Singer Jill Scott Music Career, Genre, Background, Songs, Albums
American Singer, Jill Scott started as a spoken word artist, performing at poetry readings. Before questlove of the Roots discovered her. Let’s read more about her musical career below.
Jill Scott Singer Career
Questlove invited her to the studio. The American singer, Jill Scott co-wrote the song “You Got Me” In 2000, Erykah Badu and the Roots won a Grammy for “You Got Me,” and Scott debuted as an artist during a Roots live engagement.
Scott fuses jazz, opera, R&B, spoken word, and hip hop into neo-soul. A Pop Matters reviewer said of Scott’s first soprano voice, “She recalls the artistry of Minnie Riperton and Deniece Williams.”
The same reviewer said, “The song echoes Minnie Riperton’s talent as Scott sings in the upper register on ‘Who is Jill Scott?’ on ‘I Think It’s Better’ and ‘Show Me’.” Other reviews praised her “bass in her soprano voice,” “beautiful vocals,” and “warm womanliness”
Words and Sounds Vol. 1
Scott later worked with Eric Benet, Will Smith, and Common and toured Canada in Rent. Scott was the label’s first artist. Words and Sounds Vol. 1 debuted in 2000. “A Long Walk” earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Vocal Performance in 2003.
Scott lost that prize but won for “Cross My Mind” in 2005. Experience: Jill Scott 826+ came out in 2001. 2004 brought Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2. St. Martin’s Press published Scott’s poetry collection The Moments, The Minutes, The Hours in April 2005.
George Benson and Al Jarreau Records
Scott was featured on the George Benson and Al Jarreau collaborative record “God Bless The Child” (written by Billie Holiday) in early 2007 and won her second Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. Scott, Benson, and Jarreau won. Scott appeared on Lupe Fiasco’s 2008 Grammy-winning hit “Daydreaming” in 2006 and on his 2007 compilation Collaborations.
The Collaborations collection was a “appetizer” for The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, released September 25, 2007. Hidden Beach Records provided a snippet of the title tune on Collaborations’ bonus disc.
Hate on Me Video
The video for “Hate on Me” was released in mid-July 2007. Hidden Beach released a 17-minute album sampling on their forums. Jill explained the inspiration for several of the sampler’s tunes.
Live in Paris+, Scott’s second live CD, has 8 songs from her “Big Beautiful Tour” across Europe. The extra DVD includes the concert and live selections from The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3. The Real Thing’s “Whenever You’re Around” was a moderate urban hit in the same year.
Hidden Beach Lawsuit
Hidden Beach Records sued Scott in 2010 for abandoning her six-album contract and owing millions in damages. Steve McKeever, the label’s founder, said he helped establish Scott’s career and developed her into a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter.
She was rejected in October following a 10-year romance. Scott countersued. Hidden Beach planned to distribute unpublished Scott content to mitigate losses. The Original Jill Scott from the Vault, Vol. 1 began this series.
Jill Scott asked for Just Before Dawn to be delayed so fans wouldn’t be confused with new content, especially The Light of the Sun, which was also being released around that time under a distribution arrangement Scott and Warner Brothers signed in early 2011.
Scott has direct control over her marketing and promotions and publishes her songs on Blues Babe Records. She also inked a multi-tour deal with Live Nation.
The Light of The Sun, and Tour
The Sun’s Light began filming in 2010. Maxwell & Jill Scott: The Tour is an 18-city co-headlining tour with Scott. After the tour, Scott started recording with JR Hutson.
9th Street Studios, Studio 609, Fever Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California, Threshold Sound & Vision in Santa Monica, California, The Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Boom Boom Room in Burbank, California, and The Village Studios in West Los Angeles, California hosted recording sessions.
Anthony Hamilton, Eve, Doug E Fresh, and Paul Wall collaborated. The album was pre-ordered before its June 21 release. It debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 135,000 copies in its first week.
The album was preceded with the SoundCloud promo track “Shame” Eve and The A-Group appear on the record. 13 April, Essence.com uploaded the video. “So in Love” was the album’s debut single.
Debut on US Billboard
It debuted at No. 43 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in April. It topped the Urban Adult Contemporary Chart for 14 weeks, tying Maxwell’s “Fortunate.”
Scott promoted the record with The Light of the Sundays, online Essence interviews, and an iTunes LP with exclusive images and videos. Scott also toured with Budweiser’s Summer Block Party.
