The Charade by D’Angelo and The Vanguard (2014)

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Michael Eugene Archer (born 11 February 1974), best known as D'Angelo (pronounced Di-Anjelo), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer.

Following his musical success, D'Angelo was more than awkward with his expanding status as a sex image.his was trailed by a few individual issues, including liquor addiction, and a fourteen-year rest in music. D'Angelo released his third studio album, Black Messiah, in December 2014. The album was met with critical acclaim and fared well on music charts, peaking at number five on the US Billboard 200. [1]

Key Lyrics

The Charade by D’Angelo and The Vanguard (2014)

“Crawling through a systematic maze

And it pains to demise Pain in our eyes

Strain of drownin',

wading into your lies

Degradation so loud that you can't hear the sound of our cries (doo, doo)

All the dreamers have gone to the side of the road which we will lay on

Inundated by media, virtual mind fucks in streams”


“With the veil off our eyes we'll truly see

And we'll march on

And it really won't take too long

And it really won't take us very long”

(D’Angelo and the Vanguard.  Lyrics to “The Charade.” Genius, 2017, genius.com/Dangelo-and-the-vanguard-the-charade-lyrics.)

Critics on Black Racism

The verses of D'Angelo's "The Charade" are fundamentally about the condition of the Black Community in America. “The Charade” he talks about is the general presumption that African Americans have achieved a level playing field in the country. Throughout the album, he points to the weight of long-standing oppression faced by African Americans. He speaks about how African Americans have always been portrayed as savages, including rapists, killers, and criminals. He goes on to lay bare the degree of racism that they had to bear after a few calls for reform.

In all, D'Angelo uses "The Charade" to speak about the continuing injustice against Black people and how they get the ludicrous facades as if something has been done about it. He also used the song to inspire his fellow Blacks to take part in the war against the system.

While it's not exactly a singalong anthem, D'Angelo's “The Charade” was one of the first major artistic works to engage with the then-burgeoning Black Lives Matter campaign. The dense harmonic structure of the album underscores the lyrics describing the despair and pervasive optimism of Black people battling for justice against police and white nationalist abuse. [2]

Black victims, apparently propelled by any semblance of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. The Ferguson verdict, in particular, stirred D’Angelo to push the album’s release forward. [3]

"The only way I do speak out is through music. I want to speak out." And so D’Angelo did.

He shared the meaning behind the album, which he explained, "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." [4]

Reference

  1. D'Angelo. en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved on Feb 4, 2021.
  2. Shelton, Jessica. D’Angelo’s “The Charade” Lyrics Meaning. July 7, 2019. songmeaningsandfacts.com. Retrieved on Feb 4, 2021.
  3. Rao, Sameer. D'Angelo's Anti-Police Violence Plea Turned Into a Stark Hoodie. December 9, 2015. colorlines.com. Retrieved on Feb 4, 2021.
  4. Desta, Yohana. D'Angelo's 'Black Messiah' is a protest album for the ages. December 21, 2014. mashable.com. Retrieved on Feb 4, 2021.