by Jamilah King 

Monday, December 15 2014 | Color lines

It’s been less than 24 hours since D’Angelo dropped his long-awaited new album “D’Angelo and the Vanguard: Black Messiah,” but it’s already a classic. It’s the first project from the singer in nearly 15 years and, as reported in GQ a couple years ago, is the culmination of years of hardship in the singer’s life. During a listening session for the album last Friday, a lyric pamphlet laid out the album’s inspirations:

[“]Black Messiah[“] is a hell of a name for an album. It can be easily misunderstood. Many will think it’s about religion. Some will jump to the conclusion that I’m calling myself a Black Messiah. For me, the title is about all of us. It’s about the world. It’s about an idea we can aspire to. We should all aspire to be a Black Messiah.

It’s about people rising up in Ferguson and in Egypt and in Occupy Wall Street and in every place where a community has had enough and decides to make change happen. It’s not about praising one charismatic leader but celebrating thousands of them. Not every song is politically charged (though many are), but calling this album “Black Messiah” creates a landscape where these songs can live to the fullest. “Black Messiah” is not one man. It’s a feeling that, collectively, we are all that leader.