Opening artists Anthony Hamilton and Mint Condition sold out arenas nationwide. Doug E Fresh and DJ Jazzy Jeff hosted. The video for “So Gone (What My Mind Says),” featuring Paul Wall, premiered on E! Online on September 13, 2011.
It topped Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list at No. 28. Scott’s song “Hear My Call” has a video. Scott won Outstanding Female Artist, Outstanding Music Video (“Hear My Call”), Outstanding Song (“So in Love”), and Outstanding Album for the project (for the whole of The Light of the Sun).
Woman, Is Her Fifth Studio Album
Scott said during her performance at the Essence Festival that she wanted to make an album of lullabies. The first album she put out on Atlantic Records was called “Woman.” The album sold 58,000 copies in its first week and went straight to the top of the Billboard 200 Albums Chart.
Verzuz battle
On May 9, 2020, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu had the first live stream battle between women. During the three-hour Instagram live, the two friends live-streamed their hits and songs they had written for other artists. Michelle Obama, Spike Lee, Quincy Jones, and Janet Jackson were among the more than 700,000 people who watched the battle.
Other Performances and Writing Songs
Dave Chappelle’s 2006 concert film, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party, has footage of her live performance with members of The Roots and Erykah Badu in 2004. The footage also includes a performance with Badu.
Scott’s song “It’s Love” was covered by the UK dance group Goldtrix, who changed the name to “It’s Love (Trippin’)” and had singer Andrea Brown sing it. The song reached number six in the UK’s top ten charts.
“Daydreaming,” which is a song by Lupe Fiasco, also has Jill on it. In 2008, South West Beats (with Claudia Patrice) also did a cover of “It’s Love (Trippin’).” In the Rockstar Games video game Grand Theft Auto IV, the song “Golden” is played on an R&B-themed radio station.
She was just on W.A.R., a 2011 album by Pharoahe Monch (We Are Renegades). Also, Jill is one of the artists who appear in Kirk Franklin’s 2011 video “I Smile.” “Jackin’ Jill” by Substantial came out in 2012.
This album was made to honor Jill’s voice and songwriting skills. She was on Dr. Dre’s third album, which came out in 2015. She was on The Hamilton Mixtape in 2016.
Music Genre
Her music genre are; R&B, soul, neo soul, hip hop, spoken word, jazz.
Movie, Acting Career
She began acting in 2000 on the encouragement of director Ozzie Jones. She joined a Philadelphia theatrical fellowship. She debuted in Neighbors from Hell by Tyler Perry.
She traded mundane employment for acting classes for two years. Scott played Donna, William Dent’s love interest, in many Girlfriends episodes in 2004. (Reggie Hayes). She was in Cavedwellers with Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.
In 2007, Scott appeared in Hounddog (as Big Mama Thornton) and Why Did I Get Married? Scott played detective Precious Ramotswe in Anthony Minghella’s 2008 film The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.
Scott recorded further episodes in Botswana in late 2008, co-funded by the BBC and HBO, which aired on BBC1 in March 2009 and on HBO on March 29, 2009. BBC and HBO are considering a second season.
She voiced Storm on Black Panther in 2010. She appeared on Law & Order: S.V.U. on March 24, 2010. Why Did I Get Married Too? featured her as Sheila (2010). The August 2009 film was released April 2, 2010.
In the same year, Scott played Nona, an alcoholic mother confronted by her estranged daughter. Scott won the 42nd NAACP Image Award for her part in Sins of the Mother.
Scott on VH1 Storytellers in May 2012. “Golden” and “He Loves Me” were performed. She matched wigs and costumes to each song.
In 2012, she starred in a version of Steel Magnolias with Queen Latifah, Alfre Woodard, Phylicia Rashad, Adepero Oduye, and Condola Rashad. Dolly Parton created Truvy Jones. Scott appears in “The Human Kind” in December 2012.
She starred in Baggage Claim (2013), based on David E. Talbert’s 2005 novel. In January 2015, she starred in With this Ring with Regina Hall and Eve.
Scott has played Lady Eve, a criminal empire ruler and Black Lightning’s nemesis, on the CW’s Black Lightning since 2018. ((wikipedia))
Scott featured in the 2019 TV adaption of the 1996 comedy First Wives Club. Ryan Michelle Bathe and Michelle Buteau star in the BET Plus show. Season 2 was ordered.
