The Soul, Struggle, and Sound That Made D’Angelo Unforgettable
Last week, news broke of the death of Grammy winning soul musician D’Angelo. The 51 year old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known for his hit songs “Lady”, “Brown Sugar”, and “Untitled (How Does It Feel?)”, passed away following a silent battle with pancreatic cancer. Known to a generation as one of the pregenitors of “neo-soul”, a type of R&B soaked in 1960’s-1970’s nostalgia that came of age in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, D’Angelo was part of songwriting and music collective known as “The Soulquarians”.
“Like Water for Chocolate” and the Aquarius Connection
Writer Daniel Joffe, in his 2025 article for NYSMusic, “The Soulquarians: A Cultural Revolution in Soul and Hip-Hop”, writes, “D’Angelo’s music showed clear inspiration from the hip-hop collective A Tribe Called Quest, which also played a role in shaping the Roots’ musical style and influenced Questlove’s stage name. This development coincided with Questlove’s understanding that he required a vibrant music scene to succeed in the industry and discover artists he was eager to collaborate with and be linked to…many of these musicians coincidentally recorded in the same studio simultaneously, resulting in some of their finest works, including Common’s Like Water For Chocolate, D’Angelo’s Voodoo, and Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun.”
The collective created their name based on the fact that the original founders—J.Dilla, D’Angelo, Questlove, and James Poyser—have the same zodiac sign: Aquarius. It also was rooted in the fact that the entire collective were fierce lovers of soul music and many of their collaborative projects gave way to this new wave of neo-soul music. This talented group of musicians serve as the musical ancestors of what is known as alternative R&B, birthing artists such as SZA, Frank Ocean, Jhene Aiko, The Weeknd, Daniel Ceasar, H.E.R, and more.
“Untitled” but Never Forgotten
The Soulquarians made music throughout the 2000’s with many of them finding their own successes. But unfortunately due to label interference, creative differences, and a changing music landscape, the group dissolved.
When news of D’Angelo’s death hit the media waves, everyone from Beyonce to Lauryn Hill gave their condolences and tributes. The latter featured him on her groundbreaking 1998 album The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill. His involvement within the Soulquairans was known within Black music communities and now his death has revived interest in the legacy of the group. In fact, many of the members’ albums are celebrating milestone anniversaries with D’Angelo’s second album Voodoo, Erykah Badu’s second album Mama’s Gun, and Common’s fourth studio album Like Water For Chocolate all celebrating 25 years.
In the era of streaming, viral performances, and a changing music landscape, the loss of D’Angelo is a pertinent one. In the same vein of Prince, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, and Jimi Hendrix, D’Angelo is largely seen as a musical icon. His music will continue to live on and shed light on the magic and lasting impact of the Soulquarians collective.
