Born Jill Heather Scott in the North Philly neighborhood of the City of Phi… Read Full Bio ↴Born Jill Heather Scott in the North Philly neighborhood of the City of Philadelphia, PA on April 4, 1972, Jill Scott began her career as a performance poet. She was discovered by Amir "Questlove" Thompson of The Roots. Questlove invited her to join the band in the studios, which resulted in the live version of "You Got Me" in 1999.

Subsequently, she collaborated with Eric Benet, Will Smith, Lupe Fiasco, Common and broadened her performing experience by touring Canada in a production of the Broadway musical Rent. Signed to Steve McKeever's newly formed Hidden Beach Recordings label, she released her debut album Who Is Jill Scott: Words and Sounds Vol. 1 in July 2000. The following summer she released Experience:Jil Scott 826+ after she released the single "A Long Walk." Scott continued to gain more recognition, eventually earning a Grammy nomination in early 2003 for Best Female Vocal Performance for "A Long Walk". Jill Scott also won a Grammy award at the 2005 Grammy awards for Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Male or Female.

Jill Scott appears in David Chappelle's Block Party performing with The Roots and Erykah Badu.

Scott released a new album, entitled Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds Vol. 2 in 2004. Her book of poetry, The Moments, The Minutes, The Hours was released in April 2005.

Recently, Scott was prominently featured on hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco's 2006 single "Daydreaming" which also appeared on a new Scott collection called Collaborations on January 30, 2007.
The Collaborations collection served as "an appetizer" for her next studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 released September 25, 2007. A clip of the title track was released on a bonus disc from Hidden Beach Records and included with Collaborations. The lead single, "Hate on Me", gained airplay in May 2007 with a video released in mid-July. In advance of the album's release, Hidden Beach released a 17-minute album sampler through their forums. Interspersed between the dozen songs previewed on the sampler was a personal explanation from Jill for the inspiration behind some of her songs.

Jill Scott is also an accomplished actor, appearing as detective Precious Ramotswe in the BBC's dramatisation of Alexander McCall Smith's series of books: "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency". Scott also appeared as "Sheila" in the Tyler Perrry film, "Why Did I Get Married" (2007) and its sequel, "Why Did I Get Married Too" (2010) .

I'm Not Afraid
Jill Scott Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm not afraid to be your lady
I'm not afraid to be your whore
I'm not afraid to be your future
I'm not afraid to be your soil

In which you plant your seed
Flowers, they sprout for me
My fragrance in the breeze

You must nurture me please

I'm not afraid to be your baby
I'm not afraid to be your strength
I'm not afraid to be open wide
I'm not afraid to be glutinous

The essence of glue
I will stick to you
Through earthquakes and moods
If ever one thing was true

I'm not afraid to wind it, wind it
I'm not afraid to keep your pace
I'm not afraid to create my queendom

I'm not afraid to take my place
I'm not afraid

Overall Meaning

Jill Scott's "I'm Not Afraid" is a confident declaration of love and commitment. The lyrics express the willingness to be vulnerable, to be the "soil" in which a love can grow, to be the "whore" who will share her love and intimacy, and to be the "baby" who needs nurturing and care. She is not afraid to be open, to give of herself, to take a stand and establish her place in a relationship.

The chorus emphasizes her lack of fear and hesitation, embracing her role as a partner who is dependable and dedicated. The line "I will stick to you" suggests a loyalty and devotion that is unshakeable. The middle section of the song shifts the focus to the idea of creating a "queendom" and establishing oneself as a strong, empowered woman. The use of the word "glutinous" is interesting, as it implies a certain stickiness or adhesive quality, further emphasizing the theme of loyalty and commitment.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm not afraid to be your lady
I am not hesitant to be in a romantic relationship with you

I'm not afraid to be your whore
I am not hesitant to satisfy your sexual desires

I'm not afraid to be your future
I am not scared to take forward steps with you

I'm not afraid to be your soil
I am not afraid to be the foundation of your life

In which you plant your seed
You put your hopes and dreams in me

Flowers, they sprout for me
Beautiful things grow from our relationship

My fragrance in the breeze
My love will be in the air

You must nurture me please
You must take care of me

I'm not afraid to be your baby
I am not scared of being vulnerable with you

I'm not afraid to be your strength
I am not afraid to be your source of support

I'm not afraid to be open wide
I am willing to be emotionally open with you

I'm not afraid to be glutinous
I am willing to be clingