Busta Rhymes pays tribute to D’Angelo with new song, 'Magic'
The emotionally raw song sees the rapper sample the late singer's, 'One Mo'Gin' from the 2000 Voodoo album.
Date published: 29th Oct 2025
It's been almost two weeks since the heartbreaking news that singer/songwriter D'Angelo lost his battle to pancreatic cancer, which took a toll on the neo-soul community; with fans and peers paying tributes across many social media platforms.
Since then, Busta Rhymes has come forward to pay tribute to D'Angelo with his new single 'Magic'. Premiered by Okayplayer on Monday 27th October, the song is deemed a heartfelt celebration of the late singer's life, with the use of D'Angelo's song 'One Mo'Gin' from his 2000 Voodoo album.
The pair's initial interaction was during a Tribe Called Quest studio session in the early ’90s, where they formed a decade-long friendship. In an interview with Okayplayer, Busta Rhymes recalled the beginning of his friendship with D'Angelo, saying, "When I met him, it was just a good, beautiful energy with the bro. D’Angelo’s personality speaks volumes because of how reserved he was. 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."
The interview also saw the rapper describe the 34 years of knowing D'Angelo as "an incredible experience." With the raw display of emotions in 'Magic', the new single is to keep not just D'Angelo's music, but also his memory alive, "People think that it ends because of his physical transition, but it needed to be made clear that there’s nothing about him that’s going to end anytime soon."
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Header image credit: Busta Ryhmes / Facebook.com