Angie Stone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Angie Stone
Stone in 2019
Born	Angela Laverne Brown (1961-12-18)December 18, 1961 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	March 1, 2025(2025-03-01) (aged 63) Montgomery County, Alabama, U.S.
Other names	Angie B.
Occupation	Singer-songwriter rapper actress record producer
Years active	1979–2025
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	R&B soul neo soul hip-hop
Instruments	Vocals keyboards saxophone
Labels	Arista J Stax Shanachie

Angela Laverne Stone, born Angela Laverne Brown on December 18, 1961, was an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and record producer. She had a career that lasted over 40 years. Many people say she helped change the sound of hip-hop and neo soul music, making her a very important person in modern music.

She was first known as Angie B. and became famous in 1979 as part of The Sequence. This was the first all-female music group in hip-hop. In the early 1990s, she joined the R&B group Vertical Hold. Later in the 1990s, she started her solo career as Angie Stone. She signed with Arista Records and released her first solo album, Black Diamond (1999). This album sold enough copies to be certified gold and included the popular song "No More Rain (In This Cloud)".

After moving to J Records, she released her second album, Mahogany Soul (2001), which had the hit song "Wish I Didn't Miss You". She then released Stone Love (2004) and The Art of Love & War (2007). The Art of Love & War was her first album to reach number one on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

In the 2000s, Stone also started acting. She appeared in the 2002 comedy film The Hot Chick and performed on stage in 2003 as Big Mama Morton in the Broadway musical Chicago. She also had supporting roles in other films and TV shows. These included VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and TV One's R&B Divas. She also acted in movies like The Fighting Temptations (2003), Pastor Brown (2009), and School Gyrls (2010).

Angie Stone received many awards during her career. She was nominated for three Grammy Awards and three Soul Train Music Awards. She won two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards and an Edison Award. In 2021, she was given the Soul Music Icon Award at the Black Music Honors. In 2024, she was added to the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her solo albums earned two gold certifications, and she sold over five million records worldwide.

Angie Stone's Early Life

Angela Laverne Brown was born on December 18, 1961, in Columbia, South Carolina. Her mother, Iona Williams, worked at a hospital, and her father, Bobby Williams, was a lawyer's assistant and gospel singer. Angela went to W.A. Perry Middle School and C.A. Johnson High School. She also sang her first solo in the choir at First Nazareth Baptist Church in Columbia.

Angie Stone's Music Career

Starting Out with The Sequence (1979–1985)

In 1979, Angela Brown started a female hip-hop group called The Sequence. She and her friends, Gwendolyn Chisolm and Cheryl Cook, went to a concert by the hip-hop group The Sugarhill Gang. Backstage, they met Sylvia Robinson, who was the CEO of Sugar Hill Records. They auditioned for her and were signed as the label's first female group. While in the group, Angela used the stage name Angie B.

Their first song, "Funk You Up", came out in December 1979. It was one of the first original hip-hop songs that didn't use sampling from other songs. "Funk You Up" reached number fifteen on the Hot Soul Singles chart. In 1980, The Sequence released their first album, Sugarhill presents The Sequence, which was well-liked by music critics.

In 1981, the group helped other artists on Sugar Hill Records. They wrote and sang background vocals for songs like "Sing a Simple Song" and "Let's Dance (Make Your Body Move)" by West Street Mob. The latter song reached number eighty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1982, The Sequence released their second album, which reached number fifty-one on the Black LPs chart. Their song "I Don't Need Your Love (Part One)" reached number forty on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart. They released their third album, The Sequence Party, in 1983. Their last songs, "Funk You Up '85" and "Control", came out in 1985.

In 1985, the group decided not to sign a new contract with Sugar Hill Records. This was because they had a disagreement with CEO Sylvia Robinson about not being paid their share of money from their songs. They felt their money was being used to support other artists. After leaving the group, Stone briefly tried a solo music career and worked at Kiss-FM radio station in New York. She started performing as Angie B. Stone and later just Angie Stone, using the last name of her first husband, Rodney "Lil' Rodney C" Stone.

Vertical Hold and DeVox (1986–1996)

After leaving Sugar Hill Records, Angie Stone tried to start her solo career. She wrote her own songs and paid for studio time. Through a studio engineer, she met musicians David Bright and Willie Bruno, Jr. They were impressed by her songwriting and asked her to write for their songs. This led to the formation of the R&B/hip-hop group It's Us, which was later renamed Vertical Hold. Their first song, "Summertime", was released in 1988. The group then signed a deal with A&M Records. In 1990, Stone played the saxophone for Lenny Kravitz on his Let Love Rule Tour.

In June 1993, Vertical Hold released their first album, A Matter of Time. It reached number thirty-three on the US Top R&B Albums chart. The album's main song, "Seems You're Much Too Busy", reached number seventeen on the US Hot R&B Singles chart. Their next song, "A.S.A.P.", reached number eighty-three. Stone also got a songwriting deal through their record label. She later helped singer D'Angelo finish his first album, Brown Sugar.

