source

I know about your issues, and I won’t recount them here, but the revisionist approach to telling your tale has become more than I can tolerate. You know why? Because I can recall that no one in your family thought that you had talent.

I signed you in November of 1992, since then, you have released two full length albums of new music in twenty-two years. You are not an eccentric genius, a son of funk waiting to lead the revolution, or a bluesman trying to overthrow the system, you are a charlatan and a pimp – disguised as a soul man – who has gamed the system out of millions. You are a butt naked emperor. Tell the truth about something.

At this point, I don't think anybody gives a shit about a new D record. That day has come and gone. Then that day kinda came back for a bit. Then it went again and I don't think it's coming back.

I'm not the greatest D'angelo fan but what D'angelo done to deserve getting ripped like this. This is totally bush league and I hope D ignores this clown and finally put out his new record. We need something else to talk about. I think there are many people waiting to buy D's new record. I do agree it is shameful that he hasn't released more albums but D has taken the steps to get himself together and take care of personal matters to really give himself the chance to have the next run he deserves.

Did D run over this guy's dog or something? It reads like a creative writing project entitled 'If Elliot Rodger Worked in A&R...'.

This is an asshole move. D obviously has talent. But dude is right about one thing...

D is not an eccentric genius. And he has released only 2 albums which happen to be very good. I know it's differences of opinion. But i don't understand why D is a genius.

He writes his own music and plays a few instruments. So do dozens of other artists. Lenny Kravitz plays more instruments than him. And produces all of his own music. And no ones calling Lenny a genius

[Edited 5/26/14 13:33pm]

Gunsnhalen said:

This is an asshole move. D obviously has talent. But dude is right about one thing...

D is not an eccentric genius. And he has released only 2 albums which happen to be very good. I know it's differences of opinion. But i don't understand why D is a genius.

He writes his own music and plays a few instruments. So do dozens of other artists. Lenny Kravitz plays more nstruments than him. And produces all of his own music. And no ones calling Lenny a genius

You bring up great points about Lenny Kravitz, Guns.

The man who authored this polemic is named Gary Harris. If you scroll down his LinkedIn page, he

takes credit for discovering and signing Archer.

Wow, somebody's angry! I do agree with the part about the length of time between albums though. It makes no fucking sense unless you're really retired from recording.

"You are not that funky. They are deeply soulful, but not deeply funky."

MotorBootyAffair said:

Totally agree, and finally someone had the balls to say it to him. 2 albums in 22 years spells hack.

It sounds like someone is finally fed up with his overrated, trifling azz.

He's very talented but I guess I never saw as much in him as others did.

Gary Harris, who wrote this, is the man who signed D'Angelo. When D'Angelo was in the darkest depths of his alcohol and drug problems, who was the ONE person who showed up at his mansion and literally spent 4 days dragging him to rehab? Gary.

If ANYONE can speak with authority on D, it's this dude.

^^I read the whole thing and it certainly sounds to me like the guy's not asking too much to simply be acknowleged after all this time.

He's right about another thing too....Nelson George's funk doc did suck.

Somebody's pissed off, I see?!

[Edited 5/26/14 17:22pm]

I don't know how much is true, but I have a friend who knew D in Richmond and while she said he was great and very, very nice and EXTREMELY humble, she did say that D told her that his mom told him he had no talent that there was already one Prince and he needed to knock it off.

Gunsnhalen said:

This is an asshole move. D obviously has talent. But dude is right about one thing...

D is not an eccentric genius. And he has released only 2 albums which happen to be very good. I know it's differences of opinion. But i don't understand why D is a genius.

He writes his own music and plays a few instruments. So do dozens of other artists. Lenny Kravitz plays more instruments than him. And produces all of his own music. And no ones calling Lenny a genius

[Edited 5/26/14 13:33pm]

Excellent point. I never understood why they heralded him a genius. I'm a fan. Probably only core fans are waiting on new music.

That he has no talent is a blatant lie!

But why is he a charlatan and a pimp because of his lack of output? He still put out two albums so he's not a charlatan. He didn't call himself a genius. He had some deep personal issues that are well documented. That could be a major reason for lack of output.

I'm sure only hardcore fans are waiting for new music, but I have a feeling that audience is huge. I have no doubt the album will quickly go platinum. 80% of the sales will be CD sales. The press will go bananas and his legacy will be firmly in place.

