KCOOLMUZIQ said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

scriptgirl said:

He is playing small rooms cause he can't sell out arenas.

D, has a BIG following. I bet he could.....

15 years without a record, I don't think he could. Not that it means anything about the quality
of his music (it doesn't), but it does speak to how Black Messiah has not really connected with
the populace in such a manner that he could sell out arenas. It's not a slight to say that D'Angelo
can't sell out arenas in 2015 with a heady, groove based R&B album that eschews contemporary
styles with no pop appeal.

duccichucka said:

100% Agreed!

I'll go as far as to say i dont think the album is that good at all!

I care about maybe 1-2 songs.. (not in a major way)..

duccichucka said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

D, has a BIG following. I bet he could.....

15 years without a record, I don't think he could. Not that it means anything about the quality
of his music (it doesn't), but it does speak to how Black Messiah has not really connected with
the populace in such a manner that he could sell out arenas. It's not a slight to say that D'Angelo
can't sell out arenas in 2015 with a heady, groove based R&B album that eschews contemporary
styles with no pop appeal.

D has always been a predominently BLACK alternative artist..

his pop moment is long behind him.. 'voodoo era'

revolution75 said:

duccichucka said:

15 years without a record, I don't think he could. Not that it means anything about the quality
of his music (it doesn't), but it does speak to how Black Messiah has not really connected with
the populace in such a manner that he could sell out arenas. It's not a slight to say that D'Angelo
can't sell out arenas in 2015 with a heady, groove based R&B album that eschews contemporary
styles with no pop appeal.

I'm glad someone else sees this This record hasn't caught on like THEY thought it would I'm really believing Voodoo's success was from the video.

Very few rnb artist are selling records or selling out arenas now. Unless they are on a superfest type tour with other rnb artist. I recently saw Bobby Brown live at a PARK! He use to sell out arenas! But D'angelo should be celebrated for beating a drug addiction! He could have been dead of an overdose. Plus making a genuine comeback after over 15 YEARS away!

This is why I hate this site so much. Peeps NEVER give artist credit for longevity here.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Very few rnb artist are selling records or selling out arenas now. Unless they are on a superfest type tour with other rnb artist. I recently saw Bobby Brown live at a PARK! He use to sell out arenas! But D'angelo should be celebrated for beating a drug addiction! He could have been dead of an overdose. Plus making a genuine comeback after over 15 YEARS away!

This is why I hate this site so much. Peeps NEVER give artist credit for longevity here.

I'm a big D fan........but no one deserves credit for their 3rd album in 20 YEARS.

No one.

Graycap23 said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Very few rnb artist are selling records or selling out arenas now. Unless they are on a superfest type tour with other rnb artist. I recently saw Bobby Brown live at a PARK! He use to sell out arenas! But D'angelo should be celebrated for beating a drug addiction! He could have been dead of an overdose. Plus making a genuine comeback after over 15 YEARS away!

This is why I hate this site so much. Peeps NEVER give artist credit for longevity here.

I'm a big D fan........but no one deserves credit for their 3rd album in 20 YEARS.

No one.

If you were brought out the pits of hell & near death, to the point of a comeback? That deserves some recognition. We almost lost a unique, gifted, artist. He should be commended for that alone.

Mj didn't make it from his drug addiction. He is now gone at the tender age of 50.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Graycap23 said:

I'm a big D fan........but no one deserves credit for their 3rd album in 20 YEARS.

No one.

If you were brought out the pits of hell & near death, to the point of a comeback? That deserves some recognition. We almost lost a unique, gifted, artist. He should be commended for that alone.

Mj didn't make it from his drug addiction. He is now gone at the tender age of 50.

I hear u..........I'm glad D is back and I wih him luck, but he chose his path.

I don't think anyone is discrediting his issues and his attempt to get it together. The problem, and maybe it's just mine is how Leeds, Quest and others propped him and this record up to be something that it wasn't. Yes it's a great record. Worth the 14 year wait? Hell no!! Yes, music sales ain't what it used to be but when your record is being outsold by Bob Marley's Legend, that should be a red flag to change up promotion. Folks outside of the D'angelo bubble ain't checking for him like that and it's his own fault. That whole mysterious Prince thing is played out. He should have been out promoting the hell out of this record by any means neccessary instead of letting it lay. When Maxwell made his comeback, him and his people made sure everyone knew he was back and his record and tour was a success. D should have struck a few years ago instead of the few false attempts. D and his people dropped the ball by assuming EVERYONE would welcome him back with open arms.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Graycap23 said:

I'm a big D fan........but no one deserves credit for their 3rd album in 20 YEARS.

