude". According to tour manager Alan Leeds, the experience "took away his confidence, because he's not convinced why any given fan is supporting him." Following the suicide of his close friend, MTV-affiliate Fred Jordan, in April 2001, he started to develop a drinking problem. As his alcoholism escalated, plans for a live album and a Soultronics studio effort, both originally set for after the tour, were scrapped, and impatient Virgin executives cut off funding for the expected 2004 solo album. By 2005, D'Angelo's girlfriend had left him, his attorney had become displeased with him, and most of his family was not in touch with him. He also parted ways with manager Dominique Trenier and tour manager Alan Leeds. After a car accident and an arrest on DUI and marijuana possession charges, D'Angelo left Virgin Records in 2005 and checked into the

Crossroads Centre The Crossroads Centre is a substance-abuse rehabilitation centre for drug and alcohol addiction located on the Caribbean island of Antigua in Antigua and Barbuda. It was founded with support from guitarist/singer Eric Clapton in 1998. He ...

rehabilitation clinic in

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

. In 2005, his recording contract was acquired by J Records, following rumors of D'Angelo signing to Bad Boy Records. Despite no solo output, D'Angelo collaborated with some R&B and hip hop artists during this period between albums, appearing on albums such as J Dilla's '' The Shining'' (2006),

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

's ''

Tha Blue Carpet Treatment ''Tha Blue Carpet Treatment'' is the eighth studio album by West Coast hip hop recording artist Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 21, 2006, by Doggystyle Records and Geffen Records. It is also the final album to have Nate Dogg featured on ...

'' (2006),

Common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

's ''

Finding Forever ''Finding Forever'' is the seventh studio album by Common, released on July 31, 2007, on GOOD Music and Geffen Records. Like Common's previous album, '' Be'' (2005), ''Finding Forever'' is primarily produced by Kanye West. The album debuted at th ...

'' (2007), and Q-Tip's '' The Renaissance'' (2008). D'Angelo's subsequent solo work was extensively delayed. Production for a full-length follow-up to ''Voodoo'' was stagnant, as he was working on and off mostly by himself during 2002.Elevado, Russell. Questlove
D'Angelo's 'James River'
. Quality Time. Retrieved January 18, 2009. D'Angelo attempted to play every instrument for the project, striving for complete creative control similar to that of Prince. Russell Elevado described the resulting material as " Parliament/Funkadelic meets the Beatles meets Prince, and the whole time there's this

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

energy". However, those who previewed its songs found it to be unfinished. In the years that followed, D'Angelo's personal problems worsened, descending to drug and alcohol addiction. In January 2005 he was arrested and charged with possession of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

and cocaine. Various mugshots began circulating around the time, showing the singer looking overweight and unhealthy, in stark contrast to the muscular D'Angelo seen in promotion for ''Voodoo''. In September 2005, a week after being sentenced on the drug charges, he was involved in a car accident, and was rumoured to be critically injured. However, a week after the crash a statement was issued by D'Angelo's attorney stating that he was fine continuing to say "He is anxious to finish the recording of his soul masterpiece that the world has patiently awaited. D'Angelo@Brixton2

No more was revealed on the new album until 2007, when

Questlove Ahmir Khalib Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ), is an American musician, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thou ...

leaked an unfinished track on Triple J Radio in Australia. Entitled " Really Love", the track was an acoustic flavored jam with a laid back swing feel. The leak apparently soured relations between the two. D'Angelo released a CD/DVD

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

entitled ''The Best So Far…'', first released on June 24, 2008 on Virgin Records. The compilation features songs from his two previous studio albums, '' Brown Sugar'' and ''

'', as well as rarities and a second disc, a DVD of previously unreleased videos. Around the same time, the compilation was released digitally without the Erykah Badu and Raphael Saadiq featured songs, under the title ''Ultimate D'Angelo.'' In late November 2011, D'Angelo announced a series of 2012 European tour dates. The tour kicked off January 26 in Stockholm, Sweden with its final show on February 10. The tour featured a selection of hits from his two previous albums and songs from his upcoming album, which was close to completion. He premiered 4 new songs: "Sugah Daddy", "Ain't That Easy", "Another Life" and "The Charade" which were well received. On June 9, 2012, he joined Questlove for the annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival's Superjam. He didn't play any of his original material and this marked the first time in nearly 12 years that he performed on stage in the US. On September 1, 2012, D'Angelo performed at

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

's Made in America festival where he again performed the new songs, "The Charade" and "Sugah Daddy". On October 7,

RCA Music Group RCA Music Group was an umbrella group of labels distributed by Sony Music Entertainment that existed between March 2004 and 2009, and for a short period of time between July 2011 and October 2011 as all RCA Music Group labels were merged with RCA ...

announced that it was closing J Records,

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

, and

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...

