Funk Yeah D'Angelo

The D’Angelo Tapes: The Late Legend on ‘Voodoo,’ ‘Black Messiah,’ and More

In never-before-heard 2015 audio, D'Angelo talks about his musical roots, his creative process, and much more by Brian Hiatt December 22, 2025 A few months after the December 2014 release of D’Angelo’s third album, Black Messiah, the artist sat down with Rolling Stone over two late nights for deep-dive interviews that touched on his whole career. In the wake of the legendary musician’s tragic death in October at age 51, we’re presenting audio from those conversations for the first time in the new episode of our Rolling Stone Music Now podcast. 

In the episode, you’ll hear D’Angelo discuss his earliest musical loves, how he developed his signature sound, what drove him during the long gap between albums, and much more. To hear the whole discussion, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above. (Also, be sure to check Keith Murphy’s recent cover story on D’Angelo’s life and music for our sister publication Vibe.)

Here are some highlights from the discussion:

D’Angelo was a “little prodigy,” playing piano for his church at age five — and his aunt’s choir rehearsals developed his ear at a remarkably young age. “Every Saturday she would bring a cassette tape of the new songs we were gonna sing the following day,” D’Angelo said. “And so I had to learn them Saturday night to play them Sunday morning. Doing that constantly, my ear got really developed pretty quickly… She’s asking me, ‘What’s the note for the tenors? What’s the note for the sopranos?’ Very young, very early, my understanding of chords and melody and harmony was developed very, very strong.”

D’Angelo was an undefeated battle MC before he became a singer. “At school, I was a battle MC,” he said. “I would battle at school in the cafeteria, in the hallway, in the bathroom. I was undefeated. I was feared and there was a reputation as being the best in the school. A lot of MCs would come to the school, new kids, they would always seek me out.” Could he have had a career as a rapper? “Absolutely. If that’s what I wanted to do.”

D’Angelo rejected the idea that his “Untitled” video overshadowed the music. “I think 20 to 25 percent of it was about the fact that I was appearing nude,” he said. “I think that the rest of it was really about the song. I don’t think it would’ve raised eyebrows if the song wasn’t good. The issues that I may have had was thinking that maybe it wasn’t about the song, that it was all about me appearing in the nude. But once I was able to come to terms with that — it wasn’t about that. I think people really gravitated to how sexy and how beautiful the song was. The video was just great window dressing.”

The long gap between 2000’s Voodoo and 2014’s Black Messiah wasn’t just about his personal struggles — the record industry’s early-’00s woes played a huge role. “So much of the weight and the time that elapsed had nothing to do with me musically,” D’Angelo said. “At first it had a lot to do with me personally. And then once that got straightened out, this business just really went through a complete metamorphosis and it took me time to readjust. It was just a totally different game than it was when I put Voodoo out. If it was solely just about the music, it would’ve been out a lot sooner.”

D’Angelo was wary of preaching with the political songs on Black Messiah. “I’m not trying to make myself to be like Bob Marley or nothing like that,” he said. “Me and my band say this a lot: We say ‘save the world,’ but we’re gonna save the world just for fun. The main mantra for hip-hop was what? Peace, unity, love, and having fun. We spread awareness and consciousness through the music, through the message, but still have fun doing it.”

When D’Angelo got to jam with Prince at the long-defunct New York club Tramps, it meant everything to him — but he refused Prince’s offer of his signature guitar. “I lived my whole life for that moment,” D’Angelo said. “I was sitting at the Rhodes, looking at him on the stage. Right in front of his keyboard rig was the big [Prince] symbol guitar. He looks at me, he points at it. I’m like, ‘Hell fucking no! I’m not touching that thing!… That motherfucker, man. He continues to be just the star to shoot for, creatively. I can’t think of no one else who’s had a bigger influence on me artistically.”

One of his fondest memories of arriving in New York was meeting Ol’ Dirty Bastard during the Brown Sugar sessions. “The instrumental to ‘Brown Sugar’ was playing over the loudspeakers in the hallway,” D’Angelo remembered. “He came in there, he had a 40, he was freestyling in the hallway to the track. He comes in the room, his energy was just fucking off the charts. He’s like, ‘Yo, we are the baddest motherfuckers in the universe!’ He just kept saying it. I’m like 19, 20, and I’m up here with the Beatles of hip-hop, seeing this shit.”

D’Angelo never felt pressure to surpass Voodoo. “I never looked at it like I’m going to outdo Voodoo,” he said. “Or even tried to, or that I had to. Voodoo was and is what it was. It’s dishonest for me and unfair to me to think I’m gonna outdo that, so I won’t even attempt. I just wanted to make sure it was the next step in my progression. To break something down to its more essential core — that too can be evolution.”

