D’Angelo apparently contacted TheUrbanDaily and wanted to have a phone interview with them. Now why he chose TheUrbanDaily? I have no clue…actually I had never even heard of this site before I saw this article. I really hope this isn’t a hoax cooked up by the site because I really been feenin for some new D’Angelo.

Unfortunately, D’Angelo doesn’t talk about his new music coming up in the interview, nor does he discuss his recent run-in with trying to pay for some snatch from an undercover police officer in NY a few months. Instead D’Angelo gives some insight into what bands he’s recently been inspired by and that can somewhat give us an idea of what to expect.

I know I know…you want more…but this is all I got! Interview below:

TheUrbanDaily: How are you?

D’Angelo: I’m good, man. I’m good.

TUD: What’s inspiring you lately?

D: I just got turned on to this group called Black Merda that I’m just kinda beating myself up over because I’d never heard of them before. I think about a couple of months ago, my boy turned me on to them. I’m just revisiting groups that are basically looked at like funk groups or funk artists, but I’m looking at it differently now. These guys who were really trying to push the envelope back then, I think they were just a head of their time as far as black rock is concerned.

TUD: Oh, so Black Merda’s from back in the day?

D: Yeah! Black Merda’s from 1969 or 1970 and they were on Chess Records. I’m also listening to s**t like Rick James, The Bar-Kays… These guys were like black rock & roll.

TUD: In listening to stuff like Black Merda and thinking about the multi-dimensionality missing from today’s Black music, is this influencing the stuff that you’re doing now?

D: Uhh, yeah. Definitely. I think it’s just the whole over-influx of what is stereotypically seen as Black music today, or hip-hop today, or Black culture or what have you. Just looking for alternative s**t that’s unquestionably, unmistakably Black, and doesn’t fit into this whole — what I feel is like minstrelsy almost.

TUD: Does it feel to you that in the past 10 years that Black difference has become almost impossible? What used to be a rainbow of offerings 20 years ago seems to be different flavors of the same s**t.

D: I don’t think so. I think it’s out there, but there’s a lot of folks, people in power, record executives or what have you, that are less willing to take chances on s**t that might be different. But I think there’s a underground bubbling up under. A lot of Black folks are trying to do different s**t or they wanna do different s**t. I don’t know the condition of what’s going on in the business right now, but they’re having a hard time cracking through. (Afro-Punk co-founder) Matthew Morgan turned me on to what he was doing probably a couple of years ago. I think it’s the s**t. I love it. One night we were at Raphael Saadiq’s studio and Bootsy Collins came through. I was trying to get in touch with Angelo from Fishbone, but he gave me the DVD of the AfroPunk film. But I’d been branching out and picking up on Bad Brains and s**t like that.

TUD: Do you ever envision yourself coming a little closer to that collective, either performing at the festival or collaborating with those artists?

D: Yes. Definitely.

TUD: Not this year, but maybe next year.

D: Yeah. I’m really just focusing on getting this album together.

TUD: We’ve touched on inspirations from the past, but are there any new artists who are inspiring you right now?

D: Yeah, but it’s funny. I don’t really want to get into that. I’m just kind of focusing on my s**t right now.

TUD: So in the midst of the creative process, you have to keep things very close and keep yourself sheltered from all the back and forth, from all the speculation and I completely understand that. But what is it that you want folks to know about you, about your music.

D: I just want them to know that I’m coming. That’s all. I’m in the kitchen and I’m cooking up something real nice.

The Ladies have been calling for more Heartbreak music and I also needed something along the lines of this. Maybe it’s a music “Dear John” letter to my exes or it could be a purging which is also overdue for me. I experienced a lot of emotions doing this mix. I redid it twice because I wanted it right. If you have someone to say goodbye to or if you have already bid someone adieu, this is the mix for you. Full of Neo-Soul goodness from some of the finest female singers in the genre, I hope you enjoy it!

Track Listing

1. Lauren Hill – Ex-Factor
2. Conya Doss – You Really Hurt Me
3. Jill Scott – Slowly Surely
4. Jaguar Wright – Same Shit Different Day, Pt. 1
5. Angie Stone ft. D’Angelo – Everyday
6. Kelly Price – You Should Have Told Me
7. Kelis – Saddest Story
8. Sade – Soldier Of Love
9. Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
10. Vivian Greene- Gotta Go Gotta Leave
11. Chrisette Michele – Blame It On Me
12. Ledisi – Goin’ Through Changes
13. Hil St. Soul – We Don’t Talk
14. Algebra Blessett – What Happened
15. Melanie Fiona- It Kills Me
16. Meshell Ndegeocello – You made a Fool of Me (Love and Basketball)
17. Lalah Hathaway – What Goes Around
18. Sade – King Of Sorrow

Because I wanted to be able to see it whenever I wanted to.

I’m so excited!!!! It took me forever to come up with a concept and I won’t bore you with how I came up with this one. Just thank my husband Scribe

This mix is composed of some of the sexiest men in music. If I don’t have your favorite, pop a name in the comment section…I’d love to turn this into a volume 2!!!

My podcasting crew plus a few others have contributed Love Music on this day. I’ll list them below the break. Special thanks goes out to Mr. Fresh, Darrenkeith and Fave who provided me with some great shoutouts that you’ll hear within the mix. I guess they would be some of the “sexy” men of podcasting!

The songs featured on this list are:

Al B. Sure – “Ooh this Love Is So”

Boyz 2 Men – “Uhh Ahh”
Jodeci – “Feenin”
Intro – “Come Inside”
R. Kelly – “Seems Like You’re Ready”
R. Kelly – “The Greatest Sex”
Tyrese – “Signs of Love Making”
Joe- “Love Scene”
Prince – “If I Was Your Girlfriend”
112 – “You Already Know”
Genuwine – “Stingy”
Omarion – “O”
Maxwell – “Whenever, Wherever, Whatever”
Robin Thicke – “Teach You A Lesson”
D’Angelo – “Untitled: How Does It Feel?”
Prince – “Scandalous”

I hope you enjoy it!!!