Atlanta singer Angie Stone died a year ago. Her son carries on her legacy.
On Feb. 28, Michael Archer II — better known by his stage name Swayvo Twain — was celebrating his birthday at a strip club with friends. He’d turned 28.
The next day, he was informed that his soul singer mom, Angie Stone, had died. His heart dropped. Stone was traveling back home to Atlanta after a show in Mobile, Alabama, when the van she was riding in overturned and was hit by a trailer truck. Stone, the lone fatality from the crash, was 63.
“I was supposed to be with her, but she told me not to go … it was like she knew,” Swayvo told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at a Smyrna recording studio in early February.
Today, a year after his mom’s death (and just a few months after his dad, Grammy-winning singer D’Angelo, died of pancreatic cancer), the rapper and metro Atlanta resident keeps his parents’ respective, and equally influential, musical legacies close. It fuels Swayvo’s impassioned work ethic to ensure his artistic individuality gleans beyond his parents’ deaths. He’ll release his debut album later this year.
“I think it’s like a little bit more eyes on me,” the 29-year-old said. “I just want to make sure it’s right, because you only get one time for it to be like your first real album. You only get that first impression one time.”
For Angie
Stone was Swayvo’s primary parent, although he and his dad, D’Angelo, were “very close.” He’s the only child shared by the pair, who dated for several years in the 1990s. Swayvo spent his early childhood being raised by his older sister Diamond (whom Stone had from a previous marriage) and maternal grandparents in Columbia, South Carolina, Stone’s hometown. At 12, he moved to Atlanta with his mom, who resided in Stockbridge at the time of her passing.
“At that point, my mother was still on the road every week,” Swayvo said about his childhood. “She actually had to make it a thing to where she could raise a child because she’s been on the road since she was 16.”
Stone’s four-decade career began in the 1970s as a member of the Sequence, the first female rap group to record a hit: 1979’s “Funk You Up.” Nearly a decade later, Stone found modest success with another trio, the soulful Vertical Hold, and later mentored collaborator-turned-partner D’Angelo.
In the late 1990s, Stone embarked on a solo career, becoming a pioneer in neo-soul with albums like 1999’s “Black Diamond” and 2001’s “Mahogany Soul.” Stone also appeared in films like 2003’s “The Fighting Temptations” and sang the catchy theme song for the hit UPN series “Girlfriends.”
Despite her long and groundbreaking career, Swayvo felt like his mom wasn’t always valued in the music business. While attending the Grammys in Los Angeles last month, he was disappointed that his mom didn’t get a full tribute like his dad did. D’Angelo’s tribute, led by Lauryn Hill, featured Raphael Saadiq, Leon Thomas, Lucky Daye and Bilal.
“Just as far as how she is remembered, I just want people to really put some respect on it. But that’s why I’m here. That’s my lifelong mission.”
Swayvo started rapping during his junior year at Stockbridge High School. He was inspired by artists Drake and T-Pain. Part of his stage name stems from a former Instagram username and part of it is a nod to writer Mark Twain (although Swayvo mainly freestyles his verses). He recalls his mom and sister laughing when he shared his musical interests, but they eventually came around.
“Initially we thought he was joking,” his sister Diamond Stone said. “But he practiced and grew his craft, so once he got good and started going to the studio and doing his own thing, we just supported him … I always tell him to always go with his first mind, to pay attention to his surroundings.”
The 41-year-old, who resides in Columbia, South Carolina, still manages to “keep my eyes and ears” on her brother, especially after their mom’s death.
Recently, Diamond traveled with her brother for a press tour behind his new music in New York City.
“I just stand in the gap and do what I can,” Diamond said. “I’m his sister. I’ve done everything for him his whole life — changing diapers, making bottles, baseball practices. I’ve been there through it all. I’m not going anywhere as long as I have breath.”
Since 2018, Swayvo has released a handful of singles, but he didn’t start taking rap seriously until 2023, with the release of “S.D.M.” The song samples and is a nod to his dad’s 1995 song.
It’s Swayvo’s most popular song to date — blending his slurred tone with a melodic rap style that he’s become known for.
“That’s when I really started changing my mentality to needing to make something special. I changed my whole style. I’m from Atlanta, and I grew up here, so I think I just always had a mentality that if I do blow up here that I can blow up everywhere.”
Although Swayvo had difficulty convincing his dad that he was serious about pursuing music, his mom saw the vision early on.
