WebProNews

Tag: Jill Scott

  • Tori Kelly to Receive 2015 Women in Music Honor, Gets Grammy Nomination

    Tori Kelly will receive an award at the 2015 Women in Music Ceremony in New York City this week. She is being honored with the Breakthrough Artist of the Year award. That’s not a big surprise. Anyone who’s heard her song “Should’ve Been Us” knows Tori Kelly is someone special.

    The 22-year-old from Wildomar, California also received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

    In addition to these two aforementioned honors, she was nominated for favorite breakout artist for the 2016 People’s Choice Awards.

    Last week Tori Kelly appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and performed a new single, “Hollow.” Her a cappella touch showed off her raw talent in the song that has a strong gospel feel.

    In a recent interview with Billboard magazine, Tori Kelly said she has a couple of favorite music artists she’d one day love to work with. If she keeps impressing people within the industry the way she has this year, she will likely see that dream come true.

    “Jill Scott is definitely on the list. Gladys Knight has talked about me in interviews and I keep geeking out about that–I would love to do ­something with her. Also, Pink,” she said.

    Pink pledged her undying love for Tori Kelly after watching her perform at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.

    It’s been a very exciting year for Tori Kelly. It’s likely this up and coming artist has arrived. Now fans can simply sit back and enjoy the amazing ride.

  • Jill Scott Honored As ‘First Lady Of Soul,’ Debuts ‘Back Together’ Video

    Jill Scott is reaping the success of her number one album Woman as she took the number one spot for Best R&B/Soul Female artist and received the First Lady of Soul Award at BET’s Soul Train Awards on Sunday.

    Scott, 43, delivered a touching speech during the event as she accepted the award, saying she never tried to be sexy and that she wanted to be known for her art and not for her looks.

    “The goal was to write something that you could relate to, the goal was to be in your house when you make that new baby, to be there to squash that argument, to incite it if necessary,” said Scott. “I never wanted to be sexy for anybody, I swear I didn’t. But I did want to write some sexy stuff for you.” “I thank you for treating me with respect,” Scott said as she expressed her gratitude for the unwavering support and the respect she has received from the music industry and her fans ever since she launched her debut album Who is Jill Scott back in 2000.  

    However, fans of the soul songstress were enraged after BET aired her musical performance in black and white. It caused fans to wonder if their television had malfunctioned, while others thought BET used an Instagram filter over the singer’s celebratory number.

    Coinciding with her BET win, the new First Lady of Soul has finally released a music video for “Back Together,” a soulful track which was lifted from her chart topping album Woman.

    Jill Scott Releases The Official Video Of Her New Track, “Back Together”

    The five minute-video features contemporary dancers interpreting how broken relationships and people are brought back together. In true Jill Scott tradition, the song (and video) are both soulful and inspiring.

  • Jill Scott Honored at Soul Train Awards With First Ever “Lady of Soul” Awards

    Jill Scott received a huge honor at the Soul Train Awards on Sunday. She was presented with the first ever Lady of Soul Award. She spoke of her desire to make music people can relate to in her acceptance speech.

    “The goal was to be in your house when you make that new baby,” Jill Scott said. “To be there to squash that argument, to incite it if necessary. I didn’t want to be sexy for anybody, I swear I didn’t. But I did want to write some sexy stuff for you.”

    In the past 15 years, Jill Scott has released five albums. 2015 saw the release of “Woman.”

    She performed the title track to that album a few months back on The View.

    Jill Scott has received 13 Grammy nominations throughout her career. She has taken home three Grammy Awards.

    “The Lady of Soul honor means a lot,” Jill Scott said prior to taking the stage to accept her award. “It’s the culmination of 15 years of giving my heart and energy to an audience that appreciates it. It’s a real privilege to still be able to tap into people’s hearts and have ourselves look at ourselves. And for it to come from such a great legacy… This is Soul Train; this is what brought soul music into America’s houses.”

    Alas the Lady of Soul Award wasn’t the only honor Jill Scott walked away with on Sunday. She was also awarded the Best R&B/Female Artist Award.

    After receiving her Lady of Soul Award, Scott treated the audience to a sampling of her hits, including current single “Back Together,” “A Long Walk,” “Whatever,” and “Cross My Mind.”

  • Jill Scott and Eve Diss Iggy Azalea’s ‘Blaccent’

    Jill Scott and Eve had some unflattering things to say about Iggy Azalea recently. The pair let their opinions fly about the Australian pop sensation on Shade 45’s Sway In The Morning.

    Jill Scott and Eve were on the program to promote their new Lifetime movie With This Ring. The conversation turned to the topic of non-black artists “culturally appropriating” black culture. Iggy Azalea quickly came up.

    Eve said that Azalea is not her cup of tea.