I don't think this type of bitterness from the people that think they "discovered you" or even "made you" is that rare. Prince has had them too. These days you're just able to express your bitterness on the Internet, whereas no one would be interested in publishing something like this in a magazine. That part about not getting thanked in award acceptance speeches was pretty funny (in an unintentional sense).

Yeah, sure. I can understand that there's a huge issue if D'Angelo's gone overboard with recording expenses and hasn't delivered anything. Being called a "charlatan" isn't that far off in that sense. I'm curious why the label's that funded the recordings can't just take the material that he's already done away from him and release it as it is like Motown did with Marvin Gaye with "In Our Lifetime".

[Edited 5/27/14 0:52am]

Sounds like D'angelo has taken a load of advances from his label.

This corporate head just sounds pissed because he is meant to rip off artists and consumers, Not the other way around, hence his revolutionary comments.

Although I highly doubt it was a robin hood move on D'angelo's part.

.

[Edited 5/27/14 0:50am]

Gunsnhalen said:

This is an asshole move. D obviously has talent. But dude is right about one thing...

D is not an eccentric genius. And he has released only 2 albums which happen to be very good. I know it's differences of opinion. But i don't understand why D is a genius.

He writes his own music and plays a few instruments. So do dozens of other artists. Lenny Kravitz plays more instruments than him. And produces all of his own music. And no ones calling Lenny a genius

[Edited 5/26/14 13:33pm]

I'm not discrediting Lenny Kravitz, but I gotta admit I think it's a great achievment selling as many records a D'Angelo did with Voodoo with only one hit single, and the rest being swamp funk for the niche underground market. Alot of people between 20-30 loves this dude, and knows almost nothing about our man Prince. His whole approach when creating Voodoo was pretty damn groundbreaking, even though it as a whole sounded kinda traditional and old school if not actually listening. Their way of doing what Parliament did, just 10x swampier with the smoothness of marvin gaye, al green and prince combined on top of that warm and swampy composition was never heard before. Lenny Kravitz was more or less just doing whatever he loved from earlier artists. He never truly was an inventor of the same degree.

Legacy = Many albums.

I, for instant, can't stand who says that Lauryn Hill is blaa bla bla or Lauryn Hill done that... Hell? She has one studio album that happens to be a good R&B neo soul hip hop album that came out in a very fitting era in america so she was influential for like 4 years and then she disappeared! You can't respect that...

D is talented and his two albums are indeed masterpieces, but remember when we used to say who's best D or Maxwell! That's Maxwell! He's a perfect example of an artist who puts on good music & stays relevant & focuses on his craft.

Quality does matter, but in music buisness, quantity is more important. (In order to have a legacy).

Shawy89 said:

Legacy = Many albums.

I, for instant, can't stand who says that Lauryn Hill is blaa bla bla or Lauryn Hill done that... Hell? She has one studio album that happens to be a good R&B neo soul hip hop album that came out in a very fitting era in america so she was influential for like 4 years and then she disappeared! You can't respect that...

D is talented and his two albums are indeed masterpieces, but remember when we used to say who's best D or Maxwell! That's Maxwell! He's a perfect example of an artist who puts on good music & stays relevant & focuses on his craft.

Quality does matter, but in music buisness, quantity is more important. (In order to have a legacy).

I would argue quality matters more. There is no such thing as a pop musical legacy, that is just a marketing tool of men in suits who work in the "catalogue" departments of record labels.

The impact you make at the time and what it provokes and inspires is all that matters.

after that time passes, it really is just a few nostalgic people here and there, but on the whole no one really cares, unless it was something of great substance and 'quality"

[Edited 5/27/14 2:31am]

hausofmoi7 said:

Shawy89 said:

Legacy = Many albums.

I, for instant, can't stand who says that Lauryn Hill is blaa bla bla or Lauryn Hill done that... Hell? She has one studio album that happens to be a good R&B neo soul hip hop album that came out in a very fitting era in america so she was influential for like 4 years and then she disappeared! You can't respect that...

D is talented and his two albums are indeed masterpieces, but remember when we used to say who's best D or Maxwell! That's Maxwell! He's a perfect example of an artist who puts on good music & stays relevant & focuses on his craft.

Quality does matter, but in music buisness, quantity is more important. (In order to have a legacy).

I would argue quality matters more. There is no such thing as a pop musical legacy, that is just a marketing tool of men in suits who work in the "catalogue" departments of record labels.

The impact you make at the time and what it provokes and inspires is all that matters.

But doesn't that leave you seeking more from that artist?

