Jill Scott Says Her Label Sued Her For $19M She Never Earned Them
The Philly songstress talked to Scott Evans about why she's been an independent artist for years.
Black News 
Singer/actress Jill Scott linked up with big fan Scott Evans on his podcast, House Guest. Among the things we learned about her is how much of a fight it was to gain her freedom from her former label, Hidden Beach Recordings.
Founded by former Motown music executive Steve McKeever back in 1998, the label specialized in contemporary jazz and R&B. It released albums by trombonist Jeff Bradshaw, saxophonist Mike Phillips and husband/wife duo Kindred The Family Soul. But the label’s biggest artist was Jill Scott, who released her debut, Who Is Jill Scott, in 2000.
Scott quickly became a major voice in the burgeoning neo-soul movement, recording with The Roots, Common, and others. She released her first three critically acclaimed albums under Hidden Beach Recordings. Her final album with them was 2007’s Words and Sounds Vol. 3.
But she told Evans that leaving the label was a challenge.
“I left and got sued for $19 million,” Scott told Evans. She says the number was grossly inflated relative to the money the label earned from her projects.
“Who had $19 million? I was like, you made $19 million off of me?”
In 2010, Hidden Beach alleged Scott didn’t fulfill her contractual obligations and sued when she wanted to leave the label. She countersued, saying she didn’t feel it was supporting her enough.
She says during the dispute, they mounted what she described as a “smear campaign” after asking her to do things she felt weren’t beneficial to her career, including singing “Happy Birthday” to a music executive’s loved one.
“I’m like, this is crazy,” she told Evans. “The music is good. Is there any way that you could support that?”
But she and the label came to terms in 2011. Since then, she’s released two albums on her own Blues Babe Records. The latest, To Whom This May Concern, came out earlier this year, generating a wave of positive publicity.
“Everything has led me to this place, as this 53-year-old woman who is maneuvering her career the way she wants to, how she wants to, when she wants to, for whom she wants to,” Scott told NPR’s Fresh Air in March. “This has all been a part of the plan. I didn’t know that was even happening, but I love it.”
Scott toured the country this summer in support of the project and is reprising her role as Sheila in Tyler Perry’s Marriage trilogy. The third installment, Why Did I Get Married Again? drops on Netflix on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Watch the entire House Guest interview with Jill Scott below.
