Angie Stone: Grammy-Nominated Rap Pioneer Dies in Alabama Car Accident; Nine Passengers Survive | Entertainment & Arts News
Angie Stone, the Grammy-nominated US hip hop pioneer and founding member of The Sequence, one of the first all-female groups to record a rap song, has tragically passed away in a car accident.
The 63-year-old Stone, celebrated for her 2001 hit “Wish I Didn’t Miss You,” died in a crash in Montgomery, Alabama, early Saturday after a performance, as confirmed by her representative Deborah R Champagne.
Guy Todd Williams, known as Rahiem from Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five—the inaugural rap group to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame—reported that nine other passengers were with Stone in the van at the time of the incident, but she was the sole victim.
Angie Stone performing at the Blue Balls Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland in 2004. File pic: AP
Music producer Walter Millsap III stated in an email to The Associated Press: “Sadly, around 4 am, while returning to Atlanta from Alabama, the van flipped over and was subsequently struck by a large truck. Fortunately, everyone survived apart from Angie.”
Stone, who received Grammy nominations on three occasions, including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2005, was not only a songwriter but also ventured into acting both in films and on Broadway.
She was born in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1961, where she developed her vocal skills in church.
Stone was a founding member of The Sequence, whose best-known track, “Funk You Up,” released in 1979, reached number 15 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart.
This song has been sampled by numerous artists, including Dr. Dre.
Angie Stone performs with Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi as the Blues Brothers during a tribute to Aretha Franklin in 2008. File pic: AP
This track is recognized as the first rap hit performed by women, according to Rolling Stone.
The Sequence was signed to the now-defunct Sugar Hill Records, home to Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five, among other notable artists.
Williams expressed that Stone “left an indelible mark on the music industry, starting as a member of the legendary rap group Sequence.”
While her success in the UK was modest, her albums “Black Diamond” (1999) and “Mahogany Soul” (2001) achieved Gold status and yielded several chart hits.
Stone also collaborated with numerous artists, including Guru, Omar, Macy Gray, Moby, Prince, and Blue, on tracks such as the 2003 top 11 hit “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours.”
Among her successful hits were “No More Rain (In This Cloud),” which held the number one spot for 10 weeks on Billboard’s Adult R&B airplay chart, and “Baby,” featuring soul singer Betty Wright, also a number one hit, along with “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” and “Brotha.”
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“Mahogany Soul” peaked at number 22 on the Billboard 200 chart, while “The Art Of Love & War” (2007) reached number 11.
In addition to her music career, Stone dabbled in acting, appearing in films such as “The Hot Chick,” “The Fighting Temptations,” featuring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyonce, and “Ride Along” alongside Ice Cube and Kevin Hart.
She also graced the Broadway stage as Big Mama Morton in the musical “Chicago” and participated in reality TV shows like “Celebrity Fit Club” and “R&B Divas: Atlanta.”
