DAngelo Gets Busy On J Records Debut

Billboard.com

R&B star D'Angelo is making progress on his first studio album since 2000, which will likely be released early next year via J Records. The label purchased D'Angelo's contract in 2005 from Virgin, which issued his first two studio albums.

For his as-yet-untitled J debut, D'Angelo has already collaborated with Raphael Saadiq and also plans to record with John Mayer, according to a source. A single may be out before the end of the year.

D'Angelo has largely fallen off the musical map since 2000's "Voodoo," which has sold 1.69 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Its single "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," hit No. 2 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart and No. 25 on the Hot 100.

In recent years, the artist has endured a serious car accident and drug-related arrests. In lieu of new music of his own, he's made sporadic guest appearances on albums by Common, Snoop Dogg and J Dilla.

On Tuesday (June 24), Virgin will release a CD/DVD retrospective, "The Best So Far...," featuring hits, rarities and previously unreleased videos.