D’Angelo is working on new music, according to Raphael Saadiq

When D’Angelo released his third studio album, Black Messiah, in 2014, it debuted on the Billboard R&B chart at No. 1 and on the Billboard 200 at No. 5. The album, which spawned soul hits like “Really Love” and “Sugah Daddy,” left fans hungry for more. A decade later, D’Angelo has reportedly returned to the studio.

The musician’s longtime friend and collaborator, producer and Tony! Toni! Toné! co-founder Raphael Saadiq revealed what D’Angelo has been up to, and more, during an appearance on the newest episode of Rolling StoneMusic now”podcast.

“D is in a good place,” Saadiq said, adding, “He’s excited. He’s like, ‘You have to play bass. I’ve got this track. I’m telling you, you have to get into it. Your name is all over it.’ … He’s working on six tracks now and he seems super excited.”

Elaborating, Saadiq said D’Angelo is working on something essential: a song recorded years ago by Linwood Rose, the short-lived ’90s R&B supergroup that consisted of D’Angelo, Saadiq, and Q-Tip. “I think it’s going to be a record on D’Angelo’s new album when it comes out; a record that we all made together,” Saadiq explained.

He continued, “Linwood Rose is alive. I play bass, D plays, me and D sing background. It’s fucking funky too. It’s like D is the bad boy. … It’s aged well. Good music has aged well.”

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Saadiq and D’Angelo have been collaborating for the reason that single “Lady” from D’Angelo’s debut album; Saadiq later produced and co-wrote D’Angelo’s biggest hit, “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” from his 2000 hit album Voodoo. Saadiq said in an interview that the 2 artists initially bonded over their shared gospel background.

“I think more of his soul came from his gospel roots, not Prince’s,” Saadiq noted. “But Prince had a huge gospel background. He was very good at camouflaging it in his songwriting. And I think D’Angelo has that too.”

D’Angelo is not the only artist Saadiq had the within scoop on. He also shared what it was like working with Beyoncé on “Cowboy Carter.”

According to him, the only “Bodyguard,” which started off as a possible solo project, almost didn’t occur. Saadiq recalled sharing music from his Dropbox with the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer.

He said, “‘Bodyguard’ came on for a second — like an intro — and I went to the next one, and she said, ‘Come back, come back!’ And then she added the verses vocally to what I had done. She sounded like Reba McEntire; she felt like Aretha. She took what I had done and finished it.”