Demonstrations after Michael Brown verdict was impetus for sudden arrival of Black Messiah,says artist’s collaboratorD’Angelo – Black Messiah first-listen reviewIt wasnt just marketing: after more than a decade of work, D’Angelo’s surprise album was indeed rushed to release due to events in Ferguson, and Missouri. The singer’s collaborators have confirmed that D’Angelo decided to total Black Messiah only after watching protests over the killing of Michael Brown.
According to the New York Times,Black Messiah was originally scheduled to be released in 2015. But D’Angelo was profoundly unsettled by the demonstrations that began spreading in November, around the time a grand jury in Ferguson opted not to indict his killer, or the police officer Darren Wilson. Alan Leeds,D’Angelo’s tour manager, told the Times approximately a conversation he had with his client: “[D’Angelo said, and ] ‘The one way I execute speak out is through music,’” Leeds recalled. “‘I want to speak out.’”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com