In 2019, D’Angelo allowed fans an intimate look into his life — the indelible highs and complicated lows — through the lens of his documentary, Devil’s Pie.
Named after a record from his second album, Voodoo, the Carine Bijlsma-directed film is full of archival anecdotes and behind-the-scenes moments as he prepared for his return in tandem with the release of his 2014 album, Black Messiah — which was described on Letterboxd as the “soundtrack of the lost years.”
Throughout the 90-minute film, we unpack his choice to step out of the spotlight at the height of his career, his spiritual foundation, the distinction between Michael Archer and D’Angelo, and the layers of what entails being a “Black genius.”
The documentary isn’t currently available to stream, but there are links floating around social media. If you get the chance to view it, we implore that you do. However, VIBE breaks down the top three takeaways from Devil’s Pie below.
The Complexities Of A Black Genius
Image Credit: Shahar Azran/Getty Images Within the first few minutes of the film, Questlove described D’Angelo as the “last pure singer on Earth,” but somberly added that the crooner “tends to hide.”
The doc labeled him “elusive,” saying in 2000, he was “poised for superstardom” — thanks to Voodoo. Then, he disappeared for over a decade. His then-tour manager, Alan “Pops” Leeds, faulted “the media” for “playing up” the crooner’s arrests and unfortunate 2005 car accident, which left him critically injured.
“Nothing beats D’Angelo. That gift only comes once in a blue moon,” said Questlove. He felt that D’Angelo battled with fears associated with being “the chosen one,” explaining that “To thine own self be true” was his mantra.
D’Angelo even discussed the internal struggle, noting that following one arrest, he was upset with himself because he could’ve been in the studio instead. “I was bulls**tting [but] I’m sitting here,” he stated.
In the third act of the documentary, he discussed the “power” of his music and referenced the quote: “With great power comes great responsibility.” He explained, “If Yahweh grants you that gift and you’re not being responsible about it, then it gets perverted and that can be very scary. That’s some place I don’t ever want to be.”
The “Untitled” Downfall
Image Credit: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images After the video for “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” was released, D’Angelo became an instant sex symbol. However, the burden of that ideal plagued him. He hated the sexualization of his image and was part of the reason why he proverbially shut down.
Questlove recalled during the Voodoo tour, they’d planned a “very meticulous two-and-a-half hour show,” but “18 minutes into it, women were screaming, ‘Take it off.’”
Leeds felt that the fantasy of D’Angelo grew bigger than the music, which frustrated the crooner. D’Angelo played Quest a “crude demo” of what became “1000 Deaths” off Black Messiah. Leeds feared that the downward spiral following the “Untitled” visual would have caused catastrophic results.
Questlove called D’Angelo “Superman, but he’s a kryptonite-filled Clark Kent trapped in his soul.”
During that time, however, the singer also was navigating grief. His uncle and grandmother passed and a close friend died by suicide. This was the catalyst to his substance abuse. He attempted rehab twice before it worked, detailing that working on music led to him getting clean.
He explained, “I was getting f**ked up and I never did that. I never got so f**ked up that I couldn’t make music, or that I was dysfunctional while I was in the studio […] The third rehab was when it really sunk into me that I had a problem and had to deal with it.”
D’Angelo Vs. Michael
Image Credit: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images There was a fine line toed between Michael Archer, the man, and D’Angelo, the musician. He reportedly “wrestled” with pursuing a career in “secular music” due to his religious upbringing. However, his grandmother was the person who inspired him to pursue what he loved— which was always music in whatever capacity.
During the documentary, his faith remained a constant fixture. “I trust in God. I trust in the spirit and the love that brought us together and in the gifts that God gave us. When we pray at night, it’s not a game and it’s very real. We walk out on faith. We got this far by faith and that’s how we walk out there and the way I feel, when I come out there and have that love, that spirit and that authority with me, it’s nothing that can stop us,” he said.
He reflected on the “high” he felt while being onstage, but once the show is over, “you go back and it’s just you again.” He even confessed that there isn’t much separating Michael from D’Angelo. “To actually leave [D’Angelo] there on the stage is kind of hard,” he expressed. “I think a lot of times, I’m too real for that s**t. So, I have to leave him there.” He felt bringing his persona into his personal life caused it to become “murky and cloudy.”
The crooner described the music industry as a “contact sport” and blamed the “business” for why many “didn’t make it.” There were even things about the business that he wouldn’t discuss because it was “deep s**t.”
For D’Angelo, it seemed his mission was having God live within him and freeing himself of the “distractions” that would take him away from that. Music was his gateway and purpose. The documentary ended with the singer listening to the gospel song, “Lord, Plant My Feet On Higher Ground” and confirmed that he was working on his fourth album.
