Micheal D’Angelo, better known as D’Angelo, was an R&B legend who passed away at age 51 from pancreatic cancer earlier this week. His stamp on music is forever left with his three albums full of passion and creativity. Although D’Angelo didn’t release a lot of music, the music he gave us felt like he captured the moment it was in like magic in a bottle. The icon will be forever remembered through the experience of his albums “Brown Sugar,” “Voodoo” and “Black Messiah” all with heavy amounts of woozy rhythms and inviting instrumentation with a voice that is one in a million.
I fell in love with the world he built with his music the moment I heard it. Especially on the song “The Line” off of the album “Voodoo.” It starts with a gospel harmony and goes into a funk inspired groove and just takes you to the clouds with his falsetto. It’s such a rich experience. There was always pressure for him to keep up with the demand of fans because of how intoxicating his music was. Despite this, he escaped the pressure and did his own thing until the end. Once you conform to what people want out of you your spirit dies–D’Angelo never let that happen.
As a Christian who makes music I rely on the spirit a lot in my creation and so did D’Angelo, His father was a pentecostal pastor, so much of his childhood was built around the church, which gave him his heart for music.. He said that he found all of his band members through the church because ”We just want to feel what you, you know, and what the spirit is moving through you.” And it’s the best place to learn that.
D’ Angelo believed that artists should shut themselves down and let whatever they were feeling flow through them. I agree with that so much because my creative process when I write is letting whatever comes flow through me. I relate to D’Angelo on a deep soulful personal level.
D’Angelo once said “I could never see myself not playing music, music is me.” Though his apperences as a public figure were minimal he will be forever remembered not only through words, but the spirit of his music.
