This was Gary Harris's open letter to D after the RedBull Chat, which interestingly enough has now been removed.:

"Hey Mike,
Earlier this week, I caught your chat on NPR with Nelson George, you seemed in good spirits and health. Certainly better than, recently, when I have taken drunken late night calls, from you, asking for help finishing your record, or to co-manage you along with Kevin Liles, or to reach out for James Mtume, to convince him to assist you on recording vocals – despite having run through still further millions, and not turned anything in to your record company. Better than when you were complaining about the record company and Dominique Trenier, the manager you worked with during the Voodoo period, or when Alan Leeds – the legendary former collaborator of James Brown, Prince and Maxwell – who I first made aware of your music while at a conference in ’92, was your manager. Better than when, earlier this year, I heard you were in the hospital with Pancreatitis, and I called to assure you that I’d had it once, as a young man too, and that it was hardly incurable, but that you’d have to slow up on the oil.
I was happy to hear you speak, joke and relate to people so easily – I know that isn’t always easy for you. You seemed comfortable in your skin while you regaled your fans with insights into your process and highlights from your career. And I was happy to hear those insights too, as I am proud to have been involved in some small but important way with your origins. But, I do have to take exception with your obvious omission of my participation in the events that gave you your shot – since I heard your demo, signed you to your first record deal, supervised the writing and approved EMI’s money that was spent to get you out of your mother’s house, and into the record business – you know, when I put you on.
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, and that they felt you needed to stop pursuing a music career and continue with school. I can recall going to your house in Richmond, meeting your mother, your uncle, your cousins and what appeared to be every kid from miles around and experiencing the warmth of Southern hospitality, fellowship and fried chicken – your mom was strong with the chicken game. Of course, my people originating from North Carolina prepared me well for the occasion. I can remember leaving the house that was filled with all of that hope and aspiration, and taking you to whichever the current Van Damme movie was at the time, and discussing your dreams with you.
I remember Jocelyn Cooper coming to my office in May of ’92, and saying, “I think I heard something I like today.” Along with your demo. She brought two VHS recordings (remember them?) and played two performances, of yours, for me; one that featured you, as a teenager, with a live band, playing a Teddy Riley joint and dancing like Bobby Brown, and another one that captured you as an eight year old, at the local VFW, on an upright piano, in a talent show where you played the chords from “Thriller” and then, stopped dramatically, grabbed the mike and sang the chorus while you impersonated The King of Pop’s dance moves. I thought that I’d hit the lottery.
I remember listening to the demo, and being excited about “You Will Know” the song that you, and your brother Luther wrote – that you decided to contribute to the soundtrack of the movie “Jason’s Lyric” – and that the song “Smooth,” which was also on the demo, was the thing that made me want to get into business with you. Because you see Mike, not only was I steeped in the Jazz/Soul/Fusion era of my youth – the period that you referenced with every note on your demo – but I’d studied the then recent success of both A Tribe Called Quest, and Jodeci, and I saw your music as a synthesis of those two directions – Jazz influenced Hip Hop with secularized Gospel singing over the top. It was new and exciting. Of course my upbringing in the Black church, and singing in choirs, and my deep immersion in the business of the golden era of Hip Hop, prepared me to understand where you were coming from.
I can remember introducing you to your first girlfriend in New York, taking you to Nell’s for the first time, and introducing you to Russell Simmons and Jam Master Jay. I can remember taking you to Nile Rodgers’ home and sitting in all of that opulence while we waited for my old friend to come and join us in his living room. I was happy to be able to show you what the comfort derived from true creative success and hit making could look like – I wanted you to feel what a star’s home felt like, because I knew you had star quality.
I remember your insistence that you be allowed to record before you had all of the songs written for the “Brown Sugar” record, and how “Get On The Dance Floor” felt so much like a warm Marvin Gaye meets Curtis Mayfield track – but you’ve never recorded it. I remember approving eight of the ten tracks that finally made the “Brown Sugar” record including; the title track, “Lady”, “Smooth”, and “Higher”. And I remember refusing to open a studio budget until I was satisfied with the writing. You didn’t like it, but you never like it when solid business decisions interfere with your agenda.
