"You can't escape the nature that's inside you."
This quote by D'Angelo underscores the idea that one's inherent characteristics, emotions, and behaviors, often referred to as 'nature', cannot be altered or suppressed completely. It emphasizes that attempts to distance oneself from these fundamental aspects can lead to internal conflict and unhappiness because they are intrinsic parts of who we are. Instead, understanding, accepting, and expressing our true nature in a responsible and positive manner is key to personal growth and fulfillment.
"The truest expression of a people is in its dances and its music."
This quote suggests that a culture's authentic essence can be best understood through its dance and music, as these art forms reflect the emotions, stories, history, and values of a people. It implies that by examining a society's cultural expressions in dance and music, one gains unique insights into their identity, spirit, and collective consciousness.
"Love isn't love until you give it away."
This quote by D'Angelo emphasizes that true love is not merely an internal feeling, but requires external expression, typically through action or giving to others. It suggests that love only becomes authentic when it transcends personal boundaries and is shared with someone else, thereby validating and deepening its essence. In other words, the act of giving love demonstrates one's commitment and confirms that their feelings are selfless and genuine, rather than selfish or narcissistic.
"We all want to be loved, but we only truly love ourselves."
This quote suggests that everyone has a fundamental desire to be loved by others, yet true love is only possible when one deeply loves oneself first. It implies that self-love and self-acceptance are essential foundations for healthy relationships with others. Essentially, you cannot genuinely give love to others unless you have learned to love yourself unconditionally.
"Real love is when you can see the potential in someone else that they can't see in themselves."
This quote suggests that real love transcends self-perception. In a relationship, a loving partner recognizes and appreciates the inherent worth or potential of their significant other, even if that person cannot see it in themselves. It underscores the idea that love involves seeing beyond one's flaws and limitations to recognize their true value and growth possibilities.
Coming up, the music of my era was very conscious. I grew up on Public Enemy, and it was popular culture to be aware. People were wearing Malcolm X T-shirts and Malcolm X hats. It was a very cool thing to know who Malcolm X was. It was all in the lyrics. It was trendy to be conscious and aware.
- D'Angelo
It's about people rising up in Ferguson and in Egypt and in Occupy Wall Street and in every place 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... 'Black Messiah' is not one man. It's a feeling that, collectively, we are all that leader.
- D'Angelo
'Black Messiah' is a hell of a name for an album. It can easily be 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.
- D'Angelo
You have to know the forces that are against you and that are trying to break you down. We talk about the problems facing the black community: the decimation of the black family; the mass incarceration of the black man; we're talking about the brutality against black people from the police. The educational system.
- D'Angelo
When I was young, I had an 'aha' moment in church. There was a thing called testimony service, and somebody would sing a song, and everyone else would join in, finding a note where they fit. During one of those, a light went on in my head. In that moment, I heard everything - Parliament, the Staple Singers, Curtis Mayfield, Prince - in there.
- D'Angelo
Just about the entirety of the first album, 'Brown Sugar,' I wrote it, the majority of that record in my bedroom in Richmond. And all of the demos for it were done on a four-track in my bedroom. I think EMI was a little leery of me being in the studio producing it on my own, which is what I was fighting for.
- D'Angelo
Prince, you never knew what to expect from him from one album to the next. Miles Davis was like that. You know, once you get used to one style, boom, he switched it and, you know, switched gears on you. So those artists are very exciting to me, very exciting to follow their path, you know, and their journey.
- D'Angelo
The thing with me is, about that - about rock and all that - years and years of crate-digging, listening to old music, you kind of start to connect the dots. And I was seeing the thread that was connecting everything together, which is pretty much the blues. And everything soul or funk kind of starts with that.
- D'Angelo
I played a lot of keyboards, but I really wanted to produce the sound that was in my head that I was trying to emulate on the keys. I wanted to do it for real. And it makes me look at the keys in a different way. So it's like I'm looking at the guitar and bass more like meat and potatoes and keys like coloring over top of it, you know.
- D'Angelo
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