D’Angelo was historically meticulous about his music. Every minute detail mattered more than the world, from the musical textures to the mix of his voice. Moreover, he would also scrap records on a whim after exercising them repeatedly. It was the definition of organic creation, never creating out of a label obligation. Consequently, coming off of Voodoo, it was going to be an arduous task trying to follow up on such a classic album. However, no one could’ve expected the 14 years it would take to eventually release it.
D’Angelo’s struggles were well documented at the time. He struggled with sobriety and substance abuse, compounded by the aftermath of his hit “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”. As a result, it’s natural to assume that these struggles caused D’Angelo to spend so much time between records. However, let him tell it, and that clearly doesn’t tell the entire story.
Recently, Rolling Stone released audio from two interviews D’Angelo gave the publication in 2015. There, he clarifies that it wasn’t just his own personal demons that created a 14-year gap between Voodoo and Black Messiah. Instead, he points his fingers at the state of the music industry at the time. Once he figured out his own problems, it was all about trying to understand how the environment radically changed around him. Moreover, he argues that Black Messiah would’ve come out years sooner otherwise.
D’Angelo Reveals Another Reason Why It Took So Long to Release Black Messiah
“So much of the weight and the time that elapsed had nothing to do with me musically,” he explains. “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.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, D’Angelo opens up about the strong political records on Black Messiah. Admittedly, he was a little nervous to dip his toes in there. Ultimately, he didn’t want to come off too preachy. The songs don’t have any juice if they don’t feel fun. “I’m not trying to make myself to be like Bob Marley or nothing like that,” D’Angelo says at the time.
“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.”
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