I remember you hitting, not just mid charting, but hitting it way out of the park. Must have been ’95 or ’96. By then, bullshit politics had gotten me fired from EMI, so I wasn’t able to take the victory lap with you – but hey, that’s how the game is played from time to time. But my brother, Brian Koppelman, had juice, and used it well. He and I had worked together in the A&R department of Irving Azoff’s Giant/Warner Brothers Records, and he’d seen how hard I’d worked to put the “New Jack City” soundtrack together – and how my efforts went unrewarded – so he introduced me to his father, Charles. Charles was an operator, he’d parlayed the success of records he’d released, on his own SBK imprint, by Wilson Phillips and Vanilla Ice into the presidency of a reconfigured EMI Recordings Group. I was installed as the senior A&R exec at EMI Records, and not long after, Jocelyn came by with your demo.
After I was fired, while I was figuring out my next move, EMI fired a few senior guys, and Brian was renamed head of A&R for the label. Earlier, before the release of “Brown Sugar” he fought to have me properly credited on the project, and then later, brought me back under a consultation agreement that made me whole, based on my contribution to your success – such a mensch. Unlike you, I am forever grateful. Because I remember when you won your first Soul Train Awards, and you didn’t thank me. I’ve read press you’ve done, and you haven’t thanked me and I heard you on NPR, and you didn’t mention me.
I find all of this to be somewhat odd given the fact that in the end of 2005, you were on the verge of signing a $3million deal to join Clive Davis’ J Records, and that unbeknownst to me, as a negotiating point, you were telling them that you’d never take any other A&R input from anyone other than me. Word made it’s way back to me, and things looked like they might go well, and then, you got in your own way. You flipped your Hummer over, and got pinched on a DUI without a current license. J took the deal off the table. Your mug shot was frightening.
So then, you did what you do when in trouble; no one was fucking with you, not Alan, not Jocelyn, not Dom, not ?uestlove – nobody. You were in a starter mansion in Richmond, drowning in the bottom of a bottle, and you called me, “I think I need to go away,” you said. I responded quickly. Eric Clapton knew your struggle, and he’d made arrangements to hold a bed for you at Crossroads – the rehab he’d founded in Antigua that serviced high net worth junkies. $40K for a month’s stay, and you didn’t have it. So I went to Irving Azoff and got him to agree to put up the money.
As has often been the case during it’s history in the United States, Virgin Records (the label you were then signed to) was a mess. Jason Flom was heading the whole shebang and Jermaine Dupree was the senior Black Music guy. It took a while to interest Virgin in meeting with you, but I got it done. And then what did you do? When asked if you needed me to move forward with recording, you said, “No.” Imagine my surprise. After reintroducing you to the record business, again, I got the cold shoulder from you.
The responsibility for sharing all of these facts, with your fan base, during your NPR stream, does not strictly fall on your shoulders. In fact, I can see why sharing them might reflect poorly on you, and how omitting them might be prudent. But Nelson George, the host and moderator for the evening is someone I’ve known for over 30 years. Our good mutual friend Russell Simmons and he share a mentor. I’ve gone to Knicks games with the guy, double dated girls who knew each other from elementary school with him, while at Giant, I attempted to sign his first screenplay, “CB4″ – that he co-wrote with Chris Rock – through Irving’s deal at WB Movies, played basketball with him and had his book on basketball dedicated to me. Since he purports to be a journalist/historian, it was really up to him to tell the truth about how you were discovered and signed. But then, Nelson may not have wanted it known that at the time of the release of “Brown Sugar” he told me that you’re songwriting sucked.
In light of the recent and deeply flawed funk documentary that he produced for VH-1 where you were claimed to be the future of the funk, I have some thoughts on that too: I grew up on funk, danced to it, bought tickets to shows and collected the records. You are not that funky, your records do not recall the hey day of James Brown, George Clinton and Sly. They are deeply soulful, but not deeply funky. You, and your collaborators are attempting to promote a hoax on the public. Nelson is so co-opted by the bullshit, that he never even asked you, when will you put a new record out? Nor did he inquire about what you’ve been doing for the fifteen years since your last release. I guess, based on the remaining and unused footage from the doc, he needs your cooperation to do a complete doc on you. When asked, by one of his partners, if I’d produce it with them, I declined.
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. I hope you’re well."

