On Mar. 1, 2025, we lost Angie Stone. The first time I ever heard of her was when her hit single, “No More Rain (In This Cloud),” was released during the fall of 1999. I was a Freshman at Clemson at the time. Anyone that knows me can tell you that my Freshman year of college was one of the worst times of my life. However, one of the things that helped me survive that horrible year was the phenomenal music that was released at the time. “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” was definitely one of those songs that helped me through my pain and anxiety.

I must admit, when I first saw Ms. Stone, I was a bit shocked. My homegirls informed me that she was D’Angelo’s baby mama, and I always assumed that the mother of his child would be a video vixen type. Angie, on the other hand, was older than D’Angelo, had natural hair (that was still a bit on the taboo side in the late ’90s), was full figured (also taboo back then), and looked like a regular woman that I would see in my hometown. On a side note, Angie Stone’s birthplace is actually Columbia, SC, so that’s not too far fetched. I couldn’t help but wonder what D’Angelo saw in her. I was young and dumb then. Now that I’m a lot older, I see Ms. Stone’s beauty, inside and out, especially when I was watching her videos after hearing the bad news. Turns out the lucky one was D’Angelo. Too bad he fumbled.

Angie helped provide the music of my young adulthood. Thanks to her, Jill Scott, D’Angelo, and Erykah Badu, I was introduced to the beauty of neo-soul. Sadly, I lost track of her over the years, but I would see her every now and again on a reality TV show, or doing an interview. It broke my heart when I heard about her death. I decided to do a tribute to her, posting my favorite music and/or movie scenes of hers. Enjoy!

“Funk You Up”: The (Alleged) Precursor to “Uptown Funk”

Way back when, Ms. Stone was part of a girl Hip Hop group named The Sequence. You may have heard the story by now: The Sequence made the song “Funk You Up,” which Angie believed was later stolen by Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson to make “Uptown Funk.” I listened to the song for the first time today, and I really liked it! There were actually a lot of parts from this song that went on to be sampled in some of my favorite tracks. Y’all can listen to it below and make your own observations, but one thing’s for sure…you’ll have a great time while doing it. Fun fact: The head HR rep at my current day job knew Angie personally and remembered seeing The Sequence perform live. Remember, she’s originally from Columbia!

Angie Wrote a Banger for Her Boo, Too!

Did y’all know that Angie wrote the track “Send It On” for D’Angelo’s Voodoo album? This song has always been one of my favorites on Voodoo, and now I can understand why.

“Wish I Didn’t Miss You” Was a Bop!

Just like “No More Rain (In This Cloud), “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” is another favorite song that I enjoyed during my years at Clemson. I loved this song almost as much as “No More Rain”…almost. While writing this tribute, I listened to “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” for the first time in years, and I’ve found myself singing it ever since.

“Brotha” – A Track Celebrating Our Black Brothers!

Somehow, I forgot about “Brotha,” but while I was looking for Angie Stone songs for this tribute, I came across this one, and it jogged my memory. “Brotha” is yet again, another song my homegirls and I used to jam to during my Clemson years. I always loved the message of the song; our black brothers do need our love and support. We black women need love and support from them too, but that’s another topic for another time.

There’s some questionable brothers that have snapshots featured in the video like Bill Cosby (yikes), Russell Simmons (double yikes), R. Kelly (good-ness), and Puffy (the spawn of Satan). However, I don’t hold that against Angie, given the time period the video came out. We have to keep in mind that this song was released circa 2000 or 2001. Besides, I spotted some cameos from Sinbad, Raphael Siddiq, Luther Vandross, Will Smith and Larenz Tate in the video. Now, that was cool!

The Girlfriends Theme! 🤯

When I was creating this post, I learned something I never knew…Angie Stone wrote and sang the lyrics for the Girlfriends theme song! Even though I didn’t watch Girlfriends as religiously as my homegirls did back in the day (don’t judge me), I always loved the theme song.

Tearin’ Up Solos for the Church Choir!

Last but not least, in 2003, Angie played Alma, the sassy dry-cleaner turned gospel songstress in The Fighting Temptations. She killed the role, and every song she lent her voice to was fyah (the entire soundtrack was the bomb, to be honest)! I have three clips that showcase her vocals below. Check them out!

She will be missed. Rest in peace, Ms. Stone.

Angela Laverne Stone: December 18, 1961 – March 1, 2025

—Written by Nadiya