“I thought she ain’t like it, but she absolutely loved it. She’s a technician, a producer, so she’s gonna be like, ‘Nah, that note off, do that octave right there.’ She’s gonna do that regardless, but that made me sharp.”
He opened his mom’s shows in the few years leading up to her death. Stone poured that same faith into other budding artists, too. In 2017 and 2020, the pair self-produced 10 episodes of an NPR Tiny Desk-style show featuring live performances from underground artists in Atlanta.
Swayvo hopes to release it soon.
“My mom just got a thing of the underdog,” Swayvo said about the experience. “That was her whole thing, like reaching back and pulling somebody up who she believed in.”
It’s one of Stone’s attributes that Swayvo says he misses the most, comparing his mom to a mat on which a gymnast lands during a meet.
“You jump in the air and do whatever type of flip in the air you want to do, but you know you can fall on this pad and everything gonna be all right,” he said. “So when that pad is gone, you gotta learn how to narrow your feet because the ground hard. The ground been hard this whole year. Mama is not here in the physical so, of course, things are different, but she still works her magic where she is now.”
Diamond says her brother adopted her mom’s hard work ethic, which has helped with his healing: “He’s always trying to figure out something he can do,” she said. Diamond, who often sang backup for her mom, said she and Swayvo plan to drop an unreleased track titled “Industry,” which they performed with their mom.
Diamond said they’re interested in creating a biopic of their mom to “shed light on how much she gave to this industry.” Last year, Diamond and her brother sued the drivers and owners of both vehicles involved in their mom’s death, along with the makers of a collision mitigation system in the truck. The lawsuit is still pending.
“She was very dedicated to her craft,” Diamond said. “She was dedicated to showing up. She was dedicated to making sure her bills were paid. Like most of us, my mom always was hustling. She was always doing something to make money and to keep her name and her legacy alive.”
Sustaining the legacy
Swayvo’s upcoming album is currently unnamed and has no release date. But it’s set to drop this year. He wants to be patient, having released a few singles since his mom’s death, including the somber “DoveSoar” and party track “HookahSmoke.”
“It’s not to where I want it. I think I could build up a little bit more anticipation, drop a few more songs and show people what I can do. I just want to be tasteful with it. I don’t want to be like I’m trying to capitalize off this situation with my parents or nothing.”
Following his mom’s death, he and D’Angelo grew closer — personally and professionally — with his dad becoming more approving of his music. D’Angelo, who Swayvo didn’t know was sick, flew to Atlanta to be with his son for a few weeks. “(He) stepped up for our relationship,” Swayvo said.
The pair would play video games all night, talk sports and have deep conversations about their bond, including music.
“For him to verbally tell me, ‘You’re doing a good job’ and be very impressed, that was all I wanted from him. That kind of like just gave me a license to just be myself.”
Since his parents’ deaths, Swayvo has studied their music, especially how they used their voices as instruments, according to Mannie House, who’s served as his manager since 2024.
“He’s not married to anything either,” said House, who also produces Swayvo’s music. “If there’s something he wants to try to make work and it ultimately ends up not working, he’ll find a different approach and be good with that.”
The maturation translates into his personal life, too. He’s eating healthier, going to the gym regularly and is in therapy. He’s learning to not compartmentalize his feelings and set personal boundaries, like avoiding all social media on his parents’ birthdays (“I just try to really know my triggers”).
He fondly remembers his favorite activities with both parents: going to the casino with mom and talking all things sports with dad: “We were like a sports talk show, in the vein of Stephen A. Smith and Skip (Bayless) … I’m a super LeBron fan. He was a KD (Kevin Durant) guy. We’d go back and forth on that, but I think he would just pick the opposite of what side I was on so we can keep the debate going. ”
But he wants to ensure people know the full him, even outside of his parents’ influence. That’s his mentality as he works on his first album.
“Know the totality of me. Accept me for all the sides, like, when I’m trolling, when I’m being funny, or when I’m being serious, I’m being insightful, when I try different music or something that’s not within the realm of what you expect. Give it a chance and accept me.”
About the Author
DeAsia is a music and culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She focuses on the intersection of arts, culture and diverse communities, as well as how emerging social trends are being expressed through the lens of the Atlanta aesthetic. DeAsia's work can be seen in Pitchfork, Essence, Teen Vogue, Elle and more.