    “At the end of the day I get it. I get that people might be upset about certain things but yeah she’s white but they grew up with our shit. Hip-hop is everywhere — every neighborhood, every country, every city — and it didn’t just hit… yes it’s from us and it’s our thing but she’s representing a group of girls right now as well.”

    “I think people right now are too quick to give too many accolades to new people. That’s the one thing I just can’t stand. Let her do her thing. It’s not my cup of tea but she’s representing for somebody. She’s doing her thing. What are you gonna do?”

    Jill Scott admits the she herself is a mixture of what came before her.

    “I’m a mixture of Sarah Vaughan and of five other things… So if someone else who comes from that era, they be looking at me like… ‘shh, you aight’ So that has been the only thing that stops me is I know where that comes from.”

    But both Jill Scott and Eve commented on Azalea’s use of what they called a “blaccent.”

    “She’s from a different place and I’ve said this before, it would be dope to hear her with her swag,” said Eve. “Who are you, what are you, what is that?”

    Azalea has already had her say about how she feels about people who may not like her. She told GQ:

    “Anytime where people get to choose who they want to have a voice and they choose me, I just think that makes it worth it. And that gives me the patience to just bite my tongue. When people choose me as the person they think should be speaking for them, I think, Well, I don’t really care what someone in the industry or another artist has to say about it. Your opinion is biased anyway, because you want people to listen to your voice. So having actual people who choose me, it makes me think, I have a place, and I don’t care what other people have to say about it. I was a fan of rap music growing up, and I didn’t feel like there were enough characters that represented me and my situation. So I think it’s needed.”

  • Bill Cosby Speaks: Embattled Comedic Actor Thanks Supporters Jill Scott And Whoopi Goldberg

    Bill Cosby has something to say—but not to the growing list of women who have publicly accused him of sexual misconduct.

    Instead, the 77-year-old comedic-actor used twitter to send out his appreciation to those who have supported him during this scandal.

    Cosby reportedly used his Twitter account to thank actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg and neo-soul singer Jill Scott for their support.

    Whoopi, who has made questionable comments about rape in the past, recently spoke up for Bill on The View a couple of weeks ago.

    Although she didn’t make the “rape-rape” claim, Goldberg did say she had “a lot of questions” about the situation and rather than accuse Cosby, she would “reserve judgement”.

    She said of the accusations against Bill Cosby, ” Don’t you do a kit when you say someone has raped you?”

    It’s important to remember that many of the accusations against Bill Cosby are not new; many of the women claim that the assaults took place decades ago, well beyond the statute of limitation for rape cases.

    As such, these women cannot just go out and have a rape kit made today.

    That didn’t stop Jill Scott from making the request via Twitter, along side of her spirited defense of Bill Cosby.

    The songstress felt that it was “insane” to accuse Bill Cosby of rape and that much of the scandal was due to the media attempting to destroy his legacy.

    No doubt Bill Cosby is thankful that these women were willing to risk national ridicule through comments that could be construed as victim-blaming, as he himself remains steadfast in his determination to not answer to any of the allegations.

    Cosby recently cancelled a scheduled appearance on Late Night With Dave Letterman, no doubt as a means of avoiding answering any questions about the scandal.

    Bill Cosby also resigned from his position at Temple University.

  • Jill Scott Voices Support for Bill Cosby, Debates on Twitter

    Actress and singer-songwriter Jill Scott is under fire for voicing her support for Bill Cosby who continues to have rape allegations stack up against him.

    The argument started when the 42-year-old was asked to sign and share a petition on Twitter to support Temple University severing its ties with Cosby. Scott, who holds an honorary doctorate from Temple, shot back on the social media outlet.

    In response to a follower who called her out, Scott replied, “@SimplyBerry u know Bill Cosby? I do child and this is insane. Proof. Period.”

    Scott also stated that she has “learned not to believe too much without proof, especially about someone whose done so much for our greater good.”

    But once the ball got rolling, more and more Twitter followers chimed in with statements such as “so because you know him he can’t do any wrong?” and “I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the accounts of 20 women with extremely similar tales.” In fact, Scott was hit from all sides including women who previously saw her as a “soldier for women.” However, Scott claimed that she wasn’t taking sides but is in fact looking for “substantiated proof when media/society is attempting to destroy a magnificent Legacy.”

    Cosby has been accused of sexually assaulting as many as 20 women since the 1960s. Although Cosby has not addressed these allegations, TV Land has dropped all reruns of The Cosby Show and Netflix has pulled Bill Cosby 77 from the previously-planned Thanksgiving release.

    Soon after Scott’s Twitter interactions started she dropped out and deleted the posts, but not before she left a piece of advice.

    “Rape is a despicable, cowardly crime,” she Tweeted. “If you’ve been raped- plz do NOT shower, go to police IMMEDIATELY, have a rap kit done. GET EVIDENCE.”

