Questlove Supreme: Jill Scott (Part 1)

Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio.

Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome to another episode of Quest Love Supreme.

Here on iHeart first of all our family. What's up like you?

Hey? Yes?

How are you doing?

Why?

Why he can be sideye already me?

I'm not giving you said, I'm excited?

Are you?

Oh?

No? No, I know this this is yeah.

Let me just bypass you guys some pay bill and far Tickeola.

I'll get into it.

Yeah.

We've been waiting for.

This episode, probably longer than we care to actually stay on the records. I don't know why it's taken almost three and a half years for us to finally bring to fortune. Uh the Jill Scott episode. I can't say enough about this woman. She helped me get my first Grammy, and I appreciate that. Jill Scott, she saved my life. She gave me my first and only hit, Wow, why only hit? No, Ladies and gentlemen, Jill Scott is much more than that to me.

She's actually she's literally one of my.

Favorite artists ever, accomplished poet, singer, actress. Yes, extraordinaire, Please welcome to Quest of Supreme.

Finally, one and only Jill.

Wait, Joe, what's your middle name? I'm gonna look this up on the internet. Jill, Wait, why don't we know your.

Like?

Wait a minute, Jill, did you take your middle name off of the Internet?

Internet?

Yes, you did?

W is it barbarabody?

Got a black ass middle name? Lady Scott, it's probably.

I like lo Renal.

Wait, are you trying to tell me that your middle name will never be known to the world?

Ever?

If you search hard enough, you'll find it.

Jill is really secret, Like she didn't even want to tell me where she was at. She didn't want to tell me where her house was.

Not even a state. Yeah, not even because you're a Philly for life.

Yeah, no, Philly all day?

And what.

I just like balance, man. I try to find a place where people don't know me at all for anything, and I go there and it's great. We have conversations about something and nothing. We get angry with each other and you know, call h O A on each other.

It's nice.

You're trying to tell me that you you're in a circle in which people may or may not know who you are.

That's right, No, not impossible. They are white.

I believe that I can believe that Yes, there's white famous, and then there's black famous.

Yes, and white famous yes, and the white famous and uh no incomes texts, no state income text All that made sense to me an Acreage, I was like, yep, I mean.

Wait, there's another place that's not Delaware that does this.

Yeah, I mean I'm in Tennessee. Oh be good, she said it. I was scared she was gonna get us up if we said it. Oh yeah, I won't fight you, probably.

Nigga, I'm scared of you.

You know that.

The first song was getting it. Let me tell you about basilinay.

I never forget Jill, Jill am.

I story time.

Story time?

Can I sell you all the first seven words I ever heard Jill Scott ever say? Okay, So, Jill Scott is best friend with a mutual friend of ours, Leslie Arnette Pina. Leslie is the voice of oh on Lazy Afternoon?

Or do you want more? Right? So, I believe maybe this is when Leslie's cutting it.

I'm not certain, but what I do know is that she brought her girlfriend down to the studio with her. Now, what makes this even crazier I'm not knowing that the guy that Jill was once dating is also currently messing with a roommate of someone that I lived with in the house that I was living in during the Do You Want More?

Period?

This sounds like an episode of Insecure. So it's all I know.

It's terrible.

This is all I know. It's terrible, not sight unseen.

I sat down on the couch and she must have gotten the news that that he did her wrong.

And she said, and the most.

Think of the most Oprah Harpo voice you can muster up, she said, She said, Jill.

Scott, lady gentlemen. Yes, yeah, yep, Heather. Oh god, I don't know what I was doing. Internet just told me. I don't know what I was doing.

I was either midshew, I don't know if I was at my lunch or reading something. But I was like, oh, I'm scared of this woman forever.

What happened to him, what happened to do was gonna get cut off whatever. Let's see. What do I know? I know that.

Story at the house.

This I can't tell you the rest.

It's so bad.

I think the special limitations is that I think you can go in Okay.

So I went to the house. I went to the house, and and she was there at.

The house, right he right, sorry, right.

Drinking my kool aid out of the glass I bought. YEP, I happened to have a razor blade.

Oh boy, all right, this is question of supreme Thank you, gentlemen.

Yeah, keep going. Everyone lived, Everyone lived, but his wardrobe didn't live.

His ward.

Kind of everything.

And it was ever Erackey era everything and not on the scene.

Where you can.

Settle something for me, Jill, was he at all? Was he at all involved in music? Because I have another issue with him three weeks later. Now, mind you, this guy is messing with a girl that lives in my house, and he steals my drum machine.

Dog.

I put two and two together way after the fact, like you all just tarantinoed your way into my timeline, and then I had to put the story together to realize what was going on.

But he also, I have reason to believe that he stole one of my drum machines that house probably, and so yeah, but that's how that's that's how I had And then.

The second Yeah.

But the second time, Jill was made three grand.

Entrances in my life before I even started a real conversation.

With her.

Now.

The second one was a little blurry because at the time I was at Richmond Dina's house. It was like a barbecue whatever, and it was like a spades tournament. And one of my greatest shames is also I learned late, right, so that that part's a little blurry. But I remember Jill there. But the third time with meeting Jill was at a poetry slam in West Philadelphia around fifty fourth and Baltimore Avenue.

I don't remember this.

You don't remember this, no, you all right?

So I believe either to Peter Mason introduced you, somebody a fellow poet introduced you, and you cut her off before it was like ladies and gentlemen, we're going to bring up someone to the stage, and and then all of a sudden, from the back you went into Jo Diesses freaking.

You from the audience.

So it was like ladies and gentlemen, Okay, that was Ursula Rucker of Richmondina and you know coming up next as a sister from North Philadelphia, right, But no, man, it was like you know how like Felicia was shot over Nazi eight where's like like her last name is Alan, like Felicia Airs Allen or Debbie Allen from.

