Angela Laverne Stone (née Brown; December 18, 1961 – March 1, 2025) was an American singer-songwriter, rapper, actress, and record producer. With a career spanning over four decades, she has been credited with revolutionizing the sound of

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

and

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...

, making her one of the most influential figures in the music history. Originally known as Angie B., she rose to fame in 1979 as a member of The Sequence, the first female music act in

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

music. In the early 1990s, she became a member of the R&B group Vertical Hold. In late 1990s, she pursued a solo career as Angie Stone and signed with

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

to release her debut solo album '' Black Diamond'' (1999), which received a gold certification by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) and spawned the single " No More Rain (In This Cloud)". After transitioning to

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG's record labels in late 2008 at the end of their merger. It was distribut ...

, she released her second album, '' Mahogany Soul'' (2001), which spawned the hit single " Wish I Didn't Miss You". It was followed by '' Stone Love'' (2004) and '' The Art of Love & War'' (2007), the latter which became her first and only number-one album on the US ''Billboard''

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart. Stone ventured into acting in the 2000s, making her film debut in the 2002 comedy film '' The Hot Chick'', and her stage debut in 2003, in the role of Big Mama Morton in the Broadway musical ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

''. She then went on to appear in supporting roles in films and television series as well as several musical productions, including

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's '' Celebrity Fit Club'' and TV One's '' R&B Divas'', and movies such as '' The Fighting Temptations'' (2003), '' Pastor Brown'' (2009), and '' School Gyrls'' (2010). Stone received numerous honors throughout her career. She was nominated for three

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

and three Soul Train Music Awards and won two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards as well as an Edison Award. In 2021, she received the Soul Music Icon Award at the Black Music Honors. In 2024, she was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. She had earned two

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

-certified studio albums, while her solo work has generated sales of over five million records worldwide.

Early life

Angela Laverne Brown was born on December 18, 1961, in Columbia, South Carolina, to Iona Williams (), a hospital technician, and Bobby Williams, a lawyer's assistant and gospel singer. She also attended W.A. Perry Middle School and later C.A. Johnson High School. Brown was also a member of the choir at First Nazareth Baptist Church in Columbia where she sang her first solo.

Career

1979–1985: Career beginnings and The Sequence

In 1979, Brown formed a female

group known as The Sequence. Brown, along with her childhood friends and group mates Gwendolyn Chisolm and Cheryl Cook, attended a concert by hip-hop group The Sugarhill Gang.Weingarten, Christopher R. (2017)
The Sequence: The Funked-Up Legacy of Hip-Hop's First Ladies
''Rolling Stone'', May 24. Retrieved on March 27, 2025 The group made their way backstage and met Sylvia Robinson who was the CEO of hip hop label Sugar Hill Records. They auditioned for Robinson who signed them to the label as their first female act. While in the group, Brown adopted the stage name Angie B. They released their debut single " Funk You Up" in December 1979. The song became one of the first original hip hop songs to released without sampling.Greenberg, Steve; Light, Alan d.(1999). ''The VIBE History of Hip Hop''. Three Rivers Press. p. 28. "Funk You Up" peaked at number fifteen on the Hot Soul Singles. In 1980, The Sequence released their debut album ''Sugarhill presents The Sequence'', which received positive reviews from music critics. In 1981, the group began doing session work for other music acts on Sugar Hill Records. They wrote and provided background vocals for "Sing a Simple Song" and "Let's Dance (Make Your Body Move)" by West Street Mob, the latter of which peaked at number eighty-eight on ''Billboard'''s

