D ’Angelo and Questlove were sitting on a couch in a swanky hotel watching, or rather, microscoping a video of James Brown performing in 1964. D and Quest observed every gesture, each dance step and light cue, and anytime the Godfather of Soul subtly signaled the band to do something.

This scene transpired 25 years ago. I was in the room covering D’Angelo for Rolling Stone . He was, at that moment, one of the hottest artists in the world. His sophomore album, Voodoo , had established him as an undeniable musical genius. It was the zenith of the modern soul genre — deep, powerful, sexual, sensual, and intimate. It was precisely what drew so many to soul music: an album of long, dirty grooves, falsetto serenades, and gut-tickling bass. And it wasn’t just music, it was D’s decla

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