D’Angelo—“Untitled (How Does It Feel)”

D’Angelo—“Untitled (How Does It Feel)”

From 60 Songs That Explain the '90s by The Ringer

February 25, 2026 · 1h 55m

About this episode

Rob Harvilla discusses D’Angelo's career and the expectations placed on musical stars, featuring insights from guest Hanif Abdurraqib.

Today, Rob breaks down one of the many impossible expectations we have for our musical stars—the memorial performance. After years of staying out of the public eye, D’Angelo paid tribute to the artist he grew up imitating, Prince, not because he was expected to but because he had something to share. The bulk of D’Angelo’s career was spent defying our expectations, from taking his time between each of his three studio albums to refusing to become a one-dimensional sex symbol after the release of his “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video. Rob speaks to author and poet Hanif Abdurraqib about how we misinterpreted this music video and how we should all be grateful we were born at a time when we could listen to D’Angelo. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Justin Sayles and Olivia Crerie Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Guest: Hanif Abdurraqib Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Rob Harvilla

Guest: Hanif Abdurraqib

Topics covered

  • D’Angelo
  • music video analysis
  • expectations of artists
  • tribute performances
  • 90s music

Keywords

  • D’Angelo
  • Untitled
  • music video
  • Prince
  • expectations
  • Hanif Abdurraqib
  • 90s music

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Ringer

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