D’Angelo’s son Swayvo Twain says he feels ‘motivated’ and ‘destined’ after his father’s death

“Knowing your father’s history and where he comes from… really getting an understanding for that s–t is, like, monumental,” Twain said. 

Swayvo Twain, the son of D’Angelo and Angie Stone, shared a heartfelt reflection about his late father and mother on Instagram, calling it “monumental.”

The 28-year-old rapper and singer shared a post opening up about his and D’Angelo’s relationship in the “Voodoo” singer’s final weeks. Twain, whose real name is Michael Eugene Archer Jr., also shared a clip from D’Angelo’s private memorial service, where he shared personal memories of the two.

“Knowing your father’s history and where he comes from… really getting an understanding for that s–t is, like, monumental,” Twain said. 

At the funeral, Twain spoke highly of his father from the pulpit and fondly recalled the moments they shared.

“Anything we ever missed, any questions I ever had, anything I wanted to ask him about, we just had every conversation and every laugh and every moment,” Twain said to the crowd. “It really cleared my spirit, man. That’s the time I needed him the most and he stood right there, tall.”

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A post shared by Swayvo Twain (@1swayvotwain)

Twain has experienced unimaginable loss this year. In March, his mother, Angie Stone, passed away after a car collision, and then his father passed away after a private battle with pancreatic cancer at 51. After his mother died, Twain said he “sat down” and went into “hiding” because of grief. Now, he’s no longer hiding.

“Mom passed and left me with a lot of questions,” he said. “After this funeral, I gained a lot of answers to things. That’s the number one difference.”

Twain said the death of his father made him feel “motivated” and “destined.”

“Every time he popped his head out, he did his big one,” Twain said of D’Angelo. “So that’s what I’mma do. I’mma do my big one. I got to, I know I got the goods. I got what they’re asking for.”

Twain shared additional clips from the memorial service, including footage of him being surrounded by family, along with a tribute song for his parents. Twain’s two siblings, Imani, 26 and Morrocco, 15, can be seen in the clips embracing him and others during the memorial service and other gatherings. 

“I was battling certain things but it was a lot of things I was wrong about,” Twain admitted. “I gained a whole’ nother understanding for my father that I never had. That was one thing I ain’t gon’ say held me up on a lot of things but it was something I was dealing with mentally. I feel fully licensed to be myself, to be Michael … to be Swayvo Twain, the artist, the rapper, the singer, the brother, the man … unapologetically.”

Regarding D’Angelo, the sounds of the R&B legend aren’t going to fade anytime soon. During a chat at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Questlove hinted at a posthumous album from the Virginia native.

“You’ll see soon,” Questlove said with a grin. “With him, it’s always the sound of yesterday but for the future. This record is no different and when it comes out, you’ll know.”