According to Questlove, a posthumous D'Angelo project will be arriving soon.
The film producer and The Roots drummer teased the album in a chat with The National News Desk during the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony last weekend. Questlove—real name Ahmir K. Thompson—worked closely with D’Angelo on his acclaimed 2000 sophomore album Voodoo, widely regarded as his magnum opus. The four-time Grammy winner died in October at 51 years old after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
"It’s always the sound of yesterday, but for the future. This record is no different," Questlove told the outlet.
Alongside artists like Erykah Badu, Common and Mos Def, Questlove and D'Angelo were members of neo-soul collective Soulquarians, out of which Voodoo was born. D’Angelo’s last album, Black Messiah, arrived in 2014 and went on to win the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album in 2016.
In an op-ed for Rolling Stone, Questlove reflected on his friendship and creative partnership with D'Angelo, recalling their first meeting—when the singer was introduced simply as “Mike”—as well as their final rehearsal for the 2025 Roots Picnic. D'Angelo ultimately pulled out of the festival and was replaced by Maxwell.
"He struggled to hold his guitar, preferring to sit at keys. I thought it was an aesthetic choice—a throwback ’95 vibe," Quest wrote. "I didn’t realize the medical truth unfolding. When asked, he said he’d been through something but was on the mend."
After adding that the rehearsal felt "final," Quest wrote, ""I started thinking to myself, 'Why do I feel like this is the last time I’m gonna play this song with him?'"