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

chart and number eighteen on the Hot Soul Singles. In 1982, The Sequence released their self-titled second album, which peaked at number fifty-one on the Black LPs chart. The album's first single "I Don't Need Your Love (Part One)" peaked at number forty on ''Billboards Hot Soul Singles chart. In 1983, they released their third album ''The Sequence Party''. The Sequence followed up with the release of their single "I Just Want to Know". In 1985, they released their final singles: "Funk You Up '85" and "Control". In 1985, the group refused to renew their recording contract after a dispute with Sugar Hill Records CEO Sylvia Robinson. The group's dispute with the label stemmed from not being paid their royalties from the songs they wrote and recorded. The group also felt like the money from their royalties were being used to support other musical acts on Sugar Hill Records. Stone briefly pursued a solo music career and also began working at Kiss-FM radio station in New York. Angie B. began performing as Angie B. Stone and later simply Angie Stone, carrying the last name of her first husband Rodney "Lil' Rodney C" Stone.

1986–1996: Vertical Hold and DeVox

Following her departure from Sugar Hill Records, Stone made attempts to start a solo career. She began writing solo material and booked studio time at her own expense. Through the studio's engineer Gordon Mack III, Stone was introduced to musicians David Bright and Willie Bruno, Jr., who were impressed by her songwriting abilities and asked her to write on their songs. While she initially saw the collaboration as just an opportunity to work in the studio for free and have access to a team of musicians, it eventually led to the formation of the R&B/hip hop quartet It's Us. Renamed Vertical Hold, they released their first single "Summertime" in 1988 on Criminal Records. The group secured a recording deal with

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

. In 1990, Stone performed as the saxophonist for Lenny Kravitz's Let Love Rule Tour. In June 1993, the group released their debut album ''A Matter of Time''. The album peaked at number thirty-three on the US

Top R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

chart, selling over 62,000 copies in the first week of its release. The album's lead single "Seems You're Much Too Busy" peaked at number seventeen on the US Hot R&B Singles chart. Their follow-up single "A.S.A.P." peaked at number eighty-three on the US Hot R&B Singles chart. Through their parent label

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

, Stone offered a songwriting deal with Midnight Songs LLC. Stone was eventually brought in to help newly-signed singer

D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...

completed his first album ''

Brown Sugar Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...

''. In early 1995, Stone vocally arranged the single " Freedom (Theme from Panther)", which became the theme song for drama film '' Panther''. In May 1995, Vertical Hold released their second and final album ''Head First''. Due to a lack of promotional support from their record label, Vertical Hold parted way at the end of 1995. Also in the same year, Stone toured as a background vocalist for D'Angelo's Brown Sugar Tour. One of their concerts was recorded at Jazz Café in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, on September 14, 1995 and released as D'Angelo's live album '' Live at the Jazz Cafe'' (1998). In 1996, Stone became a featured vocalist for Gerry DeVeaux and Charlie Mole who had formed a group called DeVox. The group released an album titled ''Devox featuring Angie B. Stone'', exclusively in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The project caught the attention of

A&R manager Peter Edge, which lead to Stone being offered a solo recording contract with

1997–2004: ''Black Diamond'', ''Mahogany Soul'', and career breakthrough

In September 1999, Stone released her debut solo album '' Black Diamond'' on Arista Records. ''Black Diamond'' peaked at number forty-six on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and number nine on the US Top R&B Albums chart.Angie Stone Billboard Chart History
Billboard. Retrieved on June 4, 2025 The album's lead single, " No More Rain (In This Cloud)", peaked at number fifty-six on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and also became Stone's first number-one song on the US Adult R&B Songs chart, spending ten weeks atop of the chart. The singles " Life Story and " Everyday" peaked in the top twenty on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles chart.Angie Stone Official Chart History
Official Charts. Retrieved on June 4, 2025 ''Black Diamond'' was eventually certified gold by both the

(RIAA) and the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(BPI).Angie Stone Gold & Platinum Certifications
Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on June 4, 2025 Stone also won Best Solo R&B/Soul New Artist and Best Solo R&B/Soul Single for " No More Rain (In This Cloud)" at the 2000 Soul Train Music Awards. In 2000, Stone transitioned from Arista to music manager

