There aren't many musicians whose sound is so distinctive and influential that the music industry invents a whole new genre to describe it.
But D'Angelo, who has died at the age of 51, was seen as a trailblazer, thanks in large part to his groundbreaking debut album Brown Sugar, released in July 1995.
With its slow tempos and smooth vocals, D'Angelo's chilled-out, late-night vibe recalled some of the legends of soul while also sounding entirely new.
R&B was already popular at the time - with TLC, Mary J Blige and Janet Jackson among the stars riding high in the charts.
But Brown Sugar's more laid-back sound blended rhythm and blues with crisp hip-hop beats, jazz and funk, differentiating it from the more pop-skewing R&B dominating radio at the time.