. With the shutdown, D'Angelo (and all other artists previously signed to those labels) would release his future material on RCA Records.

2014–2020: ''Black Messiah'' and "Unshaken"

D'Angelo released his third studio album, '' Black Messiah'' in December 2014. D'Angelo originally wanted to release ''Black Messiah'' in 2015, but the controversial decisions in the

Ferguson Ferguson may refer to: Places Canada * Ferguson Avenue (Hamilton, Ontario) * Ferguson, British Columbia * Mount Ferguson (Ontario), a mountain in Temagami, Ontario United States *Ferguson, a meteorite fall in North Carolina * Ferguson, Arkansas ...

and Eric Garner cases inspired him to release it earlier. On December 12, 2014,

Kevin Liles Kevin Liles (born February 27, 1968) is an American record executive and co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment. In 2020, Kevin was recognized by Billboard Magazine as R&B/Hip-Hop Executive of the Year for both his efforts in activism and the c ...

, D'Angelo's manager, shared a 15-second teaser of the album on YouTube. Two days later, the track "Sugah Daddy", which had been part of D'Angelo's set list since 2012, premiered at 3am EST and 1,000 downloads were available on

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...

's 20 Before 15 website. After an exclusive listening party in New York produced by Afropunk festival founder Matthew Morgan and Jocelyn Cooper, ''Black Messiah'' was released digitally on December 15 through

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

, Google Play Music, and Spotify. The album's unexpected release was compared to

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's self-titled release in 2013. On January 13, 2015, "Really Love" was released to urban adult contemporary radio in the US. The album was met with universal acclaim from critics and it currently has a 95/100 mean score on review aggregator Metacritic. In its first week of release, ''Black Messiah'' debuted at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold 117,000 copies in the United States. In its second week, the album dropped to number twenty five on the chart and sold another 40,254 copies. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 47 on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 7,423 copies. D'Angelo supported ''Black Messiah'' with a tour called ''

The Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messian ...

''. His band, once called "The Testimony" and later renamed "The Vanguard", includes drummer

Chris Dave Chris "Daddy" Dave is a drummer, composer, and bandleader from Houston, Texas. He attended Howard University. He is a drummer in jazz, gospel, hip hop, noted for his extremely virtuosic sticking technique and ability to play with a high deg ...

, bassist Pino Palladino, guitarists Jesse Johnson ( The Time) and Isaiah Sharkey, vocalists Kendra Foster (sometimes replaced by

Joi Gilliam Joi Elaine Gilliam (born January 25, 1971), better known mononymously as Joi, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer associated with the Dungeon Family collective based in Atlanta, Georgia, and as such often performs with OutKast ...

), Jermaine Holmes, and Charles "Redd" Middleton, keyboardist Cleo "Pookie" Sample, jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold, saxophonist Kenneth Whalum manning the horn section, and D'Angelo as the lead vocalist, playing the electric grand piano, electric guitar, and even the band's conductor at certain moments. D'Angelo and The Vanguard's '' Second Coming Tour'' commenced in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on February 7, 2015, and concluded in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

on November 6, 2015, with a total of 57 shows in Europe, Asia and North America. At the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...

, ''Black Messiah'' won Best R&B Album while " Really Love" won Best R&B Song and was nominated for Record of the Year. ''Black Messiah'',

's self-titled album (2013),

Run the Jewels Run the Jewels, also known by the initials RTJ, is an American hip hop super-duo composed of Brooklyn-based rapper and producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike. They released their critically acclaimed self-titled debut studio album ...

' '' Run the Jewels 2'' (2014), and Kendrick Lamar's '' To Pimp a Butterfly'' (2015) were noted as laying the groundwork down for the politically charged releases that happened in 2016, which included

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

's ''

Anti Anti may refer to: *Anti-, a prefix meaning "against" *Änti, or Antaeus, a half-giant in Greek and Berber mythology *A false reading of ''Nemty'', the name of the ferryman who carried Isis to Set's island in Egyptian mythology * Áńt’į, or ...