[Edited 6/19/14 12:06pm]

And now someone penned this in response:

To Mr Harris friends and family.

I love that you have started a discussion for the whole world which is completely one sided, your not approving posts on your blog that are not complementary to you and your cause. Now that's shady, I might also use the word Charlatan when describing your motives.

You talk about truth but have left out vital pieces of this thrilling story.

Exposing someone's weaknesses who confided in you is despicable, being an enabler then criticizing a person is disgusting by even your creepy standards. I wouldn't be surprised if you got a whooping for this one G.

So lets really open up this conversation as the artist In question is not and would not respond as you know, which you think gives you license to tell your side of history unchallenged.

I have a question for you that hopefully you can answer truthfully.

#1: How long into the D'Angelo project was it before you were fired for having an under age prostitute in your office ?

Option 1: 3 weeks
Option 2: 4 weeks
Option 3: 5 weeks

#2: On a separate occasion were you charged with rape or attempted rape of an under age girl.?

You see your a very dubious character with a very checkered past and an extremely bitter individual. You are a far cry from a model citizen and it seems by all accounts that you spent more time chasing under age hookers than A&R-ing the record.

No one can take away the fact that you signed the artist (which was your job) but your inflated sense of self is delusional. Anyone in the business know's what it takes to make a record and your month A&R-ing this record doesn't warrant your claims, doesn't warrant you outing a brother that obviously has issues most of us do.

Your cry's for attention are so evident - Where are you now, whether it takes an artist 10 - 20 years to put out a record is irrelevant. The fact is the record is coming and when that happens it will happen again with out you. Where's your record, was this letter your master piece is this how you'll be remembered, pretty much i guess.

Had you of been able to keep your job you may have finished the record, instead Kedar and numerous others helped do the job for you, which by the way is why Kedar's name is on the record and not yours I believe.

Your OPEN LETTER although well written is nasty, you should be concerned that when you throw stones and live in a glass house with your "mother" that someone may throw a stone back. Those arrest records may surface............. .....

Anonymous letters are bullshit. And, whatever situations Harris may or may not have been in, what the flying fuck does that have to do with D's inability to drop this fucking record?

Why did Gary have to open his yap in the first place, is what I wanna know.

Scriptgirl are you D'Angelo's publicist?

.

The double standard is apparent here. I like how the "open letter" slams Harris, while Harris is providing his side of the "truth" and demanding to hear what the other side may be.

.

"You are not that funky" BURN! Here's the thing about these letters, D had to see this was coming! All of the allegations and unanswered mysteries surrounding his exile/silence remain, with a little bit more of a negative spotlight shining. D'Angelo was supposed to emulate Prince and he became Sly instead.

D'Angelo doesn't owe anyone anything and isn't 'meant' to be emulating anyone. It's his work, his life. Nobody's putting a gun to your head to force you to like him.

Lol, not his pr person, but obviously a fan. And there are 2 sides to everything.

getfunked said:

jeidee said:

D'Angelo is probably the most over-rated artist of all time. His debut was alright. Mediocre to good. Brown Sugar was great. That was 20 years ago and 14 years ago respectively. You've got dudes having #1 hit records now that were toddling around last time D released music. Fucking Napster just got invented and CD's still sold last time dude released music. He's not one, not two, but three generations removed from the last time he was relevant, in terms of how the music industry has changed. We've gone from CD's to early file-sharing, to digital record stores (iTunes etc), to streaming platforms. All since the last time dude released anything. As an artist myself who has been signed to two different majors and two indies, every one of those paradigm shifts was difficult to deal with. And he's now gotta try to deal with them all at once with probably very little understanding of any of them.

I'll call it now - this album, if it EVER comes out, will be LUCKY if he pushes more than 10,000-15,000 units. Even with major label support. There's artists that have had #1 hits on the Billboard in the last couple of years, then put out an album and done less than 2,000 units first week. And D'Angelo ain't gonna have a hit single, because he's not making the type of music that can be a hit.

dude it would sell at least 100.000 copies

Agreed Militant. Also note the quality of the last two pieces he released "Glass Mountain Trust" with Mark Ronson which was almost unlistenable, sounding like Ol Dirty Bastard trying to sing. And the unreleased/demo "Black Hole Sun" where he sounded muffled/marble-mouthed and almost unintelligible despite some nice harmonies. He will likely be seen as a novelty/throwback act with minimal buzz especially since that same minimal buzz has appeared and faded with nothing to support several times now. If a consistent performer like Carey or Lopez can barely crack 50k first week...

