History Music / DAngelo

A founder of the late-'90s {{neo soul}} movement, Michael D'Angelo Archer (known mononymously as D'Angelo [[note]]pronounced ''dee-Anjelo''[[/note]]) is a African-American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist noted for his jam-like, yet classicist take on {{soul}} and [[ContemporaryRAndB contemporary R&B]] music.

Born in 1974, he began teaching himself piano as a young child, and at age 18 won the amateur talent competition at Harlem's Apollo Theater for three consecutive weeks. He would soon drop out of high school, and around this period briefly join a hip-hop group called I.D.U. (Intelligent, Deadly but Unique). His first major success, however, came in 1994 as the co-writer and co-producer of the ''Jason's Lyric'' soundtrack single "U Will Know", an R&B hit that would by recorded by the R&B group, B.M.U. (Black Men United).

This would all become preamble to the release of his debut record, ''Music/BrownSugar'', released in 1995. The album's earthy, early Music/AlGreen-esque passion and jazzy cadence caught on with R&B fans looking for an alternative to the slicker, more hip-hop influenced sounds dominating the urban contemporary landscape, and the album went platinum by the next year. By October 1996, the majority of a September 1995 performance, featuring major studio collaborator and later inamorata, Angie Stone, on background vocals, was released in Japan as ''Live at the Jazz Cafe, London''.

After all that intermittent activity and a series of delays, his second record, ''Music/{{Voodoo}}'', would be released in 2000. Its critical acclaim and commercial success was largely spearheaded by its single "Untitled (How Does It Feel)", as well as its ''infamous'' [[TheOner long-take]] music video consisting of D'Angelo singing against a black background while appearing to be nude as the camera [[FemaleGaze moved up and down his glistening body]]. The single and video did invaluable work raising the profile of both him and the record in mainstream media, additionally turning him into a sex icon for a younger generation of fans. It would also earn him a UsefulNotes/GrammyAward for Best Male R&B Vocal, and the album itself would earn him a second in the Best R&B Album.

After a car accident and a court case for drug charges in 2005, no more information would be cropped up about his follow-up to until 2007, when [[Music/TheRoots Questlove]] leaked a track from the record (at this time with the pre-release title of ''James River'') titled "Really Love". A potential release for the album sometime in 2009 failed to materialize, but around 2012, D'Angelo performed a number of European tour dates and scattered festivals, premiering new songs from the record. In 2014, he would finally release his eagerly awaited third studio album, ''Music/BlackMessiah'', to greater critical acclaim and commercial success than his previous records, as well as a Grammy for Best R&B Album, while lead single "Really Love" took Best R&B Song.

This would all become preamble to the release of his debut record, ''Music/BrownSugar'', released in 1995. The album's earthy, early Music/AlGreen-esque passion and jazzy cadence caught on with R&B fans looking for an alternative to the slicker, more hip-hop influenced sounds dominating the urban contemporary landscape, and the album went platinum by the next year. By October 1996, the majority of a September 1995 performance, featuring major studio collaborator and later inomarata, Angie Stone, on background vocals, was released in Japan as ''Live at the Jazz Cafe, London''.

After a car accident and a court case for drug charges in 2005, no more information would be cropped up about his follow-up to until 2007, when [[Music/TheRoots Questlove]] leaked a track from the record (at this time with the pre-release title of ''James River'') titled "Really Love". A potential release for the album sometime in 2009 failed to materialize, but around 2012, D'Angelo performed a number of European tour dates and scattered festivals, premiering new songs from the record. In 2014, he would finally release his eagerly awaited third studio album, ''Black Messiah'', to greater critical acclaim and commercial success than his previous records, as well as a Grammy for Best R&B Album, while lead single "Really Love" took Best R&B Song.

This would all become preamble to the release of his debut record, ''Brown Sugar'', released in 1995. The album's earthy, early Music/AlGreen-esque passion and jazzy cadence caught on with R&B fans looking for an alternative to the slicker, more hip-hop influenced sounds dominating the urban contemporary landscape, and the album went platinum by the next year. By October 1996, the majority of a September 1995 performance, featuring major studio collaborator and later inomarata, Angie Stone, on background vocals, was released in Japan as ''Live at the Jazz Cafe, London''.

After all that intermittent activity and a series of delays, his second record, ''Voodoo'', would be released in 2000. Its critical acclaim and commercial success was largely spearheaded by its single "Untitled (How Does It Feel)", as well as its ''infamous'' [[TheOner long take]] music video consisting of nothing but a camera [[FemaleGaze moving up and down D'Angelo's glistening, appearing-to-be-nude body]]. The single and video did invaluable work raising the profile of both him and the record in mainstream media, additionally turning him into a sex icon for a younger generation of fans. It would also earn him a UsefulNotes/GrammyAward for Best Male R&B Vocal, and the album itself would earn him a second in the Best R&B Album.

-->- "Devil's Pie"

---> "''We come here to rip shit\\

'Til you bouncin' off the wall\\''"

After all that intermittent activity and a series of delays, his second record, ''Voodoo'', would be released in 2000. Its critical acclaim and commercial success was largely spearheaded by its single "Untitled (How Does It Feel)", as well as its ''infamous'' [[TheOner long take]] music video consisting of nothing but a camera [[FemaleGaze moving up and down D'Angelo's glistening, appearing-to-be-nude body]]. The single and video did invaluable work raising the profile of both him and the record in mainstream media, additionally turning him into a sex icon for a younger generation of fans. It would also earn him a UsefulNote/GrammyAward for Best Male R&B Vocal, and the album itself would earn him a second in the Best R&B Album.

