Surprising Things We Learned From D’Angelo’s Little-Known ‘Devil’s Pie’ Documentary

While the world still grieves the shocking loss of R&B and Neo-Soul singer D’Angelo, more about his life and career is starting to trickle out into the mainstream. In particular, his 2019 documentary “Devil’s Pie”–named after the second track of his 2000 album “Voodoo”–has come back into the conversation.

If the thought of a D’Angelo documentary comes as a total surprise to you, don’t worry. You’re not alone. The film was released as an official selection during that year’s Tribeca Film Festival but failed to receive any distribution deals afterwards–which meant the masses never got a chance to view it. And it’s really a shame because the movie boasts never-before-seen live footage from both the singer’s 2001 “Voodoo” tour and a look at his preparation for his “Second Coming Tour” that followed shortly after the release of his 2014 album, “Black Messiah.”

While the trailer for the documentary is still available to find on YouTube, you’d have to search far and wide on social media to find a working link to the film itself. But luckily for you, over on this side of the internet–nothing is ever too hard to find. So keep reading to learn more of what we found out in D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie!”

D’Angelo’s Biggest Struggle Stemmed From His Religious Upbringing

In one part of his documentary, the “Cruisin’” singer explained how he wrestled with balancing the pressures of his heavy religious upbringing with his desire to play secular music. He began playing the piano at his father’s church when he was around five-years-old and was soon a regular on that instrument and the organ (even though he really wanted to play the drums). For the next several years, he devoted his musical talents to the church but all the while, he felt a pull in the other direction. Trying to find that balance between the spiritual and the secular would end up being a running theme as his career blossomed and all the way up until his final years.

By the time his “Second Coming Tour” came in 2015, he explained that he was in a place to where he was seeking how to get straight to God for himself without using the strict constraints of religion, the distraction of politics, and other mental roadblocks to do so.

“F*ck religion–religion ain’t got sh*t to do with God. I don’t want to feed myself religion, I want to feed myself God, he said.

D’Angelo Had a Hard Time Separating Himself From His Musical Persona

While the world knew him as “D’Angelo,” at the end of the day, he was just Michael Eugene Archer–a multi-talented young man who wanted to use his musical gifts to the best of his abilities. And that he did as shown through his impressive record sales, sold out shows, and overall adoration from fans and fellow peers. But, with all the love and accolades he amassed as “D’Angelo,” trying to keep all that in proper prospective proved to be a tall task.

Explaining how he felt “Michael” was too real for all the extra stuff that came with his stardom, D’Angelo explained: “I think a lot of times, I’m too real. I’m too real for that sh*t. So I have to leave him [his persona] there. Because if I bring him in here–then this gets murky and cloudy…This sh*t is a contact sport and it’s so many great, great, honest musicians who didn’t make it.

D’Angelo’s Life Went On a Downward Spiral for More Than One Reason Between 2002-2008

After the end of the “Voodoo Tour,” D’Angelo began seriously cracking under the newfound pressures of being perceived as a sex symbol. (That “Untitled” video probably had a lot to do with that too). In fact, things got so bad that he almost cancelled the last three nights of the tour because he was so overwhelmed and disappointed in fans who seemed to be more interested in how he looked rather than the outstanding music he was putting out. By the time 2003 rolled around, the “Brown Sugar” singer infamously got into a car accident that resulted in him being ejected from the vehicle. Surprisingly, he only suffered minor injuries.

While he viewed his life being spared as a second chance at living, things would ultimately go downhill for the beloved singer after one of his friends committed suicide. Shortly after that, D’Angelo’s grandmother Alberta Cox passed away, leaving a giant hole in his heart as she and the singer were extremely close. Because of all of that, the “When We Get By” singer began drinking heavily and getting high on a regular basis. It would be years until he realized he needed help, but thankfully that realization came around 2008 when he saw that his drug abuse was affecting his music making abilities.

Detailing how he struggled to go into the studio and make a song, D’Angelo shared: “I never did that. I always got high, right? But I never got so f*cked up that I couldn’t make music or that I was dysfunctional while I was in the studio. I was never that [way].”

Thankfully, after checking into his third rehab, the treatment stuck and he began getting finding his back to himself and a better balance in life. At the end of the documentary, it reveals that D’Angelo was working on fourth album but who knows know if or when we’ll ever get to hear it.