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

's venture

. She recorded the theme song for American sitcom television series '' Girlfriends''. Stone's second solo album, '' Mahogany Soul'', was released on October 16, 2001. The album debuted and peaked at number twenty-two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 71,000 copies in its first week of release. The album's lead single, " Brotha", reached number fifty-two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and number on the US Adult R&B Songs chart. The second single, " Wish I Didn't Miss You", reach the top-ten on the charts in several territories worldwide, including the U.S. on the

Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart. The song also became certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The album also produced several additional singles, including " More Than a Woman" and "Bottles and Cans". At the 2003 Grammy Awards, "More Than a Woman" received a nomination for Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocal.Angie Stone Grammy Award Nomination History
Grammy. Retrieved on June 4, 2025 ''Mahogany Soul'' earned a gold certification by both the

(RIAA) and the

(BPI). In November 2001, Stone embarked on the BK Got Music Summer Soul Tour alongside

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

, Gerald Levert, and

Michelle Williams Michelle Williams or Michele Williams may refer to: * Michelle Ann Williams (born circa 1965), American public health scholar * Michelle Williams (singer) (born 1979), American singer, previously a member of Destiny's Child * Michelle Williams (actr ...

. In December 2002, Stone made her theatrical film debut, portraying the character Madame Mambuza alongside

Rob Schneider Robert Michael Schneider ( ; born October 31, 1963) is an American actor and comedian. He rose to prominence as a cast member on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' (1990–1994), where he earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Following ...

in the comedy '' The Hot Chick''. The film debuted at number five at the U.S. box office and earned $7 million during its opening weekend. She later starred alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the musical comedy '' The Fighting Temptations'' (2003), portraying Alma; a singing laundromat employee. It received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office. Stone performed several songs for the film's soundtrack, including "Rain Down" and "Time to Come Home". Stone made her theatre debut as Matron Mama Morton in the Broadway production of ''

''. Her third studio album, '' Stone Love'', was released on June 28, 2004, in the U.S. and debuted at number fourteen on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 53,000 copies in its first week. ''Stone Love'' included her number one US dance single " I Wanna Thank Ya" and top-twenty US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

song " U-Haul", the latter which received a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 2005 Grammy Awards. By 2005, Stone became dissatisfied with her record label

. She released a compilation album '' Stone Hits: The Very Best of Angie Stone'' in June 2005, which anthologized her previous singles along with new single " I Wasn't Kidding". Following the release of the compilation album, Stone left

2006–2017: ''The Art of Love and War'' and subsequent releases

In 2006, Stone appeared on the

's reality television series '' Celebrity Fit Club'' for the fourth season, which began on August 6, 2006. While on the show, she lost eighteen pounds, the second lowest loss in the history of the show. Later that year, she signed a recording contract with

Stax Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. ...

. In January 2007, Stone embarked on the Sisters in the Spirit Tour alongside

Shirley Caesar Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams (Birth name, née Caesar; born October 13, 1938), known professionally as Shirley Caesar, is an American Gospel music, gospel singer. Her career began in 1951, when she signed to Federal Records at the age of 12. Thro ...

, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Nicole C. Mullen, and

Kelly Price Kelly Cherelle Price (born April 4, 1973) is an American R&B and gospel singer. Beginning her career in 1992, Price originally performed backing vocals for Mariah Carey on multiple songs, including Carey's ''Billboard'' Hot 100-number one sin ...

. On October 15, 2007, she released her fourth album '' The Art of Love & War''. The album debuted at number eleven on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 45,000 copies in its first week, becoming Stone's highest-charting album to date, as well as her first and only album to top the

chart. The album's lead single, "

Baby In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to Juvenile (orga ...