No one.

If you were brought out the pits of hell & near death, to the point of a comeback? That deserves some recognition. We almost lost a unique, gifted, artist. He should be commended for that alone.

Mj didn't make it from his drug addiction. He is now gone at the tender age of 50.

[Edited 5/15/15 9:28am]

revolution75 said:

I don't think anyone is discrediting his issues and his attempt to get it together. The problem, and maybe it's just mine is how Leeds, Quest and others propped him and this record up to be something that it wasn't. Yes it's a great record. Worth the 14 year wait? Hell no!! Yes, music sales ain't what it used to be but when your record is being outsold by Bob Marley's Legend, that should be a red flag to change up promotion. Folks outside of the D'angelo bubble ain't checking for him like that and it's his own fault. That whole mysterious Prince thing is played out. He should have been out promoting the hell out of this record by any means neccessary instead of letting it lay. When Maxwell made his comeback, him and his people made sure everyone knew he was back and his record and tour was a success. D should have struck a few years ago instead of the few false attempts. D and his people dropped the ball by assuming EVERYONE would welcome him back with open arms.

If you were brought out the pits of hell & near death, to the point of a comeback? That deserves some recognition. We almost lost a unique, gifted, artist. He should be commended for that alone.

Mj didn't make it from his drug addiction. He is now gone at the tender age of 50.

What do U think D has been doing the last few years? He has been touring even before the album dropped. He has been working on his live act. D is a lot like . He doesn't like to talk. Action speaks louder than words. D is a REAL ARTIST! Sells don't mean anything to him.

Maxwell is NOT a good comparison. Can he even play an instrument? Maxwell has been making promises of TWO new albums for YEARS! Where is he? It shows & proves a point that rnb artist aren't in demand anymore. Record companies don''t want to put the money up for promotion. Unless it's Justin Timberlake or Robin Thicke. The mass are not checking for rnb artist anymore. Unless they go techno or pop. It's not just D's fault.

***

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Very few rnb artist are selling records or selling out arenas now. Unless they are on a superfest type tour with other rnb artist. I recently saw Bobby Brown live at a PARK! He use to sell out arenas! But D'angelo should be celebrated for beating a drug addiction! He could have been dead of an overdose. Plus making a genuine comeback after over 15 YEARS away!

This is why I hate this site so much. Peeps NEVER give artist credit for longevity here.

[Edited 6/3/15 15:38pm]

[img:$uid]http://i57.tinypic.com/208v7ys.jpg[/img:$uid]

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

[img:$uid]http://i57.tinypic.com/208v7ys.jpg[/img:$uid]

So every person who achieves some level of success should be liked?

revolution75 said:

duccichucka said:

15 years without a record, I don't think he could. Not that it means anything about the quality
of his music (it doesn't), but it does speak to how Black Messiah has not really connected with
the populace in such a manner that he could sell out arenas. It's not a slight to say that D'Angelo
can't sell out arenas in 2015 with a heady, groove based R&B album that eschews contemporary
styles with no pop appeal.

I'm glad someone else sees this This record hasn't caught on like THEY thought it would I'm really believing Voodoo's success was from the video.

D'Angelo knows this, and I believe it causes him some grief as Voodoo is musically superior to the
video.

It's a catch-22 for him, I bet. Again, Black Messiah hasn't caught on because it's not good; it
hasn't caught on because after 15 years, there has been a seismic shift in the music industry
and D'Angelo was not present for that advent. If this was 2002, the album would be flying off
of the shelves.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Very few rnb artist are selling records or selling out arenas now. Unless they are on a superfest type tour with other rnb artist. I recently saw Bobby Brown live at a PARK! He use to sell out arenas! But D'angelo should be celebrated for beating a drug addiction! He could have been dead of an overdose. Plus making a genuine comeback after over 15 YEARS away!

This is why I hate this site so much. Peeps NEVER give artist credit for longevity here.

Hey, relax!