In 1995, Stone helped arrange the vocals for "Freedom (Theme from Panther)", which was the theme song for the film Panther. In May 1995, Vertical Hold released their second and last album, Head First. The group broke up at the end of 1995 because they didn't get enough support from their record label. In the same year, Stone toured as a background singer for D'Angelo's Brown Sugar Tour. One of their concerts in London was recorded and released as D'Angelo's live album Live at the Jazz Cafe (1998). In 1996, Stone became a singer for a group called DeVox, which released an album only in Japan. This project caught the attention of Peter Edge from Arista Records, which led to Stone getting a solo recording contract.

Solo Success and Acting (1997–2004)

Stone in 1997

In September 1999, Angie Stone released her first solo album, Black Diamond, with Arista Records. Black Diamond reached number forty-six on the Billboard 200 chart and number nine on the US Top R&B Albums chart. The album's first song, "No More Rain (In This Cloud)", reached number fifty-six on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Stone's first number-one song on the US Adult R&B Songs chart, staying there for ten weeks. The songs "Life Story" and "Everyday" both reached the top twenty on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles chart. Black Diamond was certified gold in both the U.S. and the UK. Stone also won awards for 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 moved to J Records. She recorded the theme song for the TV show Girlfriends. Stone's second solo album, Mahogany Soul, came out on October 16, 2001. It debuted at number twenty-two on the US Billboard 200, selling 71,000 copies in its first week. The album's first song, "Brotha", reached number fifty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the US Adult R&B Songs chart. The second song, "Wish I Didn't Miss You", reached the top ten in many places around the world, including the U.S. on the Dance Club Songs chart. This song also became certified gold in the UK. The album also had other songs like "More Than a Woman" and "Bottles and Cans". At the 2003 Grammy Awards, "More Than a Woman" was nominated for an award. Mahogany Soul was certified gold in both the U.S. and the UK. In November 2001, Stone went on the BK Got Music Summer Soul Tour with Luther Vandross and other artists.

In December 2002, Stone made her first movie appearance in the comedy The Hot Chick. The film did well at the box office. She then starred with Cuba Gooding Jr. in the musical comedy The Fighting Temptations (2003), playing Alma, a singing laundromat employee. Stone sang several songs for the film's soundtrack. Stone also made her stage debut as Matron Mama Morton in the Broadway show Chicago.

Her third album, Stone Love, was released on June 28, 2004. It debuted at number fourteen on the Billboard 200. Stone Love included her number one US dance song "I Wanna Thank Ya" and the top-twenty US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs song "U-Haul". "U-Haul" was nominated for an award at the 2005 Grammy Awards. By 2005, Stone was not happy with her record label, J Records. She released a collection of her best songs, Stone Hits: The Very Best of Angie Stone, in June 2005, which included a new song "I Wasn't Kidding". After this album, Stone left J Records.

Later Albums and TV Appearances (2006–2017)

Stone performing live at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on July 11, 2008

In 2006, Stone appeared on the VH1 reality TV show Celebrity Fit Club. She lost eighteen pounds on the show. Later that year, she signed with Stax Records. In January 2007, Stone went on the Sisters in the Spirit Tour with other gospel singers. On October 15, 2007, she released her fourth album, The Art of Love & War. This album debuted at number eleven on the Billboard 200 and became her highest-charting album. It was also her first album to reach number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album's first song, "Baby", a duet with Betty Wright, became her second number-one hit on the US Adult R&B Songs chart. The songs "Sometimes" and "Pop Pop" both reached the top thirty on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song "Baby" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008.

In April 2009, she sang a cover of "Wade in the Water" for the film Soundtrack for a Revolution. Stone continued acting, playing Rick Fredericks in the film Pastor Brown (2009). In November 2009, she released her fifth album, Unexpected. The song "I Ain't Hearin' U" reached number fourteen on Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart. In May 2011, Stone acted in the stage play Loving Him is Killing Me. In the summer of 2012, Stone also toured in a play called Love Lies. In September 2012, she released her sixth album, Rich Girl. The next year, she joined the cast of TVOne's R&B Divas: Atlanta.

In 2014, Stone started working with music producer Walter Millsap III on her next album. In November 2015, she released her seventh album, Dream. The album was well-received and debuted at number fifty-nine on the US Billboard 200 and number three on the US Top Hip-Hop/R&B Albums chart. The album's first song, "2 Bad Habits", reached number twenty on the Adult R&B Songs chart. The following year, she released her eighth album, Covered in Soul, in August 2016. This album featured cover versions of popular R&B and soul songs. In the same year, she acted in the film To Love the Soul of a Woman.