", a duet with Betty Wright, became her second number-one hit on the US Adult R&B Songs chart. The singles "Sometimes" and "Pop Pop" both peaked within the top thirty on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, respectively. The song "Baby" earned a nomination for Best R&B Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocal at 50th Annual Grammy Awards in 2008. In April 2009, she released a cover of " Wade in the Water" for the soundtrack of the documentary film '' Soundtrack for a Revolution''. Stone continued to expand her acting career by portraying strip-club owner Rick Fredericks in the

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

'' Pastor Brown'' (2009). In November 2009, she released her fifth album '' Unexpected''. " I Ain't Hearin' U", the album's lead single, reached number fourteen on ''Billboard''s Adult R&B Songs. In May 2011, Stone co-starred in the stage production ''Loving Him is Killing Me''. In the summer of 2012, Stone also toured nationally in a Hinton Battle production of ''Love Lies''. In September 2012, she released her sixth album '' Rich Girl'' on Saguaro Road Records. The following year, she joined the cast of TVOne's '' R&B Divas: Atlanta''. In 2014, Stone began working with music producer Walter Millsap III on her next album. In November 2015, she released her seventh album ''

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

'' on Shanachie Entertainment. Received well by music critics, the album debuted at number fifty-nine on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and number three on the US Top Hip-Hop/R&B Albums chart, her highest-charting album since '' The Art of Love & War'' (2007). The album's lead single "2 Bad Habits" peaked at number twenty on the Adult R&B Songs chart. The following year, she released her eighth album '' Covered in Soul'' on Goldenlane Records in August 2016. The album featured

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s of popular R&B and soul music songs. In the same year, she co-starred alongside Rodney Perry in the drama film ''To Love the Soul of a Woman''.

2018–2025: Final years

Stone changed labels again for her 2019 album '' Full Circle'', which saw her reteaming with her collaborators from the ''Dream'' album and was issued through Conjunction Entertainment in partnership

Cleopatra Records Cleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label that has the sub-labels Hypnotic Records, Goldenlane, Stardust, Purple Pyramid, Deadline and X-Ray Records. History Founded in January 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in go ...

. Released to generally positive reviews, it debuted and peaked at number 34 on the US

Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' mag ...

chart and produced the Adult R&B songs top 30 hit "Dinosaur." In 2021, she co-starred in the comedy film ''Entanglement''. '' Love Language'', her tenth and final solo album, was released in May 2023 through Conjunction and SoNo Recordιng. Once again largely penned by Milsap and his team, it failed to chart but was met with a warm response from music critics, who noted a slight increase of grain in Stone's voice. Also in 2023, she scored a supporting role in the Urbanflix television series ''Heaux Phase'', in which she played the main character's mother, and appeared as a featured vocalist on singer Damon Little's song "No Stressing," which peaked at number one on US Gospel Airplay chart in early 2024, becoming her first song to do so. In November 2024, Stone released her final single "All I'm Missing", which featured J. Brown and Juanita Wynn. In December 2024, Stone made an announcement via live stream that she was preparing to sue

for unpaid royalties.

Death

Stone was killed in a car accident near

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, on March 1, 2025, at the age of 63. She and her band members were traveling in a

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle (van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, ...

to Atlanta following a Mardi Gras concert in Mobile, Alabama, when it overturned on Interstate 65; the vehicle was then hit by a Freightliner Cascadia

semi-trailer truck A semi-trailer truck (also known by a wide variety of other terms – see below) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer attaches to the tractor with a type of hitch called ...

. Stone was the only fatality.

Remembrances and reactions

Numerous musicians and cultural figures reacted to Stone's death. Stone's memorial was held on March 14, 2025, at the Word of Faith Cathedral in Austell, Georgia. The memorial service was televised and live streamed.

Kirk Franklin Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American Gospel music, gospel musician. One of the List of best-selling gospel music artists, best-selling gospel music artists, his accolades include 20 Grammy Awards. ''Variety (magazine), Var ...

, Anthony Hamilton, Tamela Mann, Darlene McCoy, and Keke Wyatt performed at the memorial, and former

Sequence In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is cal ...

groupmates Cheryl "the Pearl" Cook and Gwendolyn "Blondy" Chisholm gave tearful eulogies.

