D’Angelo’s great return has been such a breath of fresh air. He has stepped in to fill the void him and his contemporaries’ absence left in our hearts and iPods, and he couldn’t have picked a better time to revive “real music.” (The kind that tells a story, evokes emotion and is performed traditional instruments– no crazy tech effects.)

After a 14-year hiatus, D’Angelo and his band The Vanguard dropped “Black Messiah” at the height of Mike Brown and Eric Garner protests. While the music is helping to fuel our passionate pleas, his performance this weekend on Saturday Night Live hopefully reignited those of us who have been distracted. Or better yet, his songs have now reached another audience entirely.

The two-part performance presented  to the SNL audience tracks “Really Love” and the in-your-face “Charade,” while wearing t-shirts and hoodies donning the phrases “Black Lives Matter” and “I Can’t Breathe,” Garner’s final words.

Aside from the amazing musicality, (because we wouldn’t expect anything less from the multi-instrumentalist genius) I appreciate the audacity of this performance. The illuminated chalk outline that strikingly resembles Trayvon Martin’s final resting place. The raised fists. The impactful overarching message of the selected songs.

We will not be ignored. We demand justice, and music has a special way of transcending cultures. I commend D’Angelo for his music and his work.

What do you think of D’Angelo’s performances?