The back of the room every time I closed, and.

We lost our ghosts, like who the fuck is this? And she's just like slowly walked to the stage. It was like our were collectively wagging, like the fuck is that?

And I don't remember that at all.

Did I miss out on Jill's sexy poet like whole sexual poetry thing?

That dog? You weren't there for that? No, I heard nothing to be fucking yeah. In nineteen ninety nine, I think you gotta be in.

Sixteen Oh pudding.

Pud' there's a wink in there.

No, but I believe two three weeks later this is when you got me sort of.

You started coming around the Sigma with Scott.

So Nope, no, Jill tell a story. No, No, I don't. I don't remember Baltimaring. It was so much poetry at the time. We were everywhere trying to earn fifteen dollars anywhere by miss his birthday parties, theaters, libraries. I was everywhere, just trying to earn a living as a poet. So I really don't remember that. But I do remember the night I met Yoe. Now we were on a I'm trying to remember the brother's name. He had a small record store, and he had closed the record store out

That was Rich's spot. Oh, Keith my current my current product manager.

Years later, Yeah, it was Keith. Look at that.

Okay, Yes, in South Philly.

Yes, so I think we were there, if I'm not mistaken. And I read something and I came off and you said you do you write songs? And I lied, I said yes, which I did not do, and you were like, okay, Bet, I'm going to hook you up.

You should come to the studio.

Had I been to a studio yet? I don't even think I had been to a studio anywhere except of the night I met you at Aga Sigma Sigma Sound, where I met you. That was the first time I had ever been in the studio. This will be the second. So you hooked me up with Scott Storch, who I knew only because I had seen him play in the keys at every jam session and every time that I saw you guys perform. You know, Scott was there. You You asked me if I could write a song. I said, okay,

You Got Me?

Was that the first generation? Like you gave him your first draft or you.

Yeah, wow, Yeah, there were seven songs, but you got Me. I still that cassette You Got Me was number three. You worked on seven sketches. You Got Me was number three, And when I heard it, I said to myself, this song's going to change my life.

I knew ten seconds in when you sang it.

I was like, this HiT's going to change my life, and instantly ran downstairs to Dave Ivory's room and Scott happened to be there, and we just cut it right on the spot because I knew. I wanted to get it out the way before like Rich and Tariq caught demo itis.

I was like, this song's going to change my life. So before Rich.

And Tarik hear it in its current state and get demo itis and be like, Nope, this is the version of that we're going to, I was like, let me do the drums right now. And then there's there's a whole nother like eight hour story of even the Battle of drum and bass music at the end of it.

That was a.

Dog because then it was like, dude, why are you why are you going to ruin the song? Like just be like was Rich's whole JOm was like, look, stay straight ahead whatever, and I was like, no, this is a drumming bass song because initially I wanted to whole song to be that, and Rich was like, oh yeah that one, keep it straight ahead, and so you know, and the compromise of it all was like, Okay, at the end, you get your little prize at the in the Cereal Box.

Okay, here, we're still waiting for that part too. Like I just knew.

It was just every time you talk about that story, I'm gonna just say it should have been part two to that song. We had part two, part three. We ended up having so many versions of the.

Songs live yeah on the Roots, on the Things Fall Apart Box at.

Two dollars Bill performance. That's probably still one of my favorites ever in DC.

Right, yeah, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. I was there.

We are, we are, We're jumping the gun. We're in nineteen ninety nine. Jill Scotty, Where were you born?

Where are you born.

At Albert Einstein Hospital in Philadelphia?

You want to be blue?

N O r F North Philly.

Oh N O r F yep, North Philly?

Where? Okay? Where in? Because North Phillies is anything above.

Broad Street to me, like Gotts Avenue or like, what what's like here in North Philly?

I'm Lee High? Oh yeah, Lee High, Broad Lee High Avenue.

Okay, that's banging. Now what was it? Then?

It was? It was the bottom. Yikes, it was the bottom.

Then that's near j Street.

I don't know Jade Street, all right.

It's.

In the big shooting Like really, that's many, many, many shootings. You know where Dobbins is Dobbins Vocational High School. I taught there for a couple of months, but I lived around the corner from Dobbins.

You're a school teacher too.

I'm an English teacher.

Wow here Harley new Yee. Okay, so in growing up in Philadelphia? Like all right, first of all, how did you cause? The thing is that, if you're saying you're in North Philly, especially growing up in the eighties, getting out of North Philly is an achievement on its own. Yes, indeed, sir, So what was life like navigating through North Philadelphia.

You know what I really you know, I know that it was tough. I know that there was there was a lot of murders. There were a lot I lost a lot of like, well, we all lost a lot of young men. Early one summer, we lost like seven young guys. You know, I knew them all. They were drug dealers, but I you know the drug dealers that I knew. They carried my mom's groceries home. You know, they wrote me poetry, they said on they said on my steps and let me read the Megarall and Poe.

It was.

It was beautiful. You know. There was neighbors who played the guitar and kept their screens open and so you could hear it. There were neighbors that everybody swept, you know. And then then crack came. Crack came like a thief in the night and just destroyed everything good not everything. There were still good people around, but it made it really hard.

You know.

I definitely got shot at. I definitely had to fight a lot, and then I thought of ways of trying to not hurt anybody because I thought I was going to end up in jail if I didn't figure it out. So, you know, my mom took me to Juvie. I saw some stuff in there and I was like, Okay, I don't have to worry about me. No, she took me to juvi Want some scared straight John, Yeah, before there was a scared straight. She was like, you should you know, I get. She didn't tell me where we were going.

So I figured out other ways.

Step to everybody, I don't well, I do, I do.

I have a sister from my father.

But you grew up the loon child. Yeah, household.

Yeah, so you didn't have the story of I'm gonna get my cousin to fuck you up, like there's none of that.