D’Angelo’s dissatisfaction with Brown Sugar helped shape Voodoo. “Brown Sugar, in retrospect, it’s a great album, but I wasn’t that happy with it,” he said. “I thought that a lot of the demos felt and sounded better to me that I had done in the crib on a four-track. We had to reproduce that in the studio. I felt like it was overproduced. So my main motivation with Voodoo was for it not to feel like that, for it to feel more like my demos had felt.”

The last 48 hours before turning in Black Messiah involved a lot of anxiety — and some songs’ mixes were never quite finished. “It was a lot of soul-searching,” D’Angelo said. “I was a bit nervous, but at the same time I knew that this was Yahweh’s doing and that I needed to get out of its way. The songs that were done or close to being done were compiled, and that was it. Some were rough mixed.”

| like the rain 2 the dirt/ from the vine 2 the wine | We celebrate the bittersweet 11th anniversary of this watershed album today. Dropped with little notice on December 15th, 2014 and only prefaced with an album release party, a collaboration with Red Bull Music Academy to release limited downloads of "Sugah Daddy", and a nearly 15 year wait, Black Messiah immediately shook the music world. While the album did grant D'Angelo and the Vanguard a Grammy for "Really Love", perhaps its enduring legacy is its ability to "live up to the hype", influence titans in their own right such as David Bowie and Kendrick Lamar. The co-owners of this blog met through a mutual admiration for the music of D'Angelo in the late 2000s via Last.FM. It was a godsend to find a fellow fan of Voodoo, especially in the late 2000s when there was still a general sentiment that Brown Sugar was more accessible, while Voodoo on the other hand would drag and meander. We would drain in performances from the Voodoo Tour, pick at scraps of demos and leaks. The sounds of an early "Really Love" (replete with Questlove shouting "You didn't get this from me") or a skeletal version of "1000 Deaths" or "Ghetto Music" were less music and more poltergeists. The vocals were indecipherable, the drums machine rattled like ghastly chains, and the man himself was always intangible and invisible. The decade leading up to the long-anticipated release was filled with rumors of a "James River" from as early as 2002 and Questlove provided a hefty list of albums that one would need to "study and absorb and research" (2007 Interview with Russell Elevado). After Voodoo's legacy was cemented, many contributors to, what would become Black Messiah, were called home, such as Spanky Alford and Brent Fischer. At last, in 2012 the ghost began to manifest, and in 2014, we were confronted with ghostly pans from left to right, the full experience of a spectral album, and then, again silence.

That long hiatus was met by another shortly after and the question as to when the "companion-piece" to Black Messiah would be released. Roy Hargrove passed in 2018, marking "Really Love" as a haunting testament to his compositional skill. Black Messiah was becoming a spectral epitaph to Black Genius in short order as time went on. Long-time fans were accustomed to the wait. Perhaps a feature with Slingbaum with phantasmal vocals here, or a feature on Red Dead Redemption 2 would surface there. Five years for Voodoo and nearly fifteen years for Black Messiah set the precedent. Would the follow-up be a decade, fifteen years, two decades even? With the sudden passing of D'Angelo, the question seems moot.

The anticipation of Black Messiah was a reflection on the possibilities of Black Music. His indebtedness to Black Music is evident in his ability to marry musical tradition with the socio-political, with the haunting legacy of Jim Crow, the memoriae damnatio of slavery, personal reflections on heritage, and the liberatory phantasm of the future, equality, and personhood. The last true funk soldier was as eager to innovate and push the idea of Black Music forward as he was to educate and immerse himself in the long tradition of barbershop quartets, ragtime, jazz, blues, funk, hip-hop, gospel, afrobeat, salsa, country, rock, metal, and new wave. D'Angelo himself gave us a seance of sorts with his Feverish Fantazmagoria collaboration with SONOS. The music that this blog's owner had drained in while anticipating Black Messiah were on full display, but the psychedelia and prog had been turned up to eleven: The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Lewis Taylor, George Duke, Prince, Ohio Players, Pete Rock, Fishbone, Nick Hakim, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Marvin, Funkadelic, DeLa, Gang Starr. Whatever would come next would surely be the Pangaea to Agharta, the Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" to a Songs in the Key of Life. However, with D'Angelo's passing, it seems more like a Band of Gypsys after Electric Ladyland. As it speaks to his genius, perhaps most jarring is the fact that so many of the songs of Black Messiah germinated during the Voodoo sessions, with the future-forward "Betray My Heart" being written in 1997 and labored over intermittently for years. There will inevitably be a posthumous album, likely spearheaded by the engineers who worked on Voodoo and Black Messiah, alongside Questlove. D'Angelo, like J Dilla, was an artist deeply enmeshed in the idea of the hauntological, the Derridean evocation that "the time is out of joint". I am sure that 2026 will feature tributes, memorials, and retrospectives on D'Angelo's legacy. His music will continue to take us b(l)ack to the future and continue a Dillaesque anachronicity. D'Angelo will continue to haunt. Additional Reading: Charnas, D., & Peretz, J. (2022). Dilla time : the life and afterlife of J Dilla, the hip-hop producer who reinvented rhythm (First edition). MCD, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Derrida, J. and P. Kamuf (trans.). (2006). Specters of Marx: The State of Debt, the Work of Mourning and the New International. New York: Routledge Classics. Fisher, Mark (2013). "The Metaphysics of Crackle: Afrofuturism and Hauntology". Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture. 5 (2): 42 King, Jason (2012). "The Time Is Out of Joint: Notes on D’Angelo’s Voodoo". Light in the Attic/Modern Classics Recordings pressing of D'Angelo's Voodoo (MCR-902). https://lightintheattic.net/blogs/news/the-time-is-out-of-joint-notes-on-dangelo-s-voodoo