'', Kanye West's '' The Life of Pablo'', and Beyonce's "

Formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

". In June 2015, D'Angelo confirmed to '' Rolling Stone'' that he was working on more material for a new album, calling it "a companion piece" to ''Black Messiah''. D'Angelo performed Prince's "Sometimes it Snows in April" on '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' in April 2016 accompanied by

Maya Rudolph Maya Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''), and later played supporting roles in the films '' 50 First Dates'' ...

and

Gretchen Lieberum Gretchen Lieberum is a singer and songwriter. Career Lieberum was raised in Berkeley, California and educated at University of California, Santa Cruz. After leading a funk band for several years, she released her first solo album, ''Three A.M. ...

as a tribute to the late musician, appearing 'overcome with emotion' at the passing of a major influence. D'Angelo contributed to the soundtrack for the 2018 video game '' Red Dead Redemption 2''. He sang on the song "

" which was produced by Daniel Lanois. He had previously served as a playtester for the game itself due to his love for the series. The game's music team eventually invited him to perform on a song, which was finished in a week. "Unshaken" was later released as a digital single on January 4, 2019.

2021–present: ''Verzuz''

On February 14, 2021, D'Angelo appeared on Instagram Live to announce that he would be performing at the

on February 27, 2021, in cooperation with the American webcast '' Verzuz''. The event was billed as ''D'Angelo VS Friends'' and featured no opponents; instead, D'Angelo performed a solo set with shared performances with his peers and collaborators, Keyon Harrold, Method Man & Redman, and

H.E.R. Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson (born June 27, 1997), known professionally as H.E.R. (pronounced "her", an acronym for "Having Everything Revealed"), is an American singer, songwriter, musician and actress. She has received several awards includin ...

. On June 10, 2021, D'Angelo performed at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City for "The Songs of Red Dead Redemption 2". He performed his 2019 single "Unshaken", which was his contribution to the game's soundtrack. D'Angelo performed as a guitarist and the lead vocalist, with soundtrack producer Daniel Lanois, singer

Rhiannon Giddens Rhiannon Giddens (born February 21, 1977) is an American musician. She is a founding member of the country, blues and old-time music band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she is the lead singer, fiddle player, and banjo player. Giddens i ...

, and members of "D'Angelo and The Vanguard", guitarist Jesse Johnson and vocalists Jermaine Holmes and Charles Middleton by his side.

Artistry

In a 1995 interview, he discussed the influence that musician Prince had on his approach to recording his debut album, stating "I was one of those guys who read the album credits and I realized that Prince was a true artist. He wrote, produced, and performed, and that's the way I wanted to do it." According to D'Angelo, the hip hop influence present on the album "came from the Native Tongues movement –

Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

, Gangstarr and

Main Source Main Source was an East Coast hip hop group based in New York City/Toronto, composed of Toronto-born DJs and producers, K-Cut and Sir Scratch, and Queens MC and producer Large Professor. Later, another Queens MC, Mikey D (Michael Deering), repla ...

." In a February 1999 interview with music journalist

Touré Touré is the French transcription of a West African surname (English transcriptions are '' Turay'' and '' Touray''). The name is probably derived from ''tùùré'', the word for 'elephant' in Soninké, the language of the Ghana Empire. The clan e ...

, D'Angelo discussed his original inspirations to produce music, stating "The sound and feel of my music are going to be affected by what motivates me to do it". On his visit to South Carolina, D'Angelo stated that he "went through this tunnel, through gospel,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, and a lot of old soul, old

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

, early, early Sly and the Family Stone, and a lot of

", and "I learned a lot about music, myself, and where I want to go musically". In the same interview, he cited the deaths of rappers Tupac Shakur and

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

as having a great effect on him during the period.Touré.
D'Angelo: All Ears
. '' Interview'': February 1999. During the production of his second studio album D'Angelo recorded numerous hours of unreleased, original material, as well as covers of his influencers' material. Collectively referred to by D'Angelo as " yoda",Touré
Interview with Ahmir Thompson
''

The Believer Believer(s) or The Believer(s) may refer to: Religion * Believer, a person who holds a particular belief ** Believer, a person who holds a particular religious belief *** Believers, Christians with a religious faith in the divine Christ *** Beli ...

''. Retrieved November 1, 2008. these influencers included soul artist

Al Green Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

artist George Clinton, and Afrobeat artist

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...

.Touré (May 2000)
Untitled Document: D'Angelo, May 2000
''Rolling Stone''. Archived fro

on April 2, 2011.

