One Song

D Angelo S Devil S Pie

November 20, 2025

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  • The song "Devil's Pie" is highlighted as a crucial bridge between D'Angelo's debut and sophomore albums, foreshadowing the innovation and vulnerability of *Voodoo*. 
  • The production of "Devil's Pie" is unique on the *Voodoo* album as it was built around a programmed beat by DJ Premier, contrasting with the live jamming approach used for most of the record. 
  • The lyrics of "Devil's Pie" have evolved in interpretation for the hosts, shifting from a moralizing condemnation of sin to a more personal acknowledgment of temptation and the human condition. 
  • D'Angelo's vocal layering on "Devil's Pie" involved him acting as a "choir of one," isolating himself for hours to meticulously stack vocal parts, mirroring the solitary recording process of artists like Jimi Hendrix. 
  • The musical tension in "Devil's Pie" is intentionally created by the juxtaposition of the vocal line in G major against the bass line in G Lydian, resulting in a tritone that contributes to the song's unnerving, blues-influenced atmosphere. 

Segments

Initial Thoughts on Devil’s Pie
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The interpretation of “Devil’s Pie” lyrics has evolved from moralizing judgment to recognizing personal temptation and societal programming.
  • Summary: The hosts initially perceived the song as a condemnation of vices, but now hear it as D’Angelo admitting his own struggles with temptations that society programs people to desire. This personal vulnerability makes the track feel significantly different upon later listens. The song is framed as honoring D’Angelo, an artist epitomizing black genius whose music blurred gospel, funk, hip-hop, and jazz.
First Impressions of D’Angelo
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(00:03:23)
  • Key Takeaway: D’Angelo’s initial visual style (cornrows, leather jacket) contrasted sharply with his soulful sound, creating an immediate, authentic surprise for listeners.
  • Summary: Diallo first encountered D’Angelo via Brown Sugar, noting the visual dissonance between his mid-90s aesthetic and his past-informed sound. Luxury’s first exposure was the iconic, vulnerable, and controversial music video for “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”. Both hosts emphasize the raw, unprocessed authenticity of D’Angelo’s vocals, which stood in opposition to the polished R&B singers of the era.
D’Angelo’s Upbringing and Influences
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(00:07:32)
  • Key Takeaway: D’Angelo’s musical foundation was heavily rooted in the church, starting piano at age three and joining the choir by five, while also absorbing contemporary R&B like Keith Sweat and the fusion of Teddy Riley.
  • Summary: Growing up in Richmond, Virginia, D’Angelo was the son and grandson of Pentecostal ministers, providing a strong gospel base. Teddy Riley’s fusion of hip-hop and R&B was a key catalyst pushing D’Angelo toward creating his own music. His debut album Brown Sugar demonstrated this blend, with D’Angelo stating his goal was exposing where R&B and hip-hop naturally meet in the middle.
Transition to Voodoo
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(00:13:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Following the success of Brown Sugar, D’Angelo experienced writer’s block, which was broken by the birth of his son, leading to a search for a less polished, more raw sound exemplified by the song “Send It On.”
  • Summary: D’Angelo felt the subsequent album demos lost something compared to his initial four-track recordings, driving the search for the unnamed innovation found on Voodoo. He grew frustrated with the ‘Neo Soul’ label, which was marketed by his manager Kedar Massenberg. “Send It On,” co-written with Angie Stone, was the first song written for Voodoo and features the characteristic side-stick drumming technique.
Voodoo’s Live Instrumentation and Influences
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(00:16:48)
  • Key Takeaway: The Voodoo sessions at Electric Lady Studios involved a core band including Questlove, Pino Palladino, and Roy Hargrove, who absorbed influences from ‘Yoda’ figures like Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone by watching archival footage for up to a year.
  • Summary: The Voodoo rhythm section utilized the mellow ‘side stick’ technique on the drums, distinct from a loud rim shot. The recording process heavily involved absorbing archival performances of musical visionaries like Jimi Hendrix, George Clinton, and Prince. The song “The Root” specifically originated from jamming on Hendrix tracks from Electric Ladyland and Axis: Bold as Love.
Dilla Time and Sample Breakdown
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(00:23:41)
  • Key Takeaway: The rhythm of “The Root” exemplifies ‘Dilla Time’ (or ‘simple complex’), where multiple instruments play slightly off the grid, such as swinging the kick drum while the hi-hat remains straight.
  • Summary: The concept of ‘Dilla Time’ involves playing with the grid by having different instruments operate in different time feels simultaneously, often resulting in a ‘drunken beat’ feel. This rhythmic complexity is present in both the drums and D’Angelo’s vocal backphrasing throughout Voodoo. The song “The Root” was influenced by jamming on Jimi Hendrix songs recorded at Electric Lady Studios.
Devil’s Pie Production Origins
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(00:25:42)
  • Key Takeaway: “Devil’s Pie” originated as a DJ Premier beat intended for another rapper, featuring a sparse, dark arrangement built on a programmed two-bar loop, contrasting with the live feel of other Voodoo tracks.