Establishing himself as a founder of the late-'90s [[NeoSoul neo soul]] movement, Michael D'Angelo Archer (known mononymously as D'Angelo [[note]]pronounced ''dee-Anjelo''[[/note]]) is a African-American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist noted for his jam-like, yet classicist take on [[{{Soul}} soul]] and [[ContemporaryRAndB contemporary R&B]] music.

Born in 1974, he began teaching himself piano as a young child, and at age 18 won the amateur talent competition at Harlem's Apollo Theater three consecutive weeks. He would soon drop out of high school, and around this period briefly join a hip-hop group called I.D.U. (Intelligent, Deadly but Unique). His first major success, however, came in 1994 as the co-writer and co-producer of the ''Jason's Lyric'' soundtrack single "U Will Know", an R&B hit that would by recorded by the R&B group, B.M.U. (Black Men United).


This would all become preamble to the release of his debut record, ''Brown Sugar'', released in 1995. An album which caught on with R&B fans looking for an alternative to the slicker, more hip-hop influenced sounds dominating the urban contemporary landscape, with its earthy, early Music/AlGreen-esque passion and jazzy cadence and went platinum by the next year. And by October 1996, the majority of a September 1995 performance, featuring major studio collaborator and later inomarata, Angie Stone, on background vocals, was released in Japan as ''Live at the Jazz Cafe, London''.


Following the success of ''Brown Sugar'' and a two year touring cycle, D'Angelo took a near five year sabbatical from solo work, later stating it's cause was choosing to only record cover versions of songs for various movie soundtracks (i.e. "[[Music/{{Prince}} She's Always In My Hair]]" for ''Film/Scream2'', "[[Music/TheTemptations Girl You Need a Change of Mind]]" for ''[[Creator/SpikeLee Get On The Bus]]'', "[[Music/MarvinGaye Your Precious Love]]" with Music/ErykahBadu for ''Film/HighSchoolHigh'', etc.). He also made an appearance on Music/LaurynHill's ''Music/TheMiseducationOfLaurynHill''.

After all that intermittent activity and a series of delays, his second record, ''Voodoo'', would be released in 2000 to critical acclaim and commercial success with its single "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" and its ''infamous'' music video (notoriously featuring a single long take from one camera of D'Angelo's muscular and glistening, nearly naked body) raising D'Angelo to the status of a sex symbol and raising the record's profile in mainstream media. It would also earn him a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal and the album itself would earn him a second in the Best R&B Album.


Unfortunately, the good tidings would not last long as D'Angelo, conscious of his new status as a sex symbol, would soon disappear from public eye yet again after his tour for ''Voodoo'', disillusioned with his newfound popularity and developing a drinking habit due to the suicide of a close friend. Despite this, D'Angelo collaborated with some R&B and hip hop artists during this period between albums, appearing on albums by Music/JDilla, [[Music/ATribeCalledQuest Q-Tip]], Music/{{Common}} among others. D'Angelo's next solo record, however, would be extensively delayed. With production for a full-length follow-up to ''Voodoo'' going on and off mostly by himself during 2002.

After a car accident and a court case for drug charges in 2005, no more information would be cropped up about his follow-up to until 2007, when [[Music/TheRoots Questlove]] leaked a track from the record (at this time with the pre-release title of ''James River'') titled "Really Love". But the record (originally due in 2009, after, you guessed it, a series of delays), did not materialize. Around 2012, however, D'Angelo would go on a series of European tour dates and other scattered festival performances premiering new songs from the record and in 2014 would finally release his eagerly awaited third studio album, ''Black Messiah'' to further critical acclaim and commercial success than his previous records, winning a Grammy for Best R&B Album, while lead single "Really Love" took Best R&B Song. After this, D'Angelo toured briefly and wasn't heard from again until the October 2018 release of the song "Unshaken" for the video game ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'''s soundtrack. Currently, D'Angelo hosts ''Feverish Fantazmagoriaa'', a radio show on Sonos Radio.

Following the success of ''Brown Sugar'' and a two year touring cycle, D'Angelo took a near five year sabbatical from solo work, later stating it's cause was choosing to only record cover versions of songs for various movie soundtracks (i.e. "[[Music/{{Prince}} She's Always In My Hair]]" for ''Film/Scream2'', "[[Music/TheTemptations Girl You Need a Change of Mind]]" for ''[[Creator/SpikeLee Get On The Bus]]'', "[[Music/MarvinGaye Your Precious Love]]" with Music/ErykahBadu for ''Film/HighSchoolHigh'', etc.). He also make an appearance on Music/LaurynHill's ''Music/TheMiseducationOfLaurynHill''.

After a car accident and a court case for drug charges in 2005, no more information would be cropped up about his follow-up to until 2007, when [[Music/TheRoots Questlove]] leaked a track from the record (at this time with the pre-release title of ''James River'') titled "Really Love". But the record (originally due in 2009, after, you guessed it, a series of delays), did not materialize. Around 2012, however, D'Angelo would go on a series of European tour dates and other scattered festival performances premiering new songs from the record and in 2014 would finally release his eagerly awaited third studio album, ''Black Messiah'' to further critical acclaim and commercial success than his previous records, winning a Grammy for Best R&B Album, while lead single "Really Love" took Best R&B Song. After this, D'Angelo toured briefly and wasn't heard from again until the October 2018 release of the song "Unshaken" for the video game ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'''s soundtrack.

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* ''Brown Sugar'' (1995)

* ''Voodoo'' (2000)
* ''Black Messiah'' (2014)

* ''Black Messiah'' (2014)