He also traveled back to the South, spending time in South Carolina and in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, while reconnecting himself with the African-American musical history that had originally inspired him. In 1998, he was inspired to write music again after the birth of his first child, Michael, with fellow R&B singer and then-girlfriend Angie Stone. He also spent the time lifting weights, smoking marijuana, and making music. He also appeared on a duet, 'Nothing Even Matters', with Lauryn Hill for her debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998). D'Angelo also covered Prince's 'She's Always in My Hair' for the Scream 2 soundtrack (1997), as well as the Ohio Players' 'Heaven Must Be Like This' for the Down in the Delta soundtrack (1998). So you've got to live to write.' During this time, he generally released cover versions and remakes, including a cover-collaboration with Erykah Badu of the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell duet song ' Your Precious Love' for the soundtrack to High School High (1996). On the setback, D'Angelo later stated 'The thing about writer's block is that you want to write so fucking bad, the songs don't come out that way. ДЄfter spending two years on tour promoting Brown Sugar, D'Angelo found himself stuck with writer's block. The album also earned D'Angelo recognition for producing a commercial breakthrough for the genre and giving notice to other neo soul artists, including Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell. Prior to its release, neo soul itself was undefined by a major artist or musical work, and was developing during the early 1990s through the work of artists such as Tony! Toni! TonГ©!, Me'Shell NdegГ©Ocello, and Omar. With its single-oriented success, Brown Sugar earned considerable sales success and defied the contemporary, producer-driven sound of the time, while earning popularity among mature R&B audiences and the growing hip hop generation. His debut album presented a musical fusion of traditional soul and R&B influences with hip hop vocal and production elements, serving as fundamental elements for the neo soul sound. It has sold over 1.7 million copies in the United States and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).ДЇollowing the success of his debut album Brown Sugar (1995), D'Angelo went into a four and a half year absence from the music scene and releasing solo work. Voodoo has since been regarded by music writers as a creative milestone of the neo soul genre during its apex. While successful early on, the tour became plagued by concert cancellations and D'Angelo's personal frustrations. It was named one of the year's best albums by numerous publications.Д'Angelo promoted Voodoo with an international supporting tour in late 2000. Upon its release, Voodoo received general acclaim from music critics and earned D'Angelo several accolades.

It was promoted with five singles, including the hit single ' Untitled (How Does It Feel)', whose music video garnered D'Angelo mainstream attention and controversy. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 320,000 copies in its first week, and spent 33 weeks on the chart. Its lyrics explore themes of spirituality, love, sexuality, maturation, and fatherhood.ДЇollowing heavy promotion and public anticipation, the album was met with commercial and critical success. Produced primarily by the singer, Voodoo features a loose, groove-based funk sound and serves as a departure from the more conventional song structure of his debut album, Brown Sugar (1995). D'Angelo recorded the album during 19 at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, with an extensive line-up of musicians associated with the Soulquarians musical collective. Voodoo is the second studio album by American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist D'Angelo, released on January 25, 2000, through Virgin Records.

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