My cousins hated. My cousins hated. I could read through her words that Jill didn't have a problem being able to fight, because that was the problem that you were started being good at it.

It sounded like like you It wasn't.

I don't. I would never call it. I think.

It was. It was you didn't lose that too often.

It wasn't. It just wasn't fair. You know, I didn't know how to stop. I didn't know how to win a fight and stop, So I don't really. I try my best not to be in that position, to the to the very end, to the bitter end, to the you're going to jail in And I didn't want that for myself. I was scared of it. So I embraced every possible way to be kind and loving and open in my hood. So and try at the same time not to be a sucker, you know, to get played

Good got in and subsequently went back there to teach.

No. I went to girls High okay, but I taught at doc events and I realized I wasn't going to make any money, which is so foul to this day. That I wasn't going to make any money, and I wasn't going to have any kind of support. There's no support for teachers. My principal told me I was young and idealistic and I would get over it and I quit. I quit everything that day, like this sucks. There's gotta be something else. And then Ozzi Jones, I don't know if you got y'all know.

Izzy, Yes, yes Jones.

Izzy Jones called me the day I quit everything and said, Yo, there's an apprenticeship at the Ardent Theater Company. Do you want to try out for it? It's one hundred and fifty dollars a week. You're gonna end up working somewhere between fourteen and sixteen hours a week, but you'll get free acting classes and you'll learn everything about theater.

What do you say?

And I auditioned and I had several meetings and I was the oldest and the only black person in the building. One thing begat another Yeah.

So wait, so no freedom theater, none of this stuff ever comes into.

Your No, I wish I couldn't afford.

Were singing in church as as a young like none of.

That didn't grow up in church.

Wait, so that meant that story about you, It was a story about you.

Not being a part of freedom, but that like you actually used to help clean up and do stuff around the building.

That's not true.

The cleaning up part came later when I was in college. But uh, that was that was just because I thought it was dope. But I couldn't afford classes. Where you go to school Temple, which one I went for two years and I took off a year, went for three years, took off two years.

Came back were major.

No. No, I don't even know how many times I went to Temple. I don't.

It was just a blur, I swear to you.

I just was trying to finish, to be the one in my family who finished school. And you know, they ended up giving me a honorary PhD, which I took.

And I took that, Scott, I went that.

On my passports so bad, like I don't know how to get that done. I'm trying to tell you the first, the first degree I earned. After that, they gave me the next and the next. Food. I'm cool with it. I'm good with it.

Damn, Jill. I would have I would have known you, yo.

I got in the creative and performing arts. I really would have known you.

I would have went to Kapa.

Why got into both schools to girls Hiding and Kappa, and I was terrified I was terrified of that neighborhood. I was like, I already got enough ship. Now I'm going to south neighborhood. I'm scared, like they're gonna kill me.

They're gonna try to.

You said that like all day. Julie pronounced A scared s K A E R D T scared.

I was scared. I was like, they're going to kill me. I can't go here. That was at the audition, and I changed my mind and I got in as a writer.

You're creative writing major.

I was a creative I would have.

The English teacher.

Yeah, I would have been, but I changed my mind and went to girls high instead.

That is crazy. Okay, okay, so wait, did you know Sean in high school?

I did?

We went on together?

Manager?

You know Sean in high school?

Wow? Said she just said that.

Yeah, but we weren't sure.

You were surely prom day?

No, we went on a prom together. We all went and sat together.

We were same thing.

Yeah, how many Sean?

Uh?

It was me and my date, him and his date Court and in his date, so it was six of us. That's right. Wow, that's dope. That a story of you and Sean, Like what an evolution Oh yeah, I think I met him when I was I was fourteen. I had to be fourteen or fifteen. I think I might have been fifteen. But I got pictures of a young showing in my office somewhere.

We need this black mail material.

Oh come on, y'all, wait damn I know, wait a damn ship because I know Sean's gonna listen to this episode.

I got some really good on showing.

You got, you got some tapes, you got some rap tapes?

What you got?

What you got?

Man?

I scoured the earth for Showan's record. O, my god, are you gonna pull up? All right? Wait, here's the here's the thing.

Now, I got it. And he, you know, like he sounds like it's straight. He's straight ll eighty five like.

Right now, fante, he said he talked to his whole style.

That's what he says sounds.

But the thing is that Sean was like the family star Tarika Fomo because, like, you know, Thanksgiving, Sean asked twelve and single out.

And was getting played on local radio.

Blowie B was like, you know, and Tarik was like, way they get a load of me.

And then that's what inspired to ree to like step up.

That Sean and Tica are cousins because most people up.

Yeah, but this is where it even goes deeper. Angela Nissel my Angie, former Okay player, partner in current writer at Mixed Dish. One day she asked me for like some interstitial rap music, Like do I know, like a real cheap, random rap song that's like kind of bad from like nineteen eighty five eighty six, like when they do a flashback thing like that time back in nineteen eighty five.

Yeah, then right, And so.

I was this close to getting that song clear on Mixed Dish, but I would have had to I would have to been the owner of the publishing to make it happen.

Damn.

Oh god, yeah, because I wanted to be something where like se is just watching TV and it just hurt fem.

How do I get this?

Oh, since I get off this phone, I will send it to you.

Yeah, I've been saving I've been saving this record for like the right woman to drop it.

I save this.

You know what I want?

I mean, I want to hear the other six songs that Scott and I did. What happened to them? I don't know if you have them, but I'm curious because.

Yeah, my first time with Scott not having Babbage, not having baggage, right Babbage, Babbage, Oh Babbage right Babbage?

Oh real weird?

Yeah yeah, Scott. Scott was on the whole other level.

I was like, wait, wait, wow, this is this is wonderful, this is a beautiful sensation. Yeah. Yeah, that was Scott's at work.