Nobody is saying that D'Angelo can't sell out arenas because his talent is on par with the dude
who sang "Chocolate Rain." Instead, we're pointing out what you have: the game has changed.
R&B acts struggle to sell tons of records and sell out arenas like they did 15, 20 years ago, and
D'Angelo's 15 year absence didn't do him any favors, especially since the style of music he per-
forms (retro-based R&B), is not in fashion like it was in the late 90s and early aughts. "Neo-soul"
is not burning up the charts like it was back when Voodoo was released.

And to be honest with you, D'Angelo doesn't deserve credit for artistic longevity. He certainly gets
props for artistic integrity, but longevity?

To be fair.. D'angelo is very talented..

Go to a few church's in the south during choir rehearsals ..

you'll find a few D'angelo- esque talented folks.

He's a Prince fan who got a deal when he was young..

He disappeared and music turned into Ultra Digital/Fake/Computerised crap during his absense..

So the world of Soul, R&B, & Hip Hop thought music would improve when D 'The Saviour' returns..

it hasnt! and his new album is in no way as good as Voodoo or Brown Sugar.

+IMO He needs to lay off the Prince.. its bordering on a parody to anyone who Knows the deal!

**ps**Jimi Hendrix is GOD!

[Edited 5/15/15 19:15pm]

revolution75 said:

I don't think anyone is discrediting his issues and his attempt to get it together. The problem, and maybe it's just mine is how Leeds, Quest and others propped him and this record up to be something that it wasn't. Yes it's a great record. Worth the 14 year wait? Hell no!! Yes, music sales ain't what it used to be but when your record is being outsold by Bob Marley's Legend, that should be a red flag to change up promotion. Folks outside of the D'angelo bubble ain't checking for him like that and it's his own fault. That whole mysterious Prince thing is played out. He should have been out promoting the hell out of this record by any means neccessary instead of letting it lay. When Maxwell made his comeback, him and his people made sure everyone knew he was back and his record and tour was a success. D should have struck a few years ago instead of the few false attempts. D and his people dropped the ball by assuming EVERYONE would welcome him back with open arms.

I don't think D Angelo cares about that though. I think he is happy to be back performing and on the road. He doesnt seem to care about commercial success, awards, etc. Also, it is not entirely his fault that his record did not do as good as it could have, the industry is very different versus 20 years ago. I am happy for D Angelo. I am happy he is back. We need more artists that care about creating geniune creative music.

mjscarousal said:

[img:$uid]http://i.imgur.com/JnHRBfK.jpg?1[/img:$uid]

D will always do amazeballs in Europe, where they dig REAL music. In America, not so much.

scriptgirl said:

KingSausage said:

scriptgirl said:

D will always do amazeballs in Europe, where they dig REAL music. In America, not so much.

D sold out his show in DC plenty fast. Don't make blanket statements.

I agree with her, King.

It is not a coincidence that when D'Angelo mounted his comeback, he did so in Europe and not
in the States.

duccichucka said:

KingSausage said:

duccichucka said:

I agree with her, King.

It is not a coincidence that when D'Angelo mounted his comeback, he did so in Europe and not
in the States.

I guess you're right. I just get defensive because I'm an American who lives and breathes real music.

Same but...I still think people underestimate D Angelo's popularity. He might not be as commericial but he definitly has a sizable dedicated fanbase. His shows always sell out. For someone who has been away for over a decade, I think that is pretty darn good!

[Edited 5/22/15 5:57am]

Russell Elevado, Ben Kane & Kendra Foster Detail The Creation Of D’Angelo’s Black Messiah


Article

Identity said:

Russell Elevado, Ben Kane & Kendra Foster Detail The Creation Of D’Angelo’s Black Messiah


Article

Thanks Identity, I've got Okayplayer on my RSS feed reader so I normally see links like this, but in this case I must have missed it, so appreciate your linking of it.

Very excited for this summer, got both D'Angelo and P-Funk gigs lined up, it's going to be a funky time

Ego101 said:

Did he mean industry politics, cause Black Messiah is very political.

KingSausage said:

duccichucka said:

I agree with her, King.

It is not a coincidence that when D'Angelo mounted his comeback, he did so in Europe and not
in the States.

I guess you're right. I just get defensive because I'm an American who lives and breathes real music.

The term REAL MUSIC is not allowed around here. It's offensive.