    Cosby presented Scott with her honorary degree from Temple. He also holds a Temple degree of his own. But on Monday, most likely to the delight of the Twitter followers, the 77-year-old comedian resigned from the school’s board of trustees.

    Scott replied to this as well by Tweeting, “So they’ve proven the alleged allegations? I didn’t know. Will they also be giving him back the millions he’s donated?”

  • Jill Scott Gets On Twitter To Defend Bill Cosby And Makes Herself Look Terrible

    Jill Scott finds herself on the wrong side of a scandal that, while not brand new, has gained impressive steam over the past month.

    A steady stream of women have come forward to declare that at one point or another they were sexually assaulted by comedic actor Bill Cosby.

    Cosby, who recently resigned from his Temple University post as a trustee, has refused to answer questions about the series of allegations. His attorney has claimed that Cosby will “not dignify” any accusation with an explanation, as they have supposedly all been long discredited.

    This is apparently enough for fan Jill Scott, who used her Twitter to speak out about Cosby’s treatment in the media.

    When a follower ridiculed her support of Bill Cosby, the singer blasted her.

    She said that she knew Bill Cosby and that the scandal was “insane”.

    She demanded that the victims product proof “period” in order for her to be otherwise convinced that they are lying. Keep in mind these accusations go back decades.

    Jill Scott justified her decision to stand by Bill Cosby by mentioning all the things he’d done for brown people, citing his comedic work.

    Scott said that society and the media were trying “destroy his magnificent legacy”.

    Jill Scott also referenced the American criminal system, asking her followers how many men are currently sitting in jail without proof that they did anything wrong.

    “I’m just not into condemnation without proof,” said Scott.

    She considers the attacks against Bill Cosby to be baseless “propaganda”.

    Needless to say, Jill Scott’s now viral opinions have thrown the singer directly into the line of fire and had quite possibly jeopardized her own fame.

    The irony is that while Bill Cosby is perhaps more insulated against the ceaseless attack due to his decades of fame and tenure, Jill Scott has no share in that level of defense.

    Jill Scott may hope to look like a sensible black woman sticking up for a renowned black man under attack, however she might have only succeeded in throwing her own career and legacy under the bus.

    See the series of cringe-worthy responses for yourself. Oh, Jill…

  • Jill Scott Defends Bill Cosby, Enrages Twitter

    Jill Scott has publicly defended Bill Cosby via Twitter amid a tidal wave of rape and sexual assault allegations, and many aren’t happy with her decision.

    The singer says she won’t believe anything about the comedian until proof is presented that he was involved, and has gotten into several lengthy discussions with followers on the social media site, some of which are pretty harsh. Scott calls Cosby “someone who has done so much for our greater good” and calls on the media–and society–for trying to destroy Cosby’s legacy.

    20 women have come forward with similar stories about Cosby, including actresses and models who have worked with him over the years. Supermodel Janice Dickinson recently opened up with her own story, saying that Cosby flew her to Lake Tahoe in 1982 with the promise of a job on The Cosby Show. When he gave her a glass of wine and a pill for her cramps, she said, she thought nothing of it, but later blacked out and woke up with her clothing in disarray and obvious signs that she had been assaulted.

    “There was semen all over me and my pajama bottoms were off and the top was opened. At that point – fight-or-flight – I just packed up and I got the hell out of there,” Dickinson told CNN.

    Cosby has not responded publicly to the allegations, but his lawyers have refuted the claims of assault. Following a petition that gained many signatures, Temple University recently cut ties with Cosby.

  • Jill Scott Publicly Defends Bill Cosby Amidst Growing Sexual Misconduct Allegations

    Jill Scott has decided to take a stand in support of Bill Cosby amid the growing number of women who allege sexual misconduct by the entertainer.

    The singer made her position known on Cosby’s ongoing scandal on Monday, bashing Twitter followers and the media for destroying the beleaguered comedian’s “magnificent legacy.”

    Scott, 42, who received an honorary degree from Cosby in early 2014 at Temple University, the comedian’s alma mater, from which he resigned as a trustee after 32 years, publicly defended him while responding to tweets on her personal Twitter account.

    Needless to say, the response to her tweets was angry and mostly negative. However, the 42-year-old singer stood her ground in publicly defending Cosby’s innocence.

    The number of women who have come forward to accuse the 77-year-old comedian of sexual misconduct is up to 20 women.

    This past weekend, supermodel Janice Dickinson, who was one of the first to make allegations against Cosby, gave an emotional interview on CNN about an alleged 1982 incident when Dickinson maintains Cosby drugged and raped her.

    “I would like Cosby to come out and at least acknowledge that he is a pig, he is a monster, and he raped me,” Dickinson told CNN.