At what point, even though you didn't have a traditional uh experience or community theater experience as most of our guests do. Oh, like, where does music play in your life for at least the first four miative years? Like your first eight years? Like, what was the first record you ever brought of? The first concert you went to and allowed?

I said, well, she allowed to have it?

Yeah yeah, wait.

Yeah right, blowing a dark record player. I was allowed. Let's see, I my first record. I don't know the first record, but I took the Whiz to my third grade show and tell.

And everybody hated it. I was devastated. I me, something was wrong with those people.

You played the wi.

And they hated it.

So you brought the records to school? Yes, and they didn't appreciate it as.

Much at all.

They thought it was awful.

They booed I was like, you're all insane. I'm out of here.

I'm not what was your jam on the record?

Jail?

Oh Brandon Day. You know how I know how you are about the Wiz, Like, yes, the Wiz poster is in a frame above my son's toilet.

I think the Wiz is a great horror movie. Dude.

You know what.

The Wiz is a hard cell.

It is.

One night, one night, I just I conducted experiment. It was one of these nights where where we had like Thanksgiving run uh, like a tour. I had Thanksgiving off, but not enough to really like plan anything with family. So this time I was stuck with a bunch of people that I work with. We call them white people, and I was wondering when you were to me and I was like, I want to see how white people react.

To the Wiz.

Oh this is good.

Yo. It freaked them out.

It was to them it was like an acid trip, like and watching the Wiz through their eyes.

Then they were like, yo, this is the scariest ship we have ever seen.

Like now as a kid, like watching the Wiz and when Eveline's when her nails nails go backwards and get the fuck out of here man. That was I think we were just happening to see black people. I think that's what it was. We was like, we got Michael Jackson, we got Dan A. Ross, Like we're just happened to see black people acting.

But but the force were so perfect. Black man can't catch cab in New York City, Yeah, the young woman who can't get out of the house, you know, still living at home with her mama. You know, all of those things that were actually occurring, to poppy fields or the hookers on the street, you know all of that. It was the metaphors were perfect for the hood. It was. It was wonderful. As a writer, I just fell in love. And then I met Quincy Jones and was like, I

It's you know what it was, Okay, as the elder statesman of this crew, because you all were three at the time when it came out, I'm saying that to watch like the morning that it came out, and to watch it in its first run, I had to stand. I had to stand in line for three and a half hours. You remember the Sam Eric say that the movies like you saw it. You know, I'm just saying, yeah, I was like, oh shit, no, no, no, no, the Wiz.

Yeah, by higher level.

So I know that there is also points off of that of just craulually not understanding got Tony.

I mean, what are we talking about it?

I know, but The Wiz is a hard cell now recently watching it.

It's a hard cell.

Recently watching it, I realized what Jill was saying, like, oh, man, there's a lot of the Whiz could also be like a self esteem motivational package, because I saw it in a whole different light now post therapy, life coach and that stuff.

And then I was like, oh, okay.

I see the lessons alive. You're standing straw.

Steve. Have you ever seen I saw The Wiz and I saw the sequel Whiz Wit. Wait what I thought that joke would do better? I don't say there's a try to keep up reloaded.

I wanted another one. I really I still want another one, but it couldn't.

Okay, So what's the second what's this plot line of the Wiz?

What's the second? What would be the next the sequel in the Wiz? Like, what's the storyline?

It would have to be a lost Dorothy. A lost Dorothy meaning she doesn't know who she is or how to be. She's trapped in a world where she's uh, I don't know, weaved out and uh contacted and what it may be. But I think I think there's a lot of like that going on.

Version of Wicked, just like they have it now.

You know, I love Wicked. That was because it was so good. The sequel to the Wizard of Oz.

Was like, Yeah, what's better the movie or the soundtrack.

For the Wiz. Yeah, I'm gonna go with.

The movie because there's dancing allans. Soundtrack doesn't make sense unless you've seen the movie.

And it's weird because the soundtrack is technically a story. It's a movie without visuals, which is why I think it was a hard sell for Jill to get a bunch.

Of third kids, third and fourth grade class.

Home teachers playing for them.

No I was a student.

Oh okay, Yeah, they booed live anywhere. Y'all think home can live anywhere?

Yeah, but what does that mean?

What does home mean of the song? I'm just saying the song, Oh yeah.

Anywhere, anytime, anybody. But I wouldn't want to see. I wouldn't want to see like pop stars sing it. I wouldn't want to see I would like to see, like, grab some folks out of Juilliard, you know, and have them portray these incredible people to make it stick to it has ribs, you know, not just you know, fancy characters. I don't want to see that. I would like to I would like Dorothy to have guts. I would like her to be afraid.

What was it like for you to perform in front of Michael Jackson at the thirtieth anniversary performance or was that just a weird experience altogether?

It was a very strange experience. I got there and honestly, it felt like nobody was there about before Michael Jackson, no one, And that bothered me a lot because I had turned down a role with Denzel Washington to be there because I really really wanted to honor Michael Jackson and I was doing the Whiz, so it meant a lot to me. And I got there and it just felt like nobody was about it, like nobody was really

Story short, was your idea was to do? What to do?

You can't win? To have the scarecrows, the whole thing, the dancing. I think they had Fatima on board at the time to choreograph the thing. I wanted to present him the Whiz, you know, the way that he did it as best as I could with all of my heart. And uh, that didn't work out. They kept adding other people and then added something from the Wizard of Oz to honor e Liza Minelli, who was his homegirl. And I was like, what the fuck? And I got on stage and I looked to the left and there was

What year was this.

Two thousand and one and the next day eleven, The next day was nine to eleven one.

Because I know that there were I.