Final Years (2018–2025)

For her 2019 album, Full Circle, Stone worked with her team from the Dream album again. The album received good reviews and reached number 34 on the US Independent Albums chart. It also had the song "Dinosaur," which was a top 30 hit on the Adult R&B songs chart.

In 2021, she acted in the comedy film Entanglement. Love Language, her tenth and final solo album, was released in May 2023. This album was also mostly written by Milsap and his team. It didn't appear on the music charts but was liked by music critics. Also in 2023, she had a supporting role in the Urbanflix TV series ... Phase, where she played the main character's mother. She also sang on Damon Little's song "No Stressing," which reached number one on the US Gospel Airplay chart in early 2024. This was her first song to do so.

In November 2024, Stone released her last song, "All I'm Missing," featuring J. Brown and Juanita Wynn. In December 2024, Stone announced that she was planning to sue Universal Records for money she believed they owed her.

Angie Stone's Passing

Angie Stone passed away in a car accident near Montgomery, Alabama, on March 1, 2025, at 63 years old. She and her band members were traveling in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van to Atlanta after a Mardi Gras concert in Mobile, Alabama. The van overturned on Interstate 65 and was then hit by a Freightliner Cascadia semi-trailer truck. Stone was the only person who died in the accident.

Remembering Angie Stone

Many musicians and famous people shared their sadness about Stone's passing. Her memorial service was held on March 14, 2025, in Austell, Georgia. The service was shown on TV and streamed live online. Several artists performed, and her former bandmates from The Sequence, Cheryl "the Pearl" Cook and Gwendolyn "Blondy" Chisholm, spoke about her. Tyler Perry also spoke, saying that artists should receive the money they earn from their hard work.

In the week before her passing (February 21-27), Angie Stone's music was streamed over 621,000 times in the U.S. In the week she passed away, this number jumped by 1,263% to over 8.4 million streams. Her song "No More Rain (In This Cloud)" became one of her most streamed songs during that week, with 2.1 million streams. The song "Wish I Didn't Miss You" also saw a big increase, reaching 1.44 million streams. Her song "Brotha" also had a huge jump in streams, going from 42,000 to over 907,000 streams. All three songs appeared in the top five of the R&B Digital Song Sales chart on March 15: "No More Rain (In This Cloud)" was number one, "Wish I Didn't Miss You" was number two, and "Brotha" was number five.

In June 2025, Brittney Spencer performed "No More Rain (In This Cloud)" at the BET Awards 2025. However, some people were upset because Stone was not included in the "In Memoriam" part of the show, which honors Black entertainers who passed away. Historic Columbia, an organization in Angie Stone's hometown, plans to have a special tribute for her at the Jubilee: Festival of Black History & Culture on September 20, 2025.

Angie Stone's Personal Life

Relationships and Family

In 1980, Stone started dating rapper Lil' Rodney C! from the group Funky Four Plus One More. They quietly married in 1983. On April 6, 1984, Stone gave birth to her daughter, Diamond Tiara Stone. Stone later named her first solo album Black Diamond after her daughter. Stone and Lil' Rodney C! divorced in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s, Stone began dating her Vertical Hold bandmate David Bright. When their relationship started to end in 1992, Stone wrote the song "Seems You're Much Too Busy" about it.

In 1994, Stone started dating singer D'Angelo after they met while working on his first album Brown Sugar. They 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. In 2009, she started dating Ashanti Graves, who became her manager. They got engaged, but the relationship ended when Stone found out Graves was reportedly involved with someone else on the set of R&B Divas: Atlanta.

Community Work

In 2009, Angie Stone was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. She then joined the F.A.C.E Diabetes program, which helps African Americans understand and manage their risk for diabetes. Stone shared that both her mother and her mother's sister had diabetes.

Stone also started a national non-profit organization called Angel Stripes. This organization aimed to bring awareness of the arts to local communities and keep art programs available for young people. It also worked to protect the voting rights of older citizens.

Angie Stone's Impact and Recognition

Angie Stone is seen as one of the most important people in music history by many publications, including Rolling Stone. She is known as a pioneer in both hip-hop and neo soul music. As part of the female hip-hop group The Sequence, Stone was one of the first female rappers to have an original hip-hop song, "Funk You Up", sell over half a million copies worldwide. "Funk You Up" has also been one of the most frequently sampled songs in music history, especially in hip-hop.

In June 2021, Stone received the Soul Music Icon Award at the Black Music Honors. In June 2024, Stone was added to the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. She was also made an honorary member of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority in July 2024.

Angie Stone's Albums

Studio albums

• Black Diamond (1999)
• Mahogany Soul (2001)
• Stone Love (2004)
• The Art of Love & War (2007)
• Unexpected (2009)
• Rich Girl (2012)
• Dream (2015)
• Covered in Soul (2016)
• Full Circle (2019)
• Love Language (2023)

Angie Stone's Film and TV Roles

Films

Television

Theatre

Angie Stone's Tours

Angie Stone's Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Angie Stone para niños