Jill Scott’s Debut Turns 20 This Weekend: Here Are Seven Lessons From the Album

Author Glennisha Morgan

July 17th, 2020 5:00 AM

Jill Scott released her debut album Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 on July 18, 2000. She hit the scene and offered a seamless mixture of soul, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, and spoken word with the album, which has since been certified two times platinum by the RIAA in the United States.

“Y’all ready to settle down and, and get with this? You know settle into this feeling?” Scott can be heard saying on the intro of her debut album, affectionately titled “Jilltro.” “Cause you know it’s a lot of love here…love, love, love.”

Whether listeners were ready or not, Jilly from Philly helped her fans “settle into” the feeling she referenced on her Jilltro. With Scott’s smooth soprano and raw storytelling capabilities, the singer offered some life gems. And below we listed seven of them to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1.

7 Takeaways From Jill Scott’s Debut Album

• 1) “Queens shouldn’t swing,” but sometimes you have to have to let a person know your boundaries. 

  Share

  On "Gettin' in the Way," Scott sang, "Queens shouldn't swing if you know what I mean, but I'm about to take my earrings off give me some Vaseline." On this record, the singer reminds us of the importance of setting boundaries. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

• 2) Sometimes, silence is golden.

  Share

  On "A Long Walk," Scott sings, "Maybe we can take a cruise and listen to The Roots/Maybe we can eat some passion fruit or maybe cry to the blues/ or maybe we could just be silent." Scott reminds us that silence doesn't always have to be uncomfortable. (Photo by Aaron Davidson/Getty Images for Jazz in The Gardens Music Festival)

• 3) Love starts with self. 

  Share

  On "One is the Magic #" Scott sings, "So many times I define my pride/Through somebody else's eyes/Then I looked inside and found my own stride/I found the lasting love for me/If I am searching for my spirituality, passionately/I must begin with me." On this record, the singer reminds us that love and validation starts within. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
• 4) Sometimes, love has us “buggin.”

  Share

  On "It's Love" Scott sings, "They say I'm crazy, the way you got me open, baby/They say I'm buggin', the way I'm time-swept your loving/They all sit and wonder why/This feeling I cannot hide." On this song, Scott reminds us that love can often make us act unusual. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CMT)

• 5) Sometimes, you and your homies have to connect some other time.

  Share

  On "The Way" Scott sings, "Go 'head, really, get your groove on/'Cause tonight my man's coming through, yes/We gonna have to connect some other time/As much as I like to shake my thing on the dance floor/I got another nasty freaky, just right way in mind " On this track, Jilly from Philly reminds us that sometimes we just need a date night with our significant other(s.) (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images for NAACP Image Awards)

• 6) We might need a social media break.

  Share

  On "Watching Me," Scott sings, "Hawking, watching, scoping, jocking/Scrutinizing me/Checkin' to see what I'm doin'/Where I be/Who I see/How and where I make my money/What is this?" On this track, Scott talks about the government watching us. However, we often give up a slew of information on our own. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for 2017 ESSENCE Festival)
• 7) Actions sometimes speak louder than words.

  Share

  On "Show Me," Scott sings, "You're constantly talkin' about how much you love me/Want me, need me, you told me stop talkin'/No more conversation necessary/show me, show me, show me, show me, show me, show me, show me," reminding us that sometimes we need to be shown how a person feels about us, not told. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET)

Get The Foxy 99 Big Hittas Club Newsletter Delivered To Your Inbox

Get the latest music, entertainment, and local stories, plus exclusive contests, games, and more.

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.

Author Glennisha Morgan

Category:

• Foxy99
• Music
• Music News

Tags:

Jill Scott