  • Summary: DJ Premier, who still identifies primarily as a DJ, created the foundational programmed beat using an Akai S950 sampler and an MPC 60 performance device. The track is sparse, relying on the drums, bass, D’Angelo’s vocals, and scattered vocal samples. Premier’s process involved chopping and re-pitching samples, including a descending sound from the obscure 1967 track “Jericho Jerk” by Pierre Henry and Michel Colombier.
Sample Deep Dive: Bass and Vocals
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(00:35:29)
  • Key Takeaway: The iconic, melodic bass line in “Devil’s Pie” is a heavily manipulated sample of the bass line from McFadden & Whitehead’s 1979 hit “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” played by Jimmy Williams.
  • Summary: DJ Premier took the four-note motif from the Teddy Pendergrass song “And If I Had” for the bass foundation, but the actual performance is derived from Jimmy Williams’ bass work on “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now.” Premier pitched the notes down, mapped them to his MPC, and added extra slides to create the distinctive, live-sounding groove. The song’s sparse arrangement focuses heavily on the rhythm section and D’Angelo’s layered, gospel-influenced vocals.
Vocal Stacking and Isolation
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(00:54:09)
  • Key Takeaway: D’Angelo created a gospel choir effect on Voodoo tracks by isolating himself and spending hours stacking individual vocal takes.
  • Summary: The vocal track features a gospel choir effect created entirely by D’Angelo, who required isolation to meticulously stack harmonies. This process took hours for each track on the Voodoo album. This solitary approach mirrors the recording habits of Jimi Hendrix from decades prior in the same studio.
D’Angelo and Mos Def Comparison
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(00:56:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Mos Def and D’Angelo represented flip sides of the late 90s artistic response against mainstream sounds, with D’Angelo blending R&B with hip-hop influences.
  • Summary: A vocal line in the outro of “Devil’s Pie” briefly suggested Mos Def’s presence, leading to a comparison between the two artists. D’Angelo was an R&B singer incorporating hip-hop vibes, while Mos Def was a rapper known for singing hooks, including on Da Bush Babees’ “The Love Song.” Both artists’ distinct sounds emerged as a reaction to the ubiquity of Bad Boy Records’ aesthetic.
Blues Influence and Tritone Analysis
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(00:57:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The unsettling quality of “Devil’s Pie” is structurally reinforced by an intentional tritone created by the bass line being in G Lydian while the vocals are in G major.
  • Summary: D’Angelo cited the spirit of chain gangs and slave field hollers as the influence for the vocal delivery, connecting it to the blues. Musically, the song features a tritone because the bass line uses a C sharp (G Lydian mode) against the vocal harmony in G major. This sonic dissonance is intentional, helping the listener feel unnerved as suggested by the song’s title.
Song Splits and Early Reception
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(00:59:33)
  • Key Takeaway: “Devil’s Pie” splits are 75% D’Angelo Archer and 25% DJ Premiere (Chris E. Martin), and its 1998 release preceded Voodoo but was initially overlooked due to its dark tone.
  • Summary: The songwriting splits for “Devil’s Pie” are 75% to Michael D’Angelo Archer and 25% to Chris E. Martin (DJ Premiere). Released two years before Voodoo, the song went under the radar because it was significantly darker than D’Angelo’s previous work, Brown Sugar. Despite its initial quiet reception, the track was featured in Hype Williams’ film Belly.
Untitled Video Impact and Reclusion
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(01:01:07)
  • Key Takeaway: The unexpected success of the highly explicit “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” video turned D’Angelo into a reluctant sex symbol, leading to demoralization and subsequent reclusion.
  • Summary: The single “Left and Right” was initially delayed from MTV, but the video for “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” gained traction organically before forcing mainstream airplay. This video catapulted D’Angelo into reluctant sex symbol status, which he struggled with greatly, leading to him being asked to perform shirtless frequently. Following this success, D’Angelo became more reclusive, experiencing substance abuse issues.
Black Messiah and Legacy
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(01:02:53)
  • Key Takeaway: D’Angelo’s 2014 album Black Messiah continued his incorporation of jam aesthetics and Prince influences, solidifying his legacy among iconic musicians like Prince and Sly Stone.
  • Summary: The 2014 album Black Messiah saw D’Angelo return to incorporating jam aesthetics, gospel, and Prince influences, including prominent guitar work. His legacy is cemented as one of the great singers with a bluesy, gospely voice who created music that felt new rather than retro, defining the Neo-Soul movement. Despite only releasing three full albums, D’Angelo is now placed on the Mount Rushmore of iconic musicians.
Dub Reggae Genre Deep Dive
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(01:05:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Dub Reggae, originating in 1970s Jamaica, is the foundational basis for all modern remixing techniques, involving creative manipulation of multi-track recordings.
  • Summary: Dub Reggae evolved in the 1970s by muting sections of multi-tracks and creatively adding effects like delay to fragments of vocals, birthing the basis of remixing. The hosts recommend Roots Underground’s “High Times” and Lee Scratch Perry’s Black Art in Dub as essential listening. Dub music often benefits sonically from the tactile nature of vinyl playback, including dust and surface noise.