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Madea, Mabel "Madea" Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her ...

receiving a standing ovation with cheers when he addressed the crowd: "I'm tired of seeing us struggle. All of those years, all of those songs, all of that money that was owed to her — where is it? It’s wrong, this is wrong, and I’m tired of seeing us struggle and go through things and work hard and not reap the benefits of what we were supposed to reap. Fair is not too much to ask." Stone's music catalog earned over 621,000 official on-demand U.S. music streams in the week preceding her death from February 21st to February 27th.Angie Stone’s Catalog Up Nearly 1,300% in Streams, 10,700% in Sales Following R&B Great’s Death
Billboard. Retrieved on June 5, 2025 During the week of her death, the figure rose 1,263% to over 8.4 million official streams. Her song " No More Rain (In This Cloud)" became one of her biggest streaming song during the week of her death, collecting 2.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams — a 538% boost from the week prior. The song " Wish I Didn't Miss You" rose 1,008% during the week of February 28th to March 6th, collecting 1.44 million official on-demand U.S. streams. Her song " Brotha" also experienced one of the biggest streaming boosts in Stone's catalog following her death. During the week of February 21st and February 27th, the song earned just over 42,000 official on-demand U.S. steams. The following week, that figure leapt 2,026% to over 907,000 official streams. Additionally, all three songs debuted in the top five of the R&B Digital Song Sales chart dated March 15: "No More Rain (In This Cloud)" debuted at number one, "Wish I Didn't Miss You" debuted at number two, and "Brotha" debuted at number five. The former two remained on the chart for two weeks. In June 2025, Brittney Spencer performed "No More Rain (In This Cloud)" at the BET Awards 2025. However, the

BET Awards The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the BET, Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black person, Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which ...

came under fire as Stone was not mentioned or featured during the "In Memoriam" segment of the show; a tribute honoring and remembering Black entertainers who died between 2024 and 2025. Historic Columbia, a non-profit organization in the hometown of Angie Stone, organized a special tribute act dedicated to Angie Stone for the annual Jubilee: Festival of Black History & Culture which is scheduled to take place on September 20, 2025.

Personal life

Marriage and relationships

In 1980, Stone began dating rapper Lil' Rodney C! of the hip-hop group Funky Four Plus One More. In 1983, the couple married without publicity. On April 6, 1984, Stone gave birth to her daughter Diamond Tiara Stone. Stone eventually named her first solo album '' Black Diamond'' after her daughter. In late 1980s, Stone and Lil' Rodney C! divorced. In the early 1990s, Stone began dating her Vertical Hold groupmate David Bright. The couple's relationship began to dissolve in 1992. In response, Stone wrote the song "Seems You're Much Too Busy", which became the lead single of Vertical Hold's debut album ''A Matter of Time''. In 1994, Stone began dating singer

after the couple met while working on his first album ''

''. Inspired by their relationship, the couple wrote several songs together, including " Send It On". On February 28, 1997, Stone gave birth to their son Michael D'Angelo Archer Jr. In 1999, Stone ended her relationship with D'Angelo, citing infidelity after the birth of his second child. In 2009, she began dating Ashanti Graves who became her manager. Although the couple became engaged, the relationship ended when Stone discovered that Graves had alleged affair with a staff member of the production crew on the set of '' R&B Divas: Atlanta''.

Activism

In 2009, Stone was diagnosed with

Type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent ...

in 1999. She later became part of the F.A.C.E Diabetes (Fearless African-Americans Connected and Empowered) program sponsored by

Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company, Trade name, doing business as Lilly, is an American multinational Medication, pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 count ...

, which helps African Americans understand their risk for diabetes and how to control it. Stone said that both her mother and her mother's sister were diabetic. Stone founded a national non-profit organization called Angel Stripes. The organization aimed to bring awareness of the arts to local communities and preserve art programs for the youth.Angel Stripes: The Angie Stone Foundation
Angel Stripes. Retrieved on June 5, 2025 The organization also aimed to protect the voting rights of senior citizens.

