Black Messiah
At exactly 12:01am (Eastern Standard Time) Monday, December 15th, 2014, the iconic and inimitable D’Angelo surprised fans the world over with the release of ‘Black Messiah’ – his third studio album and long-awaited follow-up to ‘Voodoo!’Â
On Sunday, December 14th an exclusive album playback sponsored by Red Bull Media was held in New York; DJ’d by Questlove – attendees included Spike Lee, India Arie and a host of other celebrities/key influencers from the US & around the world; and at the end of the event it was officially announced the album would be dropping at midnight that evening!
‘Black Messiah’ is a labour of love between D’Angelo and his band (including longtime collaborator Questlove) whom he affectionally refers to as The Vanguard.
D’Angelo’s album forward perfectly captures the sentiment of the album, a poignant commentary on the state of the world today – yet wrapped in the musical genius of D’Angelo that fans have waited 14 years to hear!
“Black Messiah is a hell of a name for an album. It can be easily misunderstood. Many will think it’s about religion. Some will jump to the conclusion that I’m calling myself a Black Messiah. For me the title is about all of us. It’s about the world. It’s about an idea we can all aspire to. We should all aspire to be a Black Messiah. It’s about people rising up in Ferguson and in Egypt and in Occupy Wall Street and everyplace where a community has had enough and decides to make change happen. It’s not about praising one charismatic leader but celebrating thousands of them. Not every song on this album is politically charged (though many are) but calling this album Black Messiah creates a landscape where these songs can live to the fullest. Black Messiah is not one man. It’s a feeling that, collectively, we are all that leader” – D’Angelo.
