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Dallas, TX
How D’Angelo helped launch the career of Dallas’ Erykah Badu
If not for R&B singer D’Angelo, who died Tuesday of pancreatic cancer at age 51, the world might never have known Erykah Badu.
The year was 1995 and the future “Queen of Neo-Soul” was still Erica Wright. A South Dallas native, she’d graduated from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and studied theater at Grambling State University in Louisiana. Back home in Dallas, she’d formed Erykah Free, a vocal/rap duo with Robert “Free” Bradford, her older cousin.
In March, they got their first big break: A gig at South By Southwest in Austin, where she gave the duo’s demo CD to Mobb Deep’s manager, who in turn passed it along to Kedar Massenburg, manager of the rising soul singer D’Angelo.
When Massenburg played it for D’Angelo in his car, the singer’s eyes lit up.
“He was like, ‘Yo, Key,’ man, she’s incredible! You gotta let me produce the album,” Massenburg told Billboard in 2017. “I said, ‘Nah, D, you couldn’t even finish your own album! You think I’m gonna let you produce Erykah?’”
D’Angelo finally released his critically acclaimed debut album, Brown Sugar, in July 1995 and hit the road, including a November show at Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth. Massenburg quickly arranged for Badu to open for D’Angelo that night, and the producer flew into town to meet her and see her perform.
Massenburg obviously liked what he saw. In short order, he signed her to a management deal, landed her a solo contract with Universal Records and put her in the studio with D’Angelo to duet on the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell hit “Your Precious Love.” Their smoldering version came out in 1996 on the soundtrack to High School High, a quickly-forgotten Jon Lovitz comedy.
But her fortunes flipped months later when she released her debut album, Baduizm. It instantly struck a chord on radio and MTV, selling three million copies and winning Grammys for R&B album and female R&B performance. Looking back, Badu has called D’Angelo a kindred spirit and “a true artist.”
“[Massenburg] understood that what me and D’Angelo had in common was not that we sounded alike, but that we didn’t sound like what was happening [in music at the time],” she told GQ.
Nearly two decades later, as D’Angelo was putting the final touches on his 14-years-in-the-making Black Messiah album, Badu said she was just as eager as everyone else to hear her old friend’s new record.
“I think we need that,” she said. “The world needs that voice.”
Dallas, TX
Stars-Kings preview: Dallas looks to right the ship against Los Angeles
The Dallas Stars have one win in their last seven games and are looking to right the ship in the second game of a West Coast road trip.
Dallas fell in overtime to San Jose on Saturday and now look to bounce back against the Los Angeles Kings.
Here’s everything to know about the matchup.
Dallas Stars vs. Los Angeles Kings
When: Monday, 9 p.m.
Where: Crypto.com Arena in LA
TV/streaming: Victory+
Radio: Sportsradio 96.7/1310 The Ticket
Bottom line
The Kings host the Stars after LA beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in a shootout.
Los Angeles has a 19-15-10 record overall and a 7-9-5 record on its home ice. The Kings have given up 120 goals while scoring 116 for a -4 scoring differential.
Dallas has a 26-10-9 record overall and a 14-4-6 record on the road. The Stars rank second in the league with 154 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).
The teams meet Monday for the third time this season. The Stars won the previous meeting 4-1.
Top performers
Jason Robertson has 26 goals and 28 assists for the Stars. Wyatt Johnston has scored five goals with four assists over the past 10 games.
Alex Laferriere has scored 12 goals with 10 assists for the Kings. Andrei Kuzmenko has four goals and four assists over the last 10 games.
Last 10 games
Stars: 3-3-4, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.1 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.1 penalty minutes while giving up 3.5 goals per game.
Kings: 4-5-1, averaging 2.9 goals, five assists, 4.1 penalties and 8.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.
Twitter: @dmn_stars
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Dallas, TX
Cowboys news: Former Dallas 1st-round pick weighs in on who should be next DC
Every offseason it seems like I see a linebacker’s name pop up that the Cowboys need to get to help the defense. This year it may be Quincy Williams. Could he be the guy the middle of the defense is missing? I’ve seen some reactions, and when you dig into the type of player he is the coverage numbers may make you second guess. And honestly, I get it because it doesn’t look pretty. When you actually dig into how Quincy Williams plays, and how he is used, the conversation changes fast. So let’s talk it through like fans, not scouts trying to sound smart.
The First Thing You Need to Know: This Dude Lives in the Box
Quincy Williams is not a coverage linebacker, and he never has been. He will not be floating around in space trying to run with slot receivers or carry tight ends down the seams. When you look at the snap data, it’s not even debatable. He spent hundreds of snaps in the box, very few on the edge, only a handful in the slot, and almost none on the outside.
That tells you exactly how defenses should play him. He is there to attack downhill. If you judge this man based on coverage stats alone, you’re grading a fish on how well it climbs trees. How Quincy Williams Actually Plays
What I like about Quincy Williams is simple: when he sees it, he goes. There’s no dancing, no waiting for someone else to make the play. He triggers fast and shows up with bad intentions. Is he perfect? Absolutely not, but were any of the Cowboys linebackers last season even above average.
He will miss a tackle here and there because of his aggressive play style, but I’ll take that every day over a linebacker who catches blocks and gets pancaked. What I found even more impressive was he lines up all over the box. He can play weak side, strong side, and take inside looks, but he rarely just sat in the middle calling things out. He’s a flow-and-hunt guy, so the Cowboys would need to let him scrape, chase, and hit. That is where his game makes sense.
Not Much of a Pass Rusher
This may be another area where people will get twisted. Yes, you will see him walked up near the line sometimes, but he’s not an edge rusher. He is not winning with moves or stacking sacks. Those snaps are about pressure and confusion to make the offense account for him, mess with protection calls, and let the defense work around it. He’s a blitzer, not a technician, and if used incorrectly, it looks ugly.
Dallas, TX
Man dies after dog attack in Dallas home, police say
A man has died after a dog attacked him inside a home in North Texas on Thursday afternoon, officials say.
Dallas police officers responded to a call in the 4100 block of Esmalda Drive at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7. Investigators determined the man was attacked by a dog inside a residence in the 4100 block of Pringle Drive.
The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said.
According to a press release, the Dallas Police Department is treating the case as a homicide.
Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Kenneth Castoral at 469‑781‑1261 or by email at kenneth.castoral@dallaspolice.gov.
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