Historical Spotlight: Jill Scott
Music truly makes my world go around. I never get tired of listening to my favorite songs or building the perfect playlists for every occasion. Most of my listening statistics include R&B, hip-hop, rap, and soul and has evolved over time as I’ve gotten older. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on Jill Scott, one of my all-time favorite artists who has stamped herself as a legend in Black culture.
Jill is a soulful crooner with legendary hits like “Golden”, “A Long Walk”, “Crown Royal” and many others that have punctuated her almost 26 year career. She’s also dabbled in acting and has appeared in noteworthy titles like Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married, Law & Order, and most recently Abbot Elementary.
Jill was born on April 4, 1972 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was an only child raised by her mom, Joyce Scott, and her grandmom. She grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness and attended Temple University in hopes of becoming a high school English teacher, but dropped out after three years.
Deciding to instead follow her dreams, she began her performing career as a spoken word artist in 2000. She was eventually discovered by Questlove of the Roots and was invited to collaborate on their song “You Got Me”, released that same year. She officially debuted as an artist during a Roots live show and worked to get better by collaborating with fellow artists and touring Canada in a production of the Broadway musical Rent.
She was the very first artist signed to Steve McKeever’s Hidden Beach Recordings label and her debut album, Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1 was released on July 18, 2000. This is hands down one of my favorite albums and it sounds good even 26 years later. I like 11 out of the 18 tracks and the album was certified double platinum.
As a follow up, she released my second favorite album, Experience: Jill Scott 826+ on November 20, 2001. I remember just how hype I was when I realized it was a live album because I felt like I was getting the concert experience right from the comfort of my home. There’s just something about live performances that speak to my soul. I’ve memorized the ad libs and parts of her speaking to the crowd and can recite them almost perfectly too.
She took a few years to release another album, but continued performing and writing her poetry. A compilation book called The Moments, The Minutes, The Hours was published in April 2005.
Her second full length album, Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2 was released a few years later on August 31, 2004. It sold 193,000 copies within the first week and featured my all-time favorite song of hers, “Golden”, with honorable mentions for “Cross My Mind” and “Not Like Crazy”. It was her first number one album and “Golden” was featured in iconic pop culture titles including 2005’s Beauty Shop, 2009’s Obsessed, and Grand Theft Auto IV.
On September 25, 2007, Jill released her third album titled The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3. It was certified gold and featured “Crown Royal”, “My Love”, “Wanna Be Loved”, “Insomnia”, “Whenever You’re Around”, and “All I” that are in consistent rotation for me. In 2008, she released her second live album, Live in Paris, which included only eight songs but also went gold.
In 2010, Jill was sued by Hidden Beach Records for leaving halfway through her six-album contract. She counter-sued before signing a new deal with Warner Brothers in early 2011 that gave her direct control over her marketing and promotions and allowed her to release music under her Blues Babe Records imprint.
Her fourth album, The Light of the Sun, was released on June 21, 2011 and was her first No. 1 debut on the US Billboard 200 chart. It included the fan favorite tracks “So in Love” (featuring Anthony Hamilton) and “So Gone (What My Mind Says)” featuring Paul Wall.
Once her contact with Warner Brothers was up, she signed with Atlantic Records and released her fifth album called Woman on July 24, 2015. It hit number one on the charts and sold 58,000 copies in the first week. Her sixth album, To Whom This May Concern, is expected to be released on February 13, 2026.
She won a Grammy Award in 2005 for Best Urban/Alternative R&B Performance for “Cross My Mind”, in 2007 for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for “God Bless The Child”, and in 2008 for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for her feature on Lupe Fiasco’s single “Daydreaming”. She also won four NAACP Image Awards in 2011 for Outstanding Female Artist, Outstanding Music Video, Outstanding Song, and Outstanding Album.
Jill has been married and divorced twice. She married Lyzel Williams in 2001 after dating for seven years and even wrote “He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat)” about him. They were together for six years before divorcing in 2007. She quickly moved on and married Lil’ John Roberts in 2008. The couple had their son, Jett Roberts, in 2009 and divorced later that year.
With a heart focused on giving back, she created the Blues Babe Foundation in 2003 to help young minority students residing in Philadelphia, Camden, and the greater Delaware Valley pay for college expenses. Jill donated $100,000 to get it started and the program offers financial assistance to students ages 16 to 21. It is named after her grandmother, helping her love to live on eternally.
Jill Scott is a neo soul legend and has continued to show versatility with her songwriting, poetry, and acting skills. If you’re a die hard fan like me or new to her material, I have a great playlist that’ll showcase her amazing talent. It’s crazy that the pandemic in 2020 literally stopped me from seeing her in concert, but hopefully I’ll get to check the experience off my bucket list one day.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