Plus, never meant a "pop legacy", there's many soul artists who made great albums and are regarded as the best artists in that genre, such as Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Stevie Wonder... these guys dedicated their lives to music, you can't put D there just because he has only two great albums....

That's the same reason JT is overrated (3 albums --- And people think he's like the R&B savior).

Look at Prince, 8 GREAT albums in one decade, now that's what one should respect, look at Stanley Kubrick, a director who never made a bad movie and he truly gave all he had to cinema, if D as he says loves music this much, why the hell I have only 2 albums of his? Shouldn't he stay in the studio and work on something?

[Edited 5/27/14 2:30am]

Shawy89 said:

hausofmoi7 said:

I would argue quality matters more. There is no such thing as a pop musical legacy, that is just a marketing tool of men in suits who work in the "catalogue" departments of record labels.

The impact you make at the time and what it provokes and inspires is all that matters.

But doesn't that leave you seeking more from that artist?

Plus, never meant a "pop legacy", there's many soul artists who made great albums and are regarded as the best artists in that genre, such as Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Stevie Wonder... these guys dedicated their lives to music, you can't put D there just because he has only two great albums....

That's the same reason JT is overrated (3 albums --- And people think he's like the R&B savior).

Look at Prince, 8 GREAT albums in one decade, now that's what one should respect, look at Stanley Kubrick, a director who never made a bad movie and he truly gave all he had to cinema, if D as he says loves music this much, why the hell I have only 2 albums of his? Shouldn't he stay in the studio and work on something?

[Edited 5/27/14 2:30am]

after the initial impact, it really is just a few nostalgic people here and there who cares, but on the whole no one really cares, unless it was something of great substance and 'quality" that people will find relevant i.e Nina Simone. which is why I argued quality matters more.

[Edited 5/27/14 2:46am]

hausofmoi7 said:

Shawy89 said:

But doesn't that leave you seeking more from that artist?

Plus, never meant a "pop legacy", there's many soul artists who made great albums and are regarded as the best artists in that genre, such as Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Stevie Wonder... these guys dedicated their lives to music, you can't put D there just because he has only two great albums....

That's the same reason JT is overrated (3 albums --- And people think he's like the R&B savior).

Look at Prince, 8 GREAT albums in one decade, now that's what one should respect, look at Stanley Kubrick, a director who never made a bad movie and he truly gave all he had to cinema, if D as he says loves music this much, why the hell I have only 2 albums of his? Shouldn't he stay in the studio and work on something?

[Edited 5/27/14 2:30am]

after the initial impact, it really is just a few nostalgic people here and there who cares, but on the whole no one really cares, unless it was something of great substance and 'quality" that people will find relevant i.e Nina Simone. which is why I argued quality matters more.

It does make you want more, however quantity wont change the quality of what you have previously created.

Agree. And sometimes even quantity + quality doesn't help that much. Who between 20-35 outside of Prince fanbase knows anything about his discography, even in his best years from 80-88? Even alot of Parliament fans, Sly & The Family Stone fans, Stevie Wonder fans etc don't know shit about his lecacy except his hits and Purple Rain. People are still warming up to aknowledging his importance in music history. It takes time.

Replica said:

Gunsnhalen said:

This is an asshole move. D obviously has talent. But dude is right about one thing...

D is not an eccentric genius. And he has released only 2 albums which happen to be very good. I know it's differences of opinion. But i don't understand why D is a genius.

He writes his own music and plays a few instruments. So do dozens of other artists. Lenny Kravitz plays more instruments than him. And produces all of his own music. And no ones calling Lenny a genius

[Edited 5/26/14 13:33pm]

I'm not discrediting Lenny Kravitz, but I gotta admit I think it's a great achievment selling as many records a D'Angelo did with Voodoo with only one hit single, and the rest being swamp funk for the niche underground market. Alot of people between 20-30 loves this dude, and knows almost nothing about our man Prince. His whole approach when creating Voodoo was pretty damn groundbreaking, even though it as a whole sounded kinda traditional and old school if not actually listening. Their way of doing what Parliament did, just 10x swampier with the smoothness of marvin gaye, al green and prince combined on top of that warm and swampy composition was never heard before. Lenny Kravitz was more or less just doing whatever he loved from earlier artists. He never truly was an inventor of the same degree.