Personal life

In the 1990s, D'Angelo dated soul singer Angie Stone. She was his muse for his '' Brown Sugar'' album and he helped her produce her debut album '' Black Diamond'', released in 1999. Angie and D'Angelo have a son together, named Michael D'Angelo Archer II, born in 1998. D'Angelo also has two other children, a daughter, Imani Archer, born in 1999, and a son, Morocco Prince Archer, born in 2010.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' Brown Sugar'' (1995) *''

'' (2000) *'' Black Messiah'' (with The Vanguard) (2014)

Tours

* Brown Sugar Tour (1996) *

The Voodoo World Tour The Voodoo World Tour is a tour by American R&B/neo soul singer D'Angelo in support of his Platinum selling album, '' Voodoo''. The tour started March 1, with the first of five nights in Los Angeles, CA at the House of Blues. The singer's itiner ...

(2000) *

Occupy Music Tour The Occupy Music Tour was an 11-date only concert tour in Europe by American R&B/soul singer D'Angelo. The tour both started and ended in Stockholm, Sweden at the ''Filadelfiakyrkan''. It started on January 26, and ended with a final show on Feb ...

(2012) * The Liberation Tour (2012) * The Second Coming Tour (2015)

Awards and nominations

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

!Ref. , - , 2001 , Himself , Favorite Male Artist - R&B , ,

Grammy Awards

, - , rowspan="3",

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

, , '' Brown Sugar'' , Best R&B Album , , - , rowspan="2", " Brown Sugar" , Best R&B Song , , - , rowspan="2",

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance was awarded between 1968 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes: *In 1968 it was awarded as Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male *From 1969 to 1994 it was awarded as Best R&B V ...

, , - , ,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, "

" , , - , ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

, "Nothing Even Matters" (with Lauryn Hill) ,

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances. The award had several minor name changes: *From 1967 to 1968 the ...

, , - , rowspan="3",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

, , ''

'' , Best R&B Album , , - , rowspan="2", " Untitled (How Does It Feel)" , Best Male R&B Vocal Performance , , - , rowspan="2", Best R&B Song , , - , rowspan="2",

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

, rowspan="2", "Be Here" (with Raphael Saadiq) , , - , Best Urban/Alternative Performance , , - ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, "I'll Stay" (with

Roy Hargrove Roy Anthony Hargrove (October 16, 1969 – November 2, 2018) was an American jazz musician and composer whose principal instruments were the trumpet and flugelhorn. He achieved worldwide acclaim after winning two Grammy Awards for differing styles ...

) , Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals , , - , rowspan="3",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, , '' Black Messiah'' , Best R&B Album , , - , rowspan="2", " Really Love" , Record of the Year , , - , Best R&B Song ,

MTV Europe Music Awards

!Ref. , - ,

, "

" , MTV Amour , ,

Pollstar Concert Industry Awards

!Ref. , - , 1996 , Himself , Best New Rap/Dance Artist Tour , ,

Rober Awards Music Prize

!Ref. , - , rowspan=2, 2012 , ''

'' , Best Reissue , , rowspan=2, , - , rowspan=5, Himself , rowspan=2, Best Live Artist , , - , rowspan=5, 2015 , , rowspan=5, , - , Best Group or Duo , , - , Comeback of the Year , , - , Best R&B , , - , '' Black Messiah'' , Album of the Year ,

References

External links

* * *
D'Angelo
on

imeem The online service imeem was a social media website where users interacted with each other by Streaming media, streaming, uploading and sharing music and music videos. It operated from 2003 until 2009 when it was shut down after being acquired by ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:DAngelo 1974 births African-American male singer-songwriters American rhythm and blues guitarists American male guitarists Grammy Award winners Music of Richmond, Virginia American neo soul singers Musicians from Richmond, Virginia Rhythm and blues pianists Singer-songwriters from Virginia Living people Manchester High School (Virginia) alumni RCA Records artists Virgin Records artists EMI Records artists American hip hop singers Guitarists from Virginia Record producers from Virginia American contemporary R&B singers Ballad musicians Male pianists American male jazz musicians African-American guitarists Soulquarians members 20th-century African-American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers The Soultronics members

Early life

Career

1991–1995: ''Brown Sugar''

1996–2000: Sabbatical period and ''Voodoo''

2001–2013: Second sabbatical, personal struggles and delayed album

2014–2020: ''Black Messiah'' and "Unshaken"

2021–present: ''Verzuz''

Artistry

Personal life

Discography

Tours

Awards and nominations

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

Grammy Awards

MTV Europe Music Awards

Pollstar Concert Industry Awards

Rober Awards Music Prize

See also

References

External links