Editor’s note: This article was originally published on July 8, 2025. It has been updated to reflect the D'Angelo's death in October 2025.

There is no other artist quite like D’Angelo — and no other album quite like Brown Sugar. 

July marked 30 years since the release of the enigmatic four-time GRAMMY winner's debut album, a remarkable fact considering just how present the record continues to feel. Blending hip-hop grit, emphatic soul, gospel glow and much more into a sensuous stew, Brown Sugar remains emblematic of what the R&B genre can reach. 

"The state of R&B was in a rut [when I was making my album]. Everybody was so commercial, and nobody was trying to make real s—," D'Angelo told Wax Poeticsin 2020. "But I knew when I came with my s—, I wasn’t going to sound like anybody else."

D'Angelo's premonition proved accurate. The songs of Brown Sugar are kaleidoscopic, masterfully bringing listeners to a place of Black beauty and strength. The record holds sway decades later for its impressive musicianship and intense personal passion — the latter reflected both within D’Angelo’s performance and the response his songs engender. 

The opening title track immediately sets a sensuous tone, as D'Angelo's smoky voice rides the slinkiest rhythm section and a fluttery organ line. Elsewhere, the musical mastermind turns Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" into a sultry orchestral sway; it's the sort of idea that you only pursue if you have a deep, intimate love for the original. Brown Sugar similarly results in countless special moments for listeners; its power and distinguished sound seems tailor made for burrowing deep into the soul. 

Its undoubtedly an album that R&B fans and music lovers of all kinds will revisit after D'Angelo's untimely death. The four-time GRAMMY winner and 14-time nominee passed away on Oct. 14, 2025 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer.

"There are few artists who embodied the essence of R&B and Soul as authentically as D’Angelo," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. "His artistry, innovation and sincerity transformed music and inspired generations of musicians around the world. His passing is a tremendous loss for our music community, and his legacy will continue to resonate for years to come."

In honor of Brown Sugar's 30th anniversary, GRAMMY.com spoke with one of the album's producers, two-time GRAMMY nominee Bob Power, and two artists who were influenced by it, two-time GRAMMY winner Muni Long and rising R&B artist Isaiah Falls. And in the wake of D'Angelo's passing, their responses showcase the magnetic hold that he had on countless listeners, the genre of R&B as a whole, and, frankly, the music world at large.

Answers have been slightly edited for length and clarity.

Bob Power is a multi-GRAMMY nominee and a producer/engineer behind multiple legendary records in the hip-hop world — including acting as one of the producers for Brown Sugar.

Either Jocelyn Cooper or Gary Harris contacted me about the possibility of working with [D’Angelo]. I was so busy at the time, I don’t remember exactly when I first listened or when we first met.

The unique and compelling way that D wrote, played and sang was vastly different from everything else that was big in R&B at that time. Most big records were still kinda squeaky clean or poorly imitative of the emerging grit of hip-hop. There was nothing even close to the depth of feel and soul of the songs and vocals in the way that D put forth.

D’s influence on R&B (or all recorded music, for that matter) was huge — both at that time and continues through today. As with a lot of genre-creating artists, the influence of their work and the changes it creates in the way people conceptualize and create recorded music are felt many years into the future. Think Marvin Gaye, Sly [Stone], Joni Mitchell, Prince. For D, it included combining the grit and beautiful perfect imperfections of hip-hop with the traditions of R&B and gospel instrumental performance practices, and the bottomless depth of expression of the great soul singers. And then there was his remarkable musical time feel and phrasing.

It influenced both my and everyone else’s work in that it raised the bar such that a solid song, a well-executed track, and competent vocal performance were no longer enough. D, like the aforementioned innovators, showed the world that in addition to those elements, it was possible (and an imperative) to reach a higher plane of depth of feeling, soul, and innovative musical conceptualization. But with D, these things never existed for their own ends — they were always in service of the expression of the song.

I’ve seen D live once, and I must say, he really brings it, gets to the same place in real-time as he does on recordings. We had spent quite a bit of time in pre-production jamming in my studio, so I was well-acquainted with the jaw-dropping things that came out of his mouth and fingers.

Singer/songwriter Isaiah Falls recently released LVRS Paradise, a two-part debut album full of expressive R&B. The first half of the project solidified the Florida native as one of the most exciting voices in the genre.

I remember hearing "Cruisin’" for the first time with my older brother. He was tryna put me on but I was so young I didn't really pay attention to the album until I circled back to it a few years later. When I first heard it, I was too young to truly understand the significance it had on music. After I sat with the album, it was his choices of grooves and melodies/vocal FX that had me mesmerized. I never heard an R&B approach with such suave drums and pockets. I couldn't stop listening after that! 

Brown Sugar changed music in so many ways: the swing of the drums, the textures of his lead and background vocals. You can hear a lot of D’Angelo’s influence today, especially in my music. "Really Love" was a big inspiration for my song "Have My Babies."  I think D'Angelo's influences will last for centuries; he influenced a whole generation of artists already. 

D’Angelo knew exactly what he was doing when creating this masterpiece. He’ll forever be known for how he uplifted the queens in our lives.

Brown Sugar is a legendary album, there’s no debate. This album will be played every time it’s time for the crib to get cleaned. "Lady" gets put on every time I’m making dinner with my glass of wine. [Laughs.] This album is the epitome of timeless music. It could never go out of style.

Muni Long is a two-time GRAMMY-winning R&B singer/songwriter. Her most recent album, Revenge, showcased the expressive beauty and visceral strength that the genre is capable of.

[The first time I heard the album was] most likely up under someone’s tree, at a cookout, in the summertime, barefoot, running around. It felt very Black. I’m not sure if that was his intention because of the title, but it just felt very Black in comparison to the pop music I was listening to at the time. 

D’Angelo, as an artist, made other artists start thinking about musicianship and the different instruments, of how the bass sounds, the runs. He made being a musician cool and sexy. It’s like he made you pay attention to the musicians, and by the time the next album, Voodoo, came out, you knew who Pino Palladino was. 

At least one song is in every one of my playlists still. "Lady," "Cruisin’," and "Brown Sugar" just make me feel grown!