[Edited 6/20/14 8:45am]

I think it's slightly ungenerous to write him off yet. If you want to see his actual releases, take a look at the new stuff he's been performing in his live shows (which were all sold out, mind you): 'Another Life', 'The Charade', 'Sugar Daddy', 'Ain't That Easy' and 'Really Love'. Also, all the ways he's been playing around with his old songs (Brown Sugar in particular got a super funky remix). IMO these are songs that could be huge hits. It doesn't seem to me like he'd be ostracized from today's scene. He still has a sizeable following who'd be interested in hearing his work.

And just for accuracy's sake, Glass Mountain Trust was a Mark Ronson release with very little input on the final product from D, and Black Hole Sun is a demo from like 2006 which was leaked.

[Edited 6/20/14 15:21pm]

methinks the letter is from ?Love. anyone else think so.

as for D. SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH. let ur music speak for itself. he ain't no damn legend on two albums. otherwise go sit down somewhere.

Why would anyone who claims to love music wish for D'Angelo to fail? Just to be right about a prediction?

who's wishing for him to fail?

CynicKill said:

Why would anyone who claims to love music wish for D'Angelo to fail? Just to be right about a prediction?

If you're talking about me, I wish D'Angelo all the success in the world. But I think the longer it goes without this album coming out, the worse it's gonna be for him and that record. I don't think anybody really cares anymore about what he's doing. I think that day has come and gone.

But, I'd love to be wrong.

Militant said:

CynicKill said:

Why would anyone who claims to love music wish for D'Angelo to fail? Just to be right about a prediction?

If you're talking about me, I wish D'Angelo all the success in the world. But I think the longer it goes without this album coming out, the worse it's gonna be for him and that record. I don't think anybody really cares anymore about what he's doing. I think that day has come and gone.

But, I'd love to be wrong.

I care. Always have, always will. As far as I´m concerned, he could take another year or so if he needs to. I know his next album is going to be the bomb. And the shows he did in Scandinavia were great.

I read an article today, somewhere on FB, that said that the album is soon to be released....very soon. And no, it wasn´t Questlove who said it.

He´s been through some heavy shit in the past decade and I´m glad he´s still alive. And, like I said here before, all it takes for him is some discipline, time at the gym to get in shape again (like he did before the GQ interview with those superb pictures) and he´ll come back with a vengeance.

I saw him in concert and it was one of the most memorable concerts I´ve ever been to.

KoolEaze said:

Militant said:

If you're talking about me, I wish D'Angelo all the success in the world. But I think the longer it goes without this album coming out, the worse it's gonna be for him and that record. I don't think anybody really cares anymore about what he's doing. I think that day has come and gone.

But, I'd love to be wrong.

I care. Always have, always will. As far as I´m concerned, he could take another year or so if he needs to. I know his next album is going to be the bomb. And the shows he did in Scandinavia were great.

I read an article today, somewhere on FB, that said that the album is soon to be released....very soon. And no, it wasn´t Questlove who said it.

He´s been through some heavy shit in the past decade and I´m glad he´s still alive. And, like I said here before, all it takes for him is some discipline, time at the gym to get in shape again (like he did before the GQ interview with those superb pictures) and he´ll come back with a vengeance.

I saw him in concert and it was one of the most memorable concerts I´ve ever been to.

I don't mean individuals on fan sites. I mean the wider record-buying public. The people beyond the hardcore faithful.

I´m not talking about hardcore fans either. In my opinion D´Angelo has established himself as one of the true great singers and musicians in soul and funk and he is quite popular among soul and funk afficionados from, say, 25 to 50. And I think that that audience consist largely of people who´d still go out and spend money on a physical CD. I know many people who would, and they are not some hardcore fans on some forums.

The same goes for Maxwell. And I like them both equally.

And I´m patient as far as their productivity is concerned because so far, their albums have been pretty timeless releases I often go back to.

Militant said:

KoolEaze said:

I care. Always have, always will. As far as I´m concerned, he could take another year or so if he needs to. I know his next album is going to be the bomb. And the shows he did in Scandinavia were great.

I read an article today, somewhere on FB, that said that the album is soon to be released....very soon. And no, it wasn´t Questlove who said it.

He´s been through some heavy shit in the past decade and I´m glad he´s still alive. And, like I said here before, all it takes for him is some discipline, time at the gym to get in shape again (like he did before the GQ interview with those superb pictures) and he´ll come back with a vengeance.

I saw him in concert and it was one of the most memorable concerts I´ve ever been to.

I don't mean individuals on fan sites. I mean the wider record-buying public. The people beyond the hardcore faithful.