Otto’s Record Collection

Artist – D’Angelo
Album – Voodoo
Year – 2000
Virgin - 7243 8 48499 1 7

I got the news that D’Angelo passed while sitting in the kitchen in my Aunt’s house in Sea Isle City, NJ. Your mom was about four months pregnant with you, and we were a day away from going to the Flyers Home Opener. That was October 14th, 2025. I introduced you to D’Angelo on October 14th, 2026.

One album and one Instagram post won’t allow me to honestly say everything I want to say about D’Angelo, his legacy, his influence on me as a human and how his passing made me feel, so this will be a three part series over the next few months. Here’s where we start, though.

I got into D’Angelo in the late 90s and early 00s as he appeared on so many songs that my favorite artists were putting out; “Break Ups 2 Make Ups” by Method Man, “The Hypnotic” by The Roots, “Getto Heaven Pt. 2” by Common and “Nothing Even Matters” by Lauryn Hill. And, of course, everyone alive in the late 90s and 00s heard every girl talk about the “Untitled” music video.

I gave “Voodoo” a chance because I knew there was a DJ Premier beat and a Method Man and Redman feature. Per usual, everything was driven by Hip Hop at that time in my life.

Man, an entire world was unlocked. D’Angelo wasn’t just the guy who sang on other people’s songs, or took his shirt off in that music video. He was a Titan. The originality and musicianship of Prince, the soul of Gospel music on a Sunday morning, a voice that commanded attention like a General during War Time. He provided everything for those seeking beauty, majesty and harmony, and provided nothing to those who turned their back to it. He was intentionally D’Angelo.

We lost him to Pancreatic Cancer at age 51. It felt as sudden as the end of “Untitled,” and since he kept his illness under wraps, I’m sure that was on purpose, too. If he lived another 51 years, he still would have died too soon.

Voodoo was his second album. It’s one of my top 10 albums ever made. Sometime when we get back from our trip we’ll listen to his first and we’ll discuss the early part of his career.

“How Does it Feel?!” - D’Angelo