" 20-30 loves this dude, and knows almost nothing about our man Prince." Then that is there problem. I am sick and tired of hearing about what 20 somethings know about. I was in my 20s once and I was not so stupid that I could not go out and find out who Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder or James Brown was. I knew P would not have been P without the influence of those artist. I am really do not care if younger people are too stupid to know that without Prince you would have no D'Angelo who by the way did not come up with his own sound that went on to influence artist across many different genres. All he has done is put out to okay CDs and is not really fit to wipe P purple boots.

laurarichardson said:

Replica said:

I'm not discrediting Lenny Kravitz, but I gotta admit I think it's a great achievment selling as many records a D'Angelo did with Voodoo with only one hit single, and the rest being swamp funk for the niche underground market. Alot of people between 20-30 loves this dude, and knows almost nothing about our man Prince. His whole approach when creating Voodoo was pretty damn groundbreaking, even though it as a whole sounded kinda traditional and old school if not actually listening. Their way of doing what Parliament did, just 10x swampier with the smoothness of marvin gaye, al green and prince combined on top of that warm and swampy composition was never heard before. Lenny Kravitz was more or less just doing whatever he loved from earlier artists. He never truly was an inventor of the same degree.

" 20-30 loves this dude, and knows almost nothing about our man Prince." Then that is there problem. I am sick and tired of hearing about what 20 somethings know about. I was in my 20s once and I was not so stupid that I could not go out and find out who Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder or James Brown was. I knew P would not have been P without the influence of those artist. I am really do not care if younger people are too stupid to know that without Prince you would have no D'Angelo who by the way did not come up with his own sound that went on to influence artist across many different genres. All he has done is put out to okay CDs and is not really fit to wipe P purple boots.

The choices Prince took as an artist was both good and bad for him historically. People who actually know their shit, know that Prince has had a huge influence on modern funk, a huge influence in modern rnb and hip hop production and urban music in general, a huge influence in pop music, but has also influenced a bunch of guitar players etc as well. His influence is enormous. However being a crossover artist often makes people think that you don't really know the genres you blend that well. In his case it was knowing the genres as well as he did that made him creata seamless hybrids that was impossible to label. That's freakin good. But he never really developed completely new genres. He developed new steps in so many directions, it's impossible to say that he was the innovator of a genre in itself. While James Brown could be defined as an innovator and maybe even creator of funk more or less. He spent so much time trying to figure out the funk, that he truly created something that was to be duplicated for many years to come. Prince kinda just mastered about anything he'd listen to pretty damn well, so he wouldn't spend too much time on one thing. It would bore the hell out of him. I'm not saying D is the same calibre as Prince. I'm just saying that the legacy of someone is not measured entirely on quality and quantity alone, but the appreciation of it as a whole. Yeah, plenty love Prince. But many of them are pop lovers that were in their youth in the 80s. For those who wasn't brought up on his music. His discography is too much to digest. Even his best albums are too diverse for those who loves concept records that doesn't stretch it too far. Prince does stretch it quite far when it comes to how different one album sounds like. Even 1999 that was almost just synths, guitar, bass, linn drum in a pretty much similar "atmosphere" throughout, still sounds a bit too diverse for many. Funk lovers could dig that DMSR, 1999, Lady Cab Driver and All The Critics Love You In New Youk... and feel that there's a bunch of fillers just because it doesn't fit their style.

Replica said:

Alot of people between 20-30 loves this dude, and knows almost nothing about our man Prince.

My Twitter and Facebook feeds are FULL of teenagers and early 20's people who love Prince and don't give a shit about D'Angelo.

Shawy89 said:

Legacy = Many albums.

I, for instant, can't stand who says that Lauryn Hill is blaa bla bla or Lauryn Hill done that... Hell? She has one studio album that happens to be a good R&B neo soul hip hop album that came out in a very fitting era in america so she was influential for like 4 years and then she disappeared! You can't respect that...

D is talented and his two albums are indeed masterpieces, but remember when we used to say who's best D or Maxwell! That's Maxwell! He's a perfect example of an artist who puts on good music & stays relevant & focuses on his craft.

Quality does matter, but in music buisness, quantity is more important. (In order to have a legacy).

What?

Maxwell? Focuses on his craft? The guy's put out only one album in the last 10-12 years. He's almost as bad as D'Angelo with his "the record is almost finished" crap.

He sure likes posting plenty of holiday photos on Facebook / Twitter. There's been an endless stream of photos of him on various beaches around the world for months now.

I read this. I watched that RBMA lecture.. the focus wasn't on all the people around D'Angelo. He acknowledged a woman who happened to be in the audience and was probably talking from her seat.