‘How Does It Feel’ ?
I’m sure D’Angelo has asked himself this question numerous times [especially during his 11 year absence from the music industry]. Well people, it just might be a comeback after-all. D’Angelo is making his way back into the industry. The singer who gave us classical hits like “Brown Sugar”, “Your My Lady”, and “How Does It Fall” is returning to the stage.
D’Angelo has had his fair share of the media. By the time he reached [what seem to have been] the height of his career, D’Angelo found himself slipping quickly through Hollywood’s sand soon thereafter. Battling a public relationship with neo-singer Angie Stone, followed by long-running addictions and, numerous arrests and court fees along the way, D’Angelo seem to be heading to the “Freezer” for good.
It seems that he has found his way back and is ready to display his talent along with some new material.
D’Angelo speaks on his previous weight gain to being in great shape today.
I didn’t really think I had a problem like that,” he says, taking a hit off a Newport. “I felt like, you know, all I got to do is clean up and I’ll be fine. Just get in the studio and I’ll be fucking fine.
D’Angelo also talks about whether he ever felt that his untitled video “How Does It Feel” [where D’Angelo was basically naked from the hip bones up to the top of his head] hindered his career and he also answers a fan question of whether he has his head on straight this time around.
Straight, Yes, my head is straight.” Just because you’re black, he adds, doesn’t mean you have to look or sound a certain way, “or, you know, act ignorant or what have you, whatever the fucking gatekeepers have us doing because they think that that’s the formula to make money. And a lot of motherfuckers, they just fall right into line.” D has a term for artists like this: “minstrelsy.” If he’s learned nothing, he’s learned that he’s no minstrel.
Sidebar: Is it me or Does D’Angelo resemble ODB [Old Dirty Bastard] in this photo. No pun intended:it must be the angle of the shot instead.
D’Angelo goes on to talk about his dark and light moments of his life and career.
You know what they say about Lucifer, right, before he was cast out?” Every angel has their specialty, and his was praise. They say that he could play every instrument with one finger and that the music was just awesome. And he was exceptionally beautiful, Lucifer—as an angel, he was.”
But after he descended into hell, Lucifer was fearsome. “There’s forces that are going on that I don’t think a lot of motherfuckers that make music today are aware of,” he says. “It’s deep. I’ve felt it. I’ve felt other forces pulling at me.” He stubs out his cigarette and leans toward me, taking my hand. “This is a very powerful medium that we are involved in. I learned at an early age that what we were doing in the choir was just as important as the preacher. It was a ministry in itself. We could stir the pot, you know? The stage is our pulpit, and you can use all of that energy and that music and the lights and the colors and the sound. But you know, you’ve got to be careful.
You can read the full article over at GQ magazine. Check out D’angelo playing the guitar [his new found love]