Don't know, I only had I did one and then I saw it. It was on TV one night years later, and I wasn't even in it, and I was like, did you ever get to circle back? And like did you ever speak with him? Did you ever get to have contact with Michael? I just talked to him on the phone he called me one time to say that he liked me, and you know, that was it. I was on tour and and he just called to say that he liked me, and he was gonna send me a hat that I never got. Yeah, I didn't. I

I'm you've had.

You must have had quite a few moments of like those industry clarity moments. I know Fonte has them all the time too, when you just like.

This is where I wanted to be.

Man, you mean as far as diminished returns are concerned.

Yeah, I mean the reality of this reality.

So how long is it before it kicks into you? Now, I got into an unfortunate place where the only way that I could navigate my way through those disappointments was to then lower myself and lower my spirit to a place where I constantly just came in enough to be disappointed exactly, which is really putting a band aid over a bullet wound because it might help cope with that moment, But in the long run, that didn't service like my soul or my being and enjoying life and that sort

I'm like, wait a minute, you had Prince.

Yeah, yeah, but.

Meeting him was a very big be careful for what you ask for it because I meant, I'm not saying it wasn't idea. I mean we had great moments where it was fun and it was like everything I dreamed about playing with my idol.

But there were a lot of I mean you've seen that stuff.

There are a lot of moments that were like, ah, man, it was better off in my head, the idea of my head of Prince than what I got dealt with.

There are a couple of things. One is I'm really grateful that I grew up as a Jehovah's witness. I had posters of new addition on my wall.

I loved them.

I talked to them my grandmother. I came home one day and my grandmother took all my posters down and she said, you're idolizing these boys. And I was like, no, I'm not, No, I'm not. And she's like, you're in there talking to them and telling them how you feel.

They're they're painful.

No man is above you and no man is beneath you. I was devastating. I didn't like my grandmother for a long time.

That's real shit. Shit, Yeah, they cost you twenty bucks.

This is the shits of it all. You have these dreams and you have these ideas of what the world is supposed to be like, and it is what it is.

So what do I do.

I take the good wherever I can find it, and I hold on to that as hard as I can. That's all I can do.

The rest.

I see it for what it is, and you know, I'll forgive it for because it's whack. You know, I'll just forgive it because just cousin keep pushing. There's no need to hold on to that shit. It's disturbing and disappointing.

But you know has there been times in your career where it may have been someone that you met, like a younger artist or just anyone where you think you may have came across the wrong way to them and kind of in the disappointment of them, and you had to kind of go back and clear up and be like, yo, I didn't really mean it that way, or whatever, like have you ever found yourself on that side of the transaction.

I'm certain. I'm certain because I'm not, you know, perfect, I'm certain that they caught me in the middle of something and I'm trying to deal, just to deal. I remember this is a you know, an advanced artist.

But I saw sha Ka Khan. I was so excited.

I was like, oh my god, you're so beautiful.

You please love me so much.

And we're at the Grammys. I think I won that time. So I'm walking around like, oh ship, you know, I want to write shoes. I wore flip flops. You know, my feet don't hurts, so my personality is good, you know. I'm so excited. And one of her folks comes over to me and they're like, miss miss Khan is upset with you. I said, Miss Khan, who is a Shakaka is upset with me, so I don't know, but I'm going over there to find out because it's Shaka Khana

I was like, Wow, I'm glad you clear up.

I'm so glad that I had the good sense to go over there. We laughed hysterically. I was like, you know what I end, but.

Whatever, Like who got the goal to say that? Ship to you? Ms conn for real? And me me?

You know, how could I call? I was like, oh my god, this is this is crazy but very funny.

These things happen. These things happen.

What are the what are the beginning steps that starts with you getting your record deal?

Wait a minute, First of all, can you clear up something?

I'll try What was is Hidden Beach Michael Jordan's label? And I'm only asking this because I'm so obsessed with the ESPN thirty for thirty Michael Jordan's last dance documentary thing?

Yeah I was.

I think I was told that Hidden Beach was his label or something like like what is what was Hidden Beach?

Well?

Hidden Beach?

Steve Keith and Michael Jordan invested. It was I think, like the major investor in the face of.

At the time.

I didn't know if if Steve or Michael, if Michael like started the label and then had him running or whatever.

No, but it was it was incredible to be around him. And uh, he certainly put me in really nice rooms. Sure, yeah, yeah, he kind of liked me a little bit. And I was glad I got a chance to see some things and taste some things I didn't know existed. I was like, what is this you say, don't.

Yeah. One of my buddies, a buddy mine from down here, Charles Whitfield, he was around that time. And yeah, I've heard a lot of those stories, the m J stories a.

While, parties, he was parties, all that.

It was.

It was great.

I don't know.

Bulet.

You're gonna tell me.

Later what the Bulet? Oh, the Bulet is the black scaling bones.

And bones and you know, the like Illuminati.

Yeah, the Black they called the Bulet. Didn't want me, Okay, they didn't want me. They recruiting one of my DC friends.

Bill.

That's not for you to know, my friend.

Clearly, thank you.

You don't know, Bill, I don't want to join society.

It's the black the black skull.

And black skull boats.

Okay.

They never wanted me ever, No, I didn't get the form.

I didn't get my bulet.

I mean, it's real quiet because it's in it.

Listen, be in it. Tell us jif so, you've known Amir for a long time, longer than you know of us. Have God, you see him evolve? Who is the who is the person?

You met?

You this question? She's next? How have you seen?

Wow? Okay, in the in the beginning, he was so quiet. He hardly ever said anything to me. He barely ever looked me in the face. And you in my line, you hardly ever looked me in the face. And I was coming in and give me a hug, give me a hug. And I had to, you know, like.

Actually.

Five years ago we were more lovely than you were.

Rich was a lovey.

I didn't want to, you know.

