Justin Timberlake paid tribute D'Angelo, whose three solo albums are his debut Brown sugar2000s Voodooand 2014 Black Messiah — changed the landscape of soul music and helped ignite a new era. Next D'Angelo's departure On October 14, at the age of 51, Timberlake discussed how the visionary's work influenced his own musical journey and how he had the opportunity to meet him backstage at Radio City Music Hall.
“I will never forget how I heard Brown sugar for the first time. It changed me. You changed me,” Timberlake wrote in a letter posted to Instagram Stories, calling the record “the most important moment in finding confidence in my own voice.”
“For the first time, I heard a sound that reflected the sounds I grew up with—early R&B—but *now* it was intertwined with a modern edge,” he continued. “The chords and arrangement were a mixture of church, jazz and funk, harmonies delicately dancing with each other. It stuck in my spirit and always will.”
Timberlake continued to praise Voodoo as his “favorite mix album of all time”. He added: “Legendary players and staff. The sounds, the way the colors danced around my head. It captured me. It shocked me. I was changed again.”
The “Egoist” singer also said that Voodoo The tour stop at Radio City was “one of the best shows” of his life. “You. Quest. Pino. Poyser. And everyone on that stage just tore the faces off that crowd,” Timberlake recalled. “And then I was lucky enough to catch a sacred moment with you backstage. And tell you how much I was in awe of you.” The singer said his previously posted photo of him and D'Angelo was taken at that exact moment, and he was “kind, reserved” when they met. Timberlake added, “I'll never forget it.”
Though Timberlake said he could talk about the breadth of D'Angelo's work, including his “favorite collaboration with Lauryn,” by “putting it the way I know best at the moment: you took R&B and put it in all caps.”
“Your contributions will always be remembered. Sending love and prayers to your family. You will be greatly missed. 1 of 1. A trailblazer,” Timberlake wrote before retiring: “Love. One of your biggest fans.”
Timberlake joins the flow artists from different genres paid tribute to D'Angelo including Lauryn Hill, BeyoncéNile Rodgers, Missy Elliott and others.