Legacy

Angie Stone has been recognized as one of the most influential figures in the music history by numerous publications, including ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' and the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. She has also been regarded as both a pioneer of

and

music. As part of the female hip hop group The Sequence, Stone became one of the first female rappers to have an original hip-hop record " Funk You Up" sell over a half of a million copies worldwide, as well as to be released on vinyl by a female act. "Funk You Up" has become one of the most frequently sampled songs in music history, most notably in

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

. In June 2021, Stone was presented with the Soul Music Icon Award at the Black Music Honors. In June 2024, Stone was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. An honorary member of

Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. In 1920, five women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achi ...

sorority, she was also inducted at the sorority's Boulé in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

in July 2024.

Discography

Studio albums * '' Black Diamond'' (1999) * '' Mahogany Soul'' (2001) * '' Stone Love'' (2004) * '' The Art of Love & War'' (2007) * '' Unexpected'' (2009) * '' Rich Girl'' (2012) * ''

'' (2015) * '' Covered in Soul'' (2016) * '' Full Circle'' (2019) * '' Love Language'' (2023)

Filmography

Films

Television

Theatre

Tours

;Headlining tours * Mahogany Soul Tour (2002) ;Co-headlining tours * BK Got Music Summer Soul Tour (with

, Gerald Levert, and

) (2002) * Silk and Sandpaper Tour (with Anthony Hamilton) (2004) * Sisters in the Spirit Tour (with

, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Nicole C. Mullen, and

) (2007) ;Opening act * Now Tour (2001) ;Residencies * Blue Note Tokyo (2007)

Awards and nominations

, - ! scope="row" rowspan="2",

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, rowspan="2", Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards , Best Solo R&B/Soul New Artist , Angie Stone , , rowspan="2", , - , Best Solo R&B/Soul Single , " No More Rain (In This Cloud)" , , - ! scope="row" ,

, Soul Train Music Awards ,

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1960 (except in 1967) "for a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that ar ...

, Angie Stone , , , - ! scope="row" , 2001 ,

MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Ba ...

, Best Jazz Act , Angie Stone , , , - ! scope="row" ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, Soul Train Music Awards , Best R&B/Soul Single – Female , " Brotha" , , , - ! scope="row" ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, Black Reel Awards , Best Original or Adapted Song , "Bring Your Heart" (from ''

'') , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2", 2003 , rowspan="2", DanceStar Awards , Best Chart Act , Angie Stone , , rowspan="2", , - , Best Remix Award , " Wish I Didn't Miss You" , , - ! scope="row" ,

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as th ...

, " More Than a Woman" (with Joe) , , , - ! scope="row" ,

, Soul Train Music Awards , Best R&B/Soul Album – Female , '' Mahogany Soul'' , , , - ! scope="row" , 2004 , Edison Awards , R&B/Hip Hop , '' Stone Love'' , , , - ! scope="row" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, Grammy Awards , Best Female R&B Vocal Performance , " U-Haul" , , , - ! scope="row" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Grammy Awards , Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals , "

" (with Betty Wright) , , , - ! scope="row" ,

, BET Centric Award , Angie Stone , , , - ! scope="row" , 2021 , Black Music Honors , Soul Music Icon Award , Angie Stone , , , -

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Angie 1961 births 2025 deaths 20th-century American keyboardists 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century American women singers 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Columbia, South Carolina African-American record producers African-American women singer-songwriters American ballad musicians American contemporary R&B singers American contraltos American dance-pop musicians American feminist musicians American film actresses American musical theatre actresses American neo soul singers American soul keyboardists American television actresses American women pop singers American women record producers American women singer-songwriters Concord Records artists Musicians from Columbia, South Carolina Musicians from South Carolina Participants in American reality television series Record producers from South Carolina Road incident deaths in Alabama Singer-songwriters from South Carolina Sony Music Publishing artists