“Renaissance woman” is what defines the singer, songwriter, producer, rapper, actress, mother and award winner that was Angie Stone. She first made a name for herself during the rise of recorded hip-hop in the late 1970s as part of The Sequence, and then as the lead singer of Vertical Hold in the early to mid ‘90s before launching her more notable career as a Neo Soul singer from 1999 onwards.

Born Angela Laverne Brown in Columbia, South Carolina on December 18, 1961, she began singing during her childhood at her church while her father, a singer himself, would often take her to watch other gospel acts perform. In 1978, when she was 16, she adopted the stage name Angie B. and joined forces with friends Gwendolyn Chisolm and Cheryl Cook to form the The Sequence, the first ever all-female hip-hop act who scored their first hit the following year with “Funk You Up,” which went on to reach #15 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Following their disbandment in 1985, Stone remained active in the industry by appearing on the one-off single “Summertime” alongside David Bright, Willie Bruno II and Gordon Mack as Vertical Hold, touring as a saxophone player for Lenny Kravitz, and working with Mary J. Blige in the early days of her career.

After co-writing seven songs on Mantronix’s final album The Incredible Sound Machine in 1991, Stone reunited with David Bright and Willie Bruno II to officially form Vertical Hold as a trio, serving as the lead singer from their 1993 debut album A Matter of Time (which featured their only Top 20 R&B single “Seems You’re Much Too Busy”) to their breakup in 1995 following their second album Head First. She then took part in the trio Devox with Gerry DeVeaux (cousin of Lenny Kravitz) and Charlie Mole that released the Japan only album Devox featuring Angie B. Stone in 1996. During her time with both acts, Stone became involved with D'Angelo, resulting in many collaborative efforts including “Everyday,” which appeared on the soundtrack for the film Money Talks and helped her get signed to the U.S. division of Arista Records.

Coming on the heels of providing background vocals for Kravitz' album 5, Stone began her journey as solo artist in the summer of 1999 with her debut single “No More Rain (In This Cloud)” followed by the release of her debut album Black Diamond that fall, which went on to become Gold certified. Her second album, 2001’s Mahogany Soul, was another Gold certified record often regarded as her magnum opus and contained the hits “Brotha,” “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” and the duet “More Than A Woman” with Joe. She continued to release music across multiple different labels up until her tenth album Love Language in 2023, and worked with artists including Prince, Betty Wright, Snoop Dogg, Anthony Hamilton and Musiq Soulchild, as well as with her children Diamond Stone (her daughter with Li'l Rodney C! from Funky 4 + 1) and Swayvo Twain (her son with D'Angelo).

Stone was the recipient of two Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, a Dutch-based Edison Award and a three-time nominee of the Grammy Awards. In addition to music, she also ventured into acting, making her debut in 2002’s The Hot Chick and going on to appear in other movies such as The Fighting Temptations and Pastor Brown, and TV shows including Celebrity Fit Club and R&B Divas: Atlanta. On March 1, 2025, Stone was riding in a van with her band members when it turned over on an interstate and was then hit by a semi-trailer truck, claiming just her life alone at the age of 63.