Is There Beef Between Jill Scott and Mos Def
The Story of The Roots' "You lot Got Me": Why Jill Scott'due south Version Reigns Supreme
Photo Credit: Karl Walter/Getty Images
A retrospective await on The Roots' "You Got Me," and how it spawned two versions — the original with Jill Scott and the re-recording with Erykah Badu.
The next installment of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland'due south Instagram Live series Verzuz won't be the first time that R&B icons Jill Scott and Erykah Badu have faced off. Equally the singers brush off their legendary catalogs in fourth dimension for Verzuz , some viewers may learn of their long-running history behind The Roots' breakout unmarried "You lot Got Me."
Badu and Scott were both female forces of neo-soul in the late '90s. Their silent rivalry came to a head in 1999, equally Badu had become a superstar in her own right following her 1997 debut Baduizm (rapidly followed by a live concert album that same yr). Around the aforementioned time, Scott was a bustling spoken word artist in Northward Philadelphia. She came to know beau Philadelphian Questlove during her stint in the city'south spoken word poetry circuit. Invited to join The Roots during a slew of recording sessions for their fourth anthology, Things Fall Apart, information technology was in August 1998 that Scott co-wrote "You Got Me" alongside super-producer Scott Storch, hopping on the song's delicate chorus. "You Got Me" was a recollection of easing a lover's fears of being led astray despite being physically a role, which Scott spoke to through her assuring and calm vocal delivery.
Because themselves to have struck gilded with Scott's vocals in tote, The Roots sent the "Y'all Got Me" demo to their then-label MCA Records in preparation for Things Autumn Apart 'southward release on February 23, 1999 . Though Scott was a fresh phonation on the rising neo-soul scene — much to the label's dismay — they pushed for Badu to replace Scott, considering her to be a far more than superior, recognizable feature. Hearing Scott's demo, Badu was confused at the group needing to supersede Scott, recognizing her undeniable talent . While The Roots were left disgruntled at their hand existence forced, MCA Records were head above h2o in terms of budgeting their acts, their roster alsoincluding Mos Def, Jaguar Wright, and Common at the time. By replacing Scott with Badu, information technology was a way for the label to recoup costs, along with achieving a mainstream hit.
"Information technology was sort of like the underlying threat of, 'We are non going to push this record to the hilt if yous don't have Erykah on it,'" Questlove told The Philadelphia Urban center Paper in 2001. "I had to tell [Jill Scott] I'm a slave to my tape visitor, and I don't really have that much control."
MCA Records was correct. Released in Jan 1999, "You Got Me" was The Roots' first hit, with the finalized version of the unmarried including Badu and a then-unknown Eve (too based out of Philadelphia). Just as Scott was removed from the commercial unmarried, Eve went amiss in a similar manner and was omitted from the song's music video. Badu, withal, was included in the video, spawning a double gut-dial to both Scott and Eve, which The Roots had about no control of.
"I felt bad most the Eve situation," Questlove said in the sameMetropolis Paperstory . "Considering I didn't know that [MCA] was going to milk Erykah'south name and not really give Eve proper credit. [Eve] definitely felt dissed by united states … And again, I've got to explain that, 'Well, my record visitor controls the last word.' And that's some emasculating shit."
Scott still received proper credit on "Yous Got Me" equally co-writer, but felt raw about her removal from the song, feeling exploited past the characterization's miscommunication. Attempting to smooth things over, The Roots invited Scott on tour, to which she obliged in preparation for her debut album to come. That tour culminated in the cosmos of a alive album titled The Roots Come Alive, which was released in November 1999. The anthology included a live recording of "You Got Me," with Scott reprising her role as the song's singer. As for Things Fall Apart , the album became certified Aureate and garnered mass acclamation for its politically-driven, jazz-melding quality. "You Got Me" afterward gave The Roots their first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 2000, equally well every bit Badu's third Grammy win. (She nabbed two in 1998.)
Unnerved from their win, Scott had completed promotional touring with The Roots, wrapping upward her then-forthcoming debut Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1. Scott made a breakthrough upon her album's release in July 2000, with Vol. 1 solidifying her every bit a soulful force leading the early 2000s poetry-influenced R&B sound aslope artists like Alicia Keys and Floetry. It'south too important to note that the album included a brief simply important acquittance of her Philadelphia brethren in the class of "The Roots (Interlude)." The rail borrows the outro from the alive version of "You Got Me" that appears on The Roots Come Alive. Thanks toVol. i, Scott became a Grammy-nominated artist in her own correct for All-time R&B Anthology in 2001. She was besides nominated for Best Female person R&B Vocal Operation in 2001, 2002, and 2003 for songs "Gettin' in the Way," "A Long Walk," and "He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat)," respectively.
Six years after the release of Vol. 1, Scott'southward version of "You Got Me" was finally released, appearing on a 2005 Roots compilation album. (4 years prior to the compilation'southward release, The Roots received a memo from MCA requesting approving to use Scott'south version, which left a sour sense of taste in member Questlove's mouth. "If we got dropped from MCA, I'd be happy man," he said at the fourth dimension. "We're just numb. I'm not in a rush to give them any of my work. They've just proven to me that they don't care.")
With Badu having even vocalized how good Scott's version of "You lot Got Me" is, there's no real debate on whose version is better or who "owns" it.Taking ownership of the pen that co-wrote the song, there was rousing conviction behind Scott reassuring her partner that she'd return to them, while Badu delicately recited Scott's intended lines. "Y'all Got Me" was true to Scott's poetic retelling of love, which soon became her tradition every bit she reached notoriety. Only, more chiefly, the song could have been a well-rounded showcasing of Philadelphia's burgeoning music scene at the time. From the recording to the music video, "You Got Me" could take been authentically Philadelphia, with The Roots, Scott and Eve serving as the trinity of the city'southward early on-2000s Black music.
The upcoming Verzuz installment won't be a "battle," but a celebration of two women that redefined R&B. And if/when "You Got Me" enters the rotation during it, it'll hopefully serve as the virtual equivalent of when the pair performed the vocal together at Dave Chappelle's 2004 block party.
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Jaelani Turner-Williams is a writer based in Columbus, Ohio, contributing monthly to the city'south entertainment guide (614) Magazine. She has also written for the likes of Bust Magazine, Bandcamp Daily, Vinyl Me, Please, Vibe Magazine, AFROPUNK and more. Inspired by Columbus writing veterans Hanif Abdurraqib and Scott Wood, Jaelani focuses strongly on cultural pieces, especially inside the realm of music and social criticism. You can follow her @hernameisjae
Source: https://www.okayplayer.com/music/jill-scott-erykah-badu-verzuz-you-got-me.html
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