D’Angelo: Plugs In ( GQ-Behind the Scenes)

Zoi May 23, 2012 0

GQ’s Amy Wallace sits down with D’Angelo who says the death of the legendary hip hop producer, J. Dilla, is what made him sober up

“I didn’t really think I had a problem like that. I felt like, you know, all I got to do is clean up and I’ll be fine. Just get in the studio and I’ll be fucking fine.” says D’Angelo

What finally made him see, he says, was the passing of J. Dilla, the revered hip-hop producer, on February 10, 2006. They’d just talked on the phone, D’Angelo says, when suddenly, J Dilla was gone at 32 after a long battle with lupus. It was like a blinding light had been switched on. Why did so many black artists die so young? He’d been haunted by this thought for years. Marvin. Jimi. Biggie. “I felt like I was going to be next. I ain’t bullshitting. I was scared then,” he says, recalling how shame engulfed him, preventing him from attending the funeral. “I was so fucked-up, I couldn’t go.”

It looks like he’s doing much better now! Check out this video by Peter Sher