Jill Scott
GREAT SCOTT!
With a Mix of Soul, Hip-Hop, and Jazz, Rising Star Jill Scott Shines on Her Mind-Blowing Debut
The last time urban music shifted its axis away from petite and precocious young thangs such as Brandy, Mya, and Aaliyah, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill revolutionized soul music by channeling the spirits of Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, and Chaka Khan. This time, the neo-soul revolution opens its flood gates to Philadelphia filly Jill Scott, whose potent concoction of hip-hop, R&B, and jazz has everyone asking, Who is Jill Scott? Barnes & Noble.com's Neo Brentacious found out.
Barnes & Noble.com: You have a unique, poetic phrasing when you sing. How did that style develop?
Jill Scott: It developed over time. After high school, I hung out at jazz clubs. Before that, I did a little classical work and took music theater classes. My mother took me places and introduced me to all kinds of music. So, eventually I put it all together.
B&N.com: In addition to songwriting, what other kinds of writing do you enjoy?
Jill Scott: I do short stories, essays, plays, and I'm working on a book now.
B&N.com: So would you consider yourself a singer or a writer first?
Jill Scott: I would say I'm a singer first, because I don't ever remember not singing.
B&N.com: What are some of your musical influences?
Jill Scott: Gosh, everything. The rhythm of the subway. Playing hand games in school. Those things inspired my first songs. They were really silly and didn't have a lot of meaning, but I was like eight years old.
B&N.com: So what's your all-time favorite CD?
Jill Scott: The Wiz soundtrack to the film version with Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. Quincy Jones produced the soundtrack.
B&N.com: Did you like the movie?
Jill Scott: I loved the movie. "You've got to be seen in green" [she sings]. There's so much symbolism in it that relates to what's going on in today's society. People thinking that there's this Wiz who's going to change their lives. But they don't realize that they have the power to change. You just gotta find it [within].
B&N.com: You once said that you "respect talent, but favor soul." Can you explain that statement?
Jill Scott: The artists who stand out to me have a passion for what they do. There are a lot of people who can sing. It's just like when you go to church and people are singing because it sounds good, not because it feels good. There's a difference.
B&N.com: How do you feel about the comparisons made between you and Erykah Badu?
Jill Scott: In the beginning, I was upset because I felt those were just lazy ears and that they hadn't listened to me at all. They just heard something that sounded similar and figured that we were the same. Automatically, as a black artist, you are clumped together without even getting the chance to show yourself.
B&N.com: Do you feel the same way about someone as legendary as Betty Carter, because you've also been compared to her?
Jill Scott: The difference there is that Betty Carter was doing her thing for umpteen years. Erykah Badu has one album. Say you had two young composers and people said one sounded just like the other. I don't think that would be a compliment. But if they said one of the composers sounded like Mozart -- Mozart's music has lasted for centuries.
B&N.com: I want to get off your connection with Erykah, but she sings the hook you wrote for the Roots' "You Got Me." How did that collaboration come about?
Jill Scott: The Roots and I are both from Philadelphia. They saw me at a poetry reading and asked if I would write something. So I met with the guys and played them the melody to "You Got Me." I had been thinking about how it is when you're in a relationship and your partner is far away doing his thing. For a woman it's one thing, but a man is going to have his worries, too. I just wanted to dispel those fears.
B&N.com: Why didn't you sing the hook?
Jill Scott: Originally I did, but the Roots' record label [MCA] didn't know who Jill Scott was. It was like, "Who is Jill Scott?" And I've heard that so many times throughout the course of my life as a poet, as a singer, as a student, and as a woman.
B&N.com: Your first single, "Gettin' in the Way," is about another woman trying to take your man. How do you feel about the popularity of songs pitting females against one another?
Jill Scott: When I wrote "Gettin' in the Way," it wasn't so much about fighting for my man, but more about handling the situation like a woman. I'm like, "Listen, I'm going to let you know this is what I'm feeling. If you can't respect the fact that I'm in this relationship, then we're going to have to handle this like women." Know what I mean?
B&N.com: Tell me about working with Eric Benet.
Jill Scott: Eric is so talented. I met Stevie Wonder a couple weeks ago and all he could talk about was Eric Benet. He leaves that impression on people. At the same time, working with Eric on "When You Think of Me" [from A Day in the Life] was difficult because he's a perfectionist. His just right and my just right may be different, but he knows what he wants.
B&N.com: Do you plan to make music 20 years from now?
Jill Scott: I don't like to do the same thing all the time. Music makes things so free. I can do rock or blues or jazz. I can go in so many different directions. I don't play any instruments today. I don't rhyme right now, but I may ten years from now. I'm really enjoying the fact that God has granted me a creative spirit.
August 18, 2000
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