Busta Rhymes is honoring his longtime friend D’Angelo, who passed away on October 14 from pancreatic cancer, with a new tribute song titled “Magic,” in which he raps over D’Angelo’s 2000 track “One Mo’Gin.” Reflecting on their 34-year friendship, Busta recalled meeting D’Angelo in 1990 during A Tribe Called Quest studio session, and he praised the late R&B singer’s reserved yet powerful presence and unique impact on music. “When it was time for him to actually speak – when you heard him sing or play the keyboard — it magnified the polar opposite of how quiet he was,” Busta recalls. He described D’Angelo as a transformative artist who left a profound legacy felt deeply in the music community. “There have been a lot of soulful artists who played and sang that came before him and came after him,” Busta says, before adding, “But the impact was nowhere near the level that he was able to do it on just three albums across 34 years.” (Billboard)