THE D'ANGELO ESTATE ANNOUNCES A PANCREATIC CANCER FUND DONATE IN HONOR OF MICHAEL D’ANGELO ARCHER:

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE D'ANGELO ESTATE:

As a visionary artist, a cultural pioneer, and a deeply devoted father, D’Angelo’s influence transcended music and defined a generation. Today, The D’Angelo Estate, in partnership with the Black Boy Joy Foundation, formally announces a global philanthropic initiative honoring his life and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Led by Imani Archer (daughter), Luther Archer (brother), & Jean-Claude Kali (Founder of BBJF) this effort reflects our family’s commitment to transforming our profound loss into meaningful action—advancing research, expanding awareness, and bringing hope to families facing this devastating disease. We invite all who were touched by D’Angelo’s life and legacy to stand with us as we work to ensure that his spirit continues to uplift, empower, and heal for generations to come.

WHY THIS MATTERS: 

"Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most formidable and lethal malignancies globally, with a survival rate of scarcely 13 percent. Its insidious onset and frequent late-stage diagnosis render it particularly devastating, and Black men and boys bear a disproportionate burden, experiencing the highest incidence and mortality rates. Studies show that Black men are up to 50 percent more likely than white men to develop this disease, and entrenched systemic inequities further exacerbate these disparities, resulting in delayed diagnoses, constrained treatment options, and markedly poorer outcomes." // Jean-Claude Kali (Founder of BBJ Foundation)​

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THE MISSION:

This campaign transforms D’Angelo’s enduring legacy into tangible, lifesaving impact, supporting research focused on earlier detection, advanced therapies, and comprehensive support for families affected by pancreatic cancer. Every contribution will be directed by The D’Angelo Estate in partnership with the Black Boy Joy Foundation to rigorously vetted, high-impact research institutions and initiatives, selected for their commitment to innovative science, community-centered programs, and measurable progress against this devastating disease. This is the work D’Angelo’s legacy demands. This is the awareness our communities urgently require. And this is the future his life and artistry will help shape one that saves lives and fosters hope.​

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A CALL TO THE INDUSTRY

D’Angelo transformed music, reshaped culture, and inspired generations. Today, we invite the communities he influenced—artists, executives, creatives, athletes, public figures, studios, labels, and fans across the globe—to join his family in redefining the fight against pancreatic cancer. Together, we can raise critical funds, advance awareness, and ignite hope, turning D’Angelo’s enduring legacy into a powerful force that saves lives.

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Your contributions will help fund:

Cutting-edge medical research

Early detection studies

Support programs for families in high-risk communities

Advocacy and awareness initiatives focused on Black men & boys

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A MESSAGE FROM IMANI ARCHER:

"My dad was my inspiration, my hero, and a truly one-of-a-kind soul. Losing him to pancreatic cancer last month shattered our world, stealing him from his fans, his friends, our family, and most painfully, his three children. Yet even in this dark time for the Archer family, we hold on to one hope: that by sharing his story and fighting back, we can save at least one other family from losing someone they love as deeply as we loved him. In honor of his legacy, Black Boy Foundation is partnering with the Pancreatic Cancer Organizations worldwide to raise awareness, strengthen research, and support families facing this relentless disease. I will dedicate the rest of my life, until my very last breath, to this mission. My father’s passing will not be in vain, and through this work, his light will continue to guide and uplift others. I love you more than life Daddy, I’ll do everything I can to make you proud for the rest of my life." -Imani Archer (The D'Angelo Estate)​

Photo credits:

Questlove pays tribute to his friend and collaborator: “D’Angelo, to me, was one of the last pure artists in Black music”  By Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson

Rest in Peace, D'Angelo.

U.S.

Artist Presale: Abi122

AUG 08, 2025 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo

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AUG 17, 2025 Silver Spring, MD Fillmore

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AUG 24, 2025 Austin, TX ACL Live

JAPAN

Jun 24, 2025 Osaka, Japan Billboard Live

Jun 28, 2025 Tokyo, Japan Billboard Live