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Youth and Musical Beginnings
Born in the Southside neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia, D’ Angelo grew up in an entirely Pentecostal family, his father being a Pentecostal minister. His musical talents were discovered at an early age; at the age of 3, his 10-year-old brother saw him playing the piano in the house. After forming his band“ Precise” in Richmond, they won three consecutive Amateur Night competitions at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, in 1991. At 18, he left school and moved to New York to develop his musical career.
Flashmag! Issue 166November 2025
In 1991, D’ Angelo met Jocelyn Cooper, who signed him to Midnight Songs LLC after hearing a demo of the hip-hop group I. D. U., which D’ Angelo had produced and in which he rapped. Cooper then introduced him to musicians such as Raphael Saadiq, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Angie Stone, and then to Fred Davis and Gary Harris at EMI Music. After an impressive audition, D’ Angelo signed a recording contract in 1993.
At the age of 18, he triumphed for three weeks in a row at the Apollo Theater. He already knew that his music would not be entertainment, but sacredness. He would later say:“ For me, music is a form of prayer. A way of speaking to God without words”. His first notable success came in 1994 with the single“ U Will Know”. D’ Angelo co-wrote and co-produced the song for R & B supergroup Black Men United, which included the likes of Usher and Boyz II Men. The single reached # 5 on the Hot R & B / Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and # 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Ascension: Brown Sugar and Voodoo
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His first album, Brown Sugar( 1995), is a sensual and spiritual offering. It blends Marvin Gaye, Prince and his own demons. But it was Voodoo( 2000) that established him as a prophet. Recorded in the dark, surrounded by the Soulquarians( Questlove, J Dilla, Badu...), the album is a sonic ritual. I wanted every note to have a soul. I wanted every silence to be inhabited.