Do you remember you had played? I was on the road with you guys. You had played or something, and you were really tired, and I was like, well, let me massage your ankles. Do you remember this? And I came to your room and massaged your ankles, and you fell asleep.

That's my jail.

By the way, were like, I don't even let my fucker see my ankles.

He's very sexy.

He allowed me that time and he rested, and which is what I hope for. He seems so stressed and tired, and I was like, ankles.

It is rare. Amir did not rest So that was a big right, Okay, I have massaged.

A lot of people in this lifetime.

Just I wish I remembered this.

It's just like you forgot.

I think I can help.

It's not there.

I just think I can help.

Wait wait, side note, side note because wait, wait, side note, because the first time that Erica tells the story of didn't you know, she said the same thing about Dylan and I hit him. I'm like, wait a minute, you had a massage by eric a bad when you was making like she was massaging him as he was cutting up, chopping up the sample, the blue sample.

He's like, I don't remember it happening like that, though it was.

It was anything but sweetness. It was good, and which good.

I'm probably the happiest place in my life right now. Uh, Jill, So that look you, thank you.

I appreciate it. Take that on paid Bill sho a sweat your ward motherfucker.

Though, So now that we did all the soft and can I just ask because the story, because I know that Jill ended up on tour singer you got Me?

But how did we get.

To the point of the different vocalist? And then I want to know?

Okay, so on the verses, here's the deal.

Oh yeah, I want to hear yours.

Here's so.

What I remember was Joe and I had a lunch date. And do you remember us going to Copas two on South Street.

Yeah?

Yeah, Jill.

Jill is one of six people whose demo I actually listened to and actually liked, like envy that it wasn't mine.

The other and I've said the story before.

The other acts were blow Slim Village, little Brother, Jill Scott, Georgia m Maldreu. She's been around along that Jay Davy.

No I heard it.

I never let you forget. He told me I would never sell a record. No no no no.

No no no no no no no no no no no no no.

I forgot. I forgot. I forgot. I forgot.

Now, first of all, this is me, that is met. Does that sound like me or that's sound like Rich Nichols.

That was you.

It sounds like you shut up, Steve Wowe.

Wait, Jill, you brought this up. Before you brought this up. You brought this up, and I and I have issue with this. I don't think I ever said that.

Alternate fact.

No, listen, I remember sitting at the table you handed me your your your discmand Yes it was.

It was nineteen ninety eight.

I still have that, by the way, And.

I remember first I was like, wait a minute, there's someone else in Philadelphia making music.

First of all, I was m vias of the tracks because I didn't know.

You are skating around this one song. I'm just trying to get that.

Not no no, no, no no no, I'm gonna get to that.

But this starts at Copas. It starts at Copas. And she said that. I said never. I don't think that ever.

Like Joe Biden.

Right now, I'm the king, Jill, I'm the king of my thoughts and my words being on the opposite sides of the town. But I don't think there's ever a time in life in which I was not your biggest fan.

So why is it not her a eve?

I'm just just.

I'm gonna get to that. I'm gonna get to that. I'm gonna get to that.

Okay, but Jill, No, no, no, But Jill has always said that in the beginning, I wasn't fully supportive and I said that she would never sell anything, only because I don't think that I thought that, or maybe I just thought like, oh, this is so good that maybe mainstream.

Yeah, I could see that.

That mainstream audience won't get this, but I was instantly in love with it.

I've heard this story about baduism. I haven't heard it about Jill.

Damn. You told her she wouldn't make it without you.

No, no, no, no, no no.

What I heard what you saying? I've read in the magazine.

It was I think it was Vibe or something you heard about the wism and you were like, yo, I like it, but will you know the hood get it?

We'll just right.

I think the things that I love isn't necessarily palatable to mainstream America, and that I was wrong. So maybe that's what I was trying to say, but I in no way was I not. I want to I want to repaint this history between you and I, Jill Scott and saving the record that I was your I mean, if I took a lunch date with you about your music. I've never invited no one to the studio but you, and that includes D'Angelo and Erica and anyone else I've worked with.

You're literally the lone human being. Angelo. He just didn't show up left.

So all right, now you know I heard that quote. I was listening to the episode that quote. It's an inside joke, all right. So now for Liea's story. All right, So the story you got me is I hear it and instantly know that this is going to change my life. I run downstairs from Joe Tarcia's room where Scott's playing it for me.

Me, Scott and.

Rich are listened to the results of him and Jill, and we're like, that's the one. And instantly I told Scott stop playing it because I don't want Rich getting demo.

As we ran downstairs, I did it.

So the German bassed argument was probably like a three day thing, and I was like, okay, great, I'll just do it the regular way. I won't put any fancy, spancy things on it, and I'll do it.

We do the song. It's fucking awesome. So we go to New York and this is what Reek's vocals on and everything is done and done? Or is it just the best? You know what I think?

I think he struggled with the last verse, so I know, all right, So we have other issues going on.

Oh okay, all right, So here's the deal.

Communication in the roots band in the nineteen ninety nine wasn't too.

Much all motherfuckers? Why but we know.

There's something that you guys don't know. Communication and the roots band here isn't two ideas. So here's the all right, so snack number one and you got me? Okay number one. I mean, we've we've made it very public. Malik's codependency problems now becoming a major problem for the band. There have been situations of fights and money.

And all this stuff, and it's sort of like, well is he or is he? What's he doing? Is he drinking too much? Da da da da?

And then you see vals of white powder and shit and so we're dealing with that type of drama. So something happens that gets us kicked out of Sigma because of Malik.

So now Vocal Vocal.

Headquarters are now at Larry Golds at the studio. So problem number one is we're not all in the same place at the same time, working and interacting. So now it's like a factory. Joe Tarcia still likes me because of his history with my father, so sort of like a mirror. You can stay, but you know, Malick and all his running buddies and all that stuff. They gotta do right. So all music's being tracked at Sigma and then we send them to Seventh and Cala Hill to

Oh I even have a part in the ear.

I don't know.

She was Wow, that's no, that.

Was Rique em Mail and come on.

And I mean, look, by this point and we're we're totally skipping over, like the jam sessions that are happening at the house and everyone being at the house. So Jill's a presence, Jaguars a presence, the jazzy fan Nazis are a presence, News a presence. Uh occasionally, you know, ten year old Jasmine Sullivan's the presence and at some

I don't know. They putting a ship out of my carpet. I mean Beanie and and and yeah.

Chris and Nathan those guys, but I don't know them from a cannapign and they're putting it out of my carpet. So I started hating the jam sessions. So once it hit me, wait, wait, this is this is the stripper joint, like the joint with the short hair that's on this record.

Now I'm like, wait a minute, who's this rhyming on the thing?

And it was the same situation, and I was just like yo, like y'all just putting people on this record and not saying shit like this is our hit, Like now we got we already have a voice on here, and now what now another person is doing around like this is our one chance to hit this ball out the park.

There can only be one unknown and now there's like four entities and like what do we do?

So that shit caused like a three week debate argument whatever. So we get the song done, we're playing we're playing it for MCA, and now they're like, okay, we believe in the song, but you know, the girl sings good, but we've like you should have a name to really do that, and we're like no, like.

This, she's killing the ship. She's killing the ship.

So then it became a group meeting of like you got me just started to be a nightmare to deal with. Tarik didn't have a third verse. Now it's like, wait, so now we gotta or who's going to tell Jill?

Who told you Jill?

No one, No, nobody told me?

Wow, nobody told me?

Guys mump at new Flash.

Communication it wasn't the best Wait.

Wait, I want to I want to make an announcement. I want to make an announcement.

Communication was never the strong points.

And it wasn't even like a mean spirited thing.

It was more just like, oh, he'll do it, or he'll do it, or I got other ship to worry about.

That's Jill when she heard it, I.

Remember, all right, I'm just saying that.

Really, their logic was like yo, you know I've heard stories of like well she wasn't marketable d D. This to them was like this is, yeah, she sings great, but she's unknown. And Berna hand beats too in the push and Eric about you said yes and you gotta do it, And then me and Bob Power and Tarique we flew to Dallas, which at that point she was literally it was still I think we did.

You got me?

Maybe early ninety eight, because I know that Dre three thousand. When we got to the studio, Erica just finished whatever she was singing on Outcast's Liberation, so a quim and I wasn't out yet, so I feel like this is early ninety eight.

We get there, we do it.

It was cool, but I didn't have the fire in my soul that I felt with Jill's version. At one point midway, Erica stopped and said, yo, her version is jamming, Yo, Like, why don't y'all just use her version? And I was about to agree, and Rich was like, you know, Rich's whole thing is like, look, let's let's say be it like just attempted a few times in Revenue and you don't work with it. If it doesn't work, then da

To play it a mirror, a mir who gets to play it this week? Who should get to play it this week?

On versus First of all, with this episode, even be it.

Does not matter, people will still want to know.

I just need to know this is after this just yes, this would be afterwards, but still who gets who gets the right to put.

Well, there's two versions of you Got Me, so Erica can play her version from being's small part and from bell part. I say, I say, I would say it's.

Because you did opera, jazz blues, no anybody, that's that's a whole.

It's long, it is long.

It was.

Jill's version of you You Got Me is also one of the things fall apart.

It is twentieth anniversary. It is I think that's rather cute. Go ahead, I was gonna say. I think two things. One, I think Jill.

Should get to play it because she wrote it. Two, I would like to offer my hot take the complexity. Complexity is a far better song than You Got Me.

That's just me. Let's start.

That's complexity because I must give Jill props with complexity because complexity is a very hard word to sing, and you would not said it that so well.

And yeah, complexity is my joint. That's like my favorite roots Jill joint. I love that fucking song. You know what weird We knock that often like fifteen minutes.

I remember it's knocking out very quickly and me actually thinking like wow, this was not the like, thank god, this wasn't the drama that you got me? Was?

There was there.

Lyrics to complexity. When I came in, I don't remember no.

But it just hit me. It just hit me.

You were one of the fourteen for the you Oh my god, we did you know what? Complexity was so easy it made me forget the drama that was that you got me or now you got me to break you off?

To break you.

Remember that?

And you know what's weird? E, this is so weird to say this on the air. Jill, you wrote that bridge break you Off? I forgot she wrote that?

Did she get that crut?

That's what I'm thinking about that right now, Like wait a minute.

Now is your time for all apologies that you have to.

Wait?

I get to Actually I could do a whole episode alone on the drama that was break you Off. By the time it got to Jill, it wasn't even break you off. It was magic Foster whatever it was, your your.

Metaphor magic false magic.

Yea wait, Jill, you don't remember it, like like an old Jill Scott poem.

Okay, so you know the second part, you know the second part that the second part.

Of the song that music sings baby, right.

He changed the words, but that was that was Jill's course, and it was like it was it was some sort of metaphorical uh definition of whatever, like i'll you know, i'll stroke something and then your FOSSi turned.

You know, I wrote that.

Well, the only part they kept was the baby, baby baby, and then you're it's we're different.

But I think I think carbon.

It sounds foreign to you.

I think magic, fawcet, elementary.

No you you break you off. Started with weird enough Keky Wyatt to read, all right, Who's who's the guy that invented the King of Comedy? Uh no, no no, but uh the guy that that promoted the other black Steve Marves, not bi.

Al Hayman.

But whoever that guy is that? I mean, he's the Will Packard of kind of for the comedy. He's the reason why Harvey, Steve Harvey and Mack and and all those, etcric the entertainers are the stars they are now. He's the one that threw the Kings of Comedy that Spike shot. He had an idea to have a black SNL and we shot that, uh that pilot in two thousand and one, and it was like, the Roots were the house band.

Think of SNL.

We shot a blown up with earthquake and whoever the black comedians were that were popping at the time shot this thing, and the Roots were the house band, and Kiki Whatt and Music were sitting in with us and just fucking around.

That's how it break you off gets birthed. And it was like, hey, that song we didn't sound check. That was pretty cool and let's let's do it.

And so then it went for music to I think Alicia had showed us up seven times, and then Joe Lavert did his version, who he technically did the best version.

I want to Jill.

Wrote it, and then that didn't work out, and then I think, yep, that was my plan.

I can se.

That was my plan. It was also Frankie.

Beverly, No no, no, no no.

I had three George Benson, Geraldiver does Frankie Beverly.

I don't know. That was when I was twelve.

That was my list twelve.

That mustache, but okay, yeah.

Maybe I don't really do mature old fast.

I thought he was fabulous because.

I wasn't twelve years old. Think about fucking Aretha Franklin.

When I was right, right, right, yeah, but yeah, that song went around the world. Then then it went to Blaud's version was the most curious because he was crying on his version.

Like.

And then somehow just wound up back to break you off.

But yeah, it's so by the time all that was done then, yeah, complexity was done in like ten minutes.

So I love that song. I love that song.

I like it when it's it's easy like that, when it's you don't even think about it, it's just happening. That's so fun, and then you go on to the next thing. So how did I hear about it? I was on twenty second Street. I was in North Philly. I think I think I was probably headed to my theater job. I don't know, I'm not sure, probably, And it was coming out of one of the hair beauty supply places.

It was on you know how the wa It was on the radio when I heard it, When she heard a radio.

When I heard it for the first.

Time, we are horrible, we trash. Wait, wait, she's.

Still We played the record on the radio.

Wait, no, no, on the It.

Came out of the stores on twenty second Street. I was coming to getting probably a perm or something, and I was walking from the beauty supply place. It was coming out of every store and I heard the beginning and I got all excited. I was like, oh, ship my my inner you know, my inner self. I'm just so pleased and nobody knows. And I was like, oh my god, and even when it comes on, nobody's gonna

Okay, my song?

No? No? I I as a writer to go from ZIP to a Grammy Award winning singer singing your song like I was like, I'm in, I'm in. I can't even deny that. And then you guys were like, well, let's take her on the road. And then I had that horrible lawyer who tried to gank y'all for all of this money. It was horrible. Luckily we were able to work that out.

I didn't even know.

Oh, it was terrible. She was just trying to bleed you dry to sing a hook to one song. I didn't do anything else but sing one hook. And then you took me on the road and and treated me like a newbie and left me in Paris.

Wow.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, that came through. I don't know if you heard that.

Wait what happened? They Pis?

There was a ticket at the desk for me to go home. Luckily, luckily, I got the ticket and had to figure out how to get to the airport, because you know the French, they don't like it if you don't see French. Straight out of fact that I found a way to get through the airport. Through the airport at the time, they didn't have English translation on anything in the French airport. In the Paris airport, you could. You could left my ass in Paris, and I learned everything.

I gotta take a shower. I'm on a bus.

Full of dudes. I can't. I gotta take a shower. So I go in the room and and it's you know how, it's when the woodworks have been painted again and again and again again. Yeah, the bad I questioned. I was like, okay, I can't do that. So I took all the towels and I put them into and I showered and dried off with my clothes and.

Got out of there.

But while I was in the shower, I had my luggage up against the door because on the outside they were like, I told you back my money sold on.

So let me understand that. So this was a hotel, this was a motel. Like you opened the door and it led to outside, It led.

To crazy house. It was a small house with winding steps that they called the hotel that I think they used prostution.

That was the damn halfway house.

That's where I was staying. Yes, samn, Yes, explains a lot, because I bet you on that tour in Switzerland and I was like, man, she showing short with the hello nice Okay she was yeah.

Damn y'all had jill in the lack of wanna blues house.

You guys, I feel like everybody has to have They have to be haze to a certain degree.

You have a writer.

It was the same way with theater. It's the same way with this business. It's the same way with touring.

Y'all would do this.

This is my favorite. You never you didn't smoke. But the guys would be like, yeah, me so, oh is good for that?

No he is, admittedly, so he don't.

It was it was everybody. The only person that was nice to me. Come Al was nice to me, and Comar was nice to me. And Hub would occasionally hub.

Okay, okay.

There was a gentleman there.

Okay.

Yes.

Occasionally he would tell me you're doing okay and I said okay. Other than that, that was it. I learned so much. I learned so much. Thank you? Did I ever tell you thank you? Did I ever tell you? Thank you so so so much my life.

I feel like if we had the sound bite of Miss Sophia saying, woman ain't chasing a house full of men.

Damn Yeah, that's the roughest tour I've ever been on to maintain that fro, that whole tour, that that fro was beautiful.

It made Muhammada go wait, somebody. I feel like.

That my barber had my hair looking like it was gorgeous.

Man, remember barber's.

Oh man, Yeah, thank you so Jill, damn it.

It's okay, okay, it's.

Okay, it's okay.

I've done everything happens for a reason, nothing but none of this would have happened if not for the other thing.

So right, it's like.

Our first real extended conversation has lasted more than an hour in our twenty years of knowing each other, and now I don't.

Understand why she ended up working with jazz.

Jail ladies and gentlemen. You hate to hear it, I hate to say it, but you know, hey, it is what it is. That's only part one of our two part interview with Jill Scott next week. We promise you, promise you more, more and.

More, Jill.

I know, I know it was cool, right and then I had to come in and I know anyway, QLs. We will see y'all next week with part two of Jill Scott.

Thank you All. What's Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio.

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