The D'Angelo Lectures
From SCHOOL ME with Dr. Wes, Class 1:
Remember The Sound: On the Feeling of D'Angelo [Unabridged]
On October 14th, 2025, the musical landscape suffered a seismic shift: D’Angelo, the peerless American soul artist of his generation, was suddenly gone. For fans, the loss would reverberate for months—even to this very day—because D’Angelo’s music possessed a near mystical sensibility. But exactly why has the loss of D’Angelo felt different, and what is in the sound of his music that gives us that particular feeling?
“Dr. Wes,” Founder of The Jazz & Democracy Project® and creator of the audio documentary Remember The Sound: On the Feeling of D’Angelo, has answers. The D’Angelo Lectures begin with the 2025 Ryan Coogler blockbuster, Sinners, to grapple with the notion that “D’Angelo was a Sammie” (Evelyn From The Internets). Then Dr. Wes connects D’Angelo’s sound all the way back to West and Central-West Africa, through Congo Square in New Orleans, through the gospel, blues and funk traditions, and finally to legendary hip hop producer, J Dilla. Along the way we pay tribute to the influence of Oakland, California: Raphael Saadiq, other East Bay Prince alumni, and The Hawkins Family.
Whether new to D’Angelo or a longtime fan, you will leave The D’Angelo Lectures with a deeper understanding of why many consider D’Angelo a master of time and a diamond of the Black American Music tradition.
Warning: Explicit content may not be suitable for children.
Wesley J. Watkins, IV, Ph.D., D.Litt., is a researcher at The Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and Founder of The Jazz & Democracy Project®. He holds both a Ph.D. in Education and an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Reading, England, awarded for his nearly 20 years of work illuminating the democratic process through the metaphor of jazz. Originally from Oakland, California, and a graduate of Stanford University’s Department of African & African American Studies, “Dr. Wes” has inspired learners of all ages, both musicians and novices alike, through his contagious passion for music and the lessons it holds for society.
“Marvelous…nuanced, multifaceted, provocative and with a fierce tech game!”
– Dr. Daphne Brooks, Black Studies, Yale University
“A masterclass in Black music, culture, and history, using D'Angelo's artistry as a gateway to centuries of Black musical tradition, from West Africa to Oakland. I came away with a completely new appreciation for D'Angelo, Oakland's extraordinary musical legacy, and the enduring influence of the African Diaspora on contemporary music. It was one of the most compelling and enriching public programs we've presented at MoAD.”
– Monetta White, Executive Director & CEO, Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), San Francisco
“Dr. Wes’s ‘D’Angelo Lectures’ capture your attention by interweaving the musical legacy of D’Angelo with storytelling on the sonic and historical roots of his music in the Black Pentecostal Church and the West Coast urban landscape. An intriguing, well researched, and humorously delivered classroom/presentation experience where audience members are invited into D’Angelo’s professional world, but also into the larger—often spiritual—significance of African rooted blues, jazz, funk, and soul music. Well worth the listen!”
– Dr. Michelle Scott, Historian, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
“Dr. Wes took the audience on a journey through a rich series of musical examples to draw, wherever possible, direct connections between the music that D’Angelo made and the music that made D’Angelo. As an audience, we were offered a guided tour of Yoruba rhythms, the influences of Prince, Funkadelic, and the Hawkins Family, with many other stops along the way. His presentation invited me to listen to this music through a new set of ears, and my experience of D’Angelo’s music has since been enriched by the perspective provided. Dr. Wes even gave a very complete and concise explanation of the micro-rhythmic character of groove that is achieved in D’Angelo's unique sense of time. Above all, the thing that sticks with me is the deep love and emotional engagement that Dr. Wes brought to the evening. By the end, I felt D’Angelo’s loss as that of a family member. Nevertheless, I was very happy to have been in the room that night. If you get a chance to see Dr. Wes speak, you've got to check him out."
– Dr. Jeremy Wagner, Lecturer & CNMAT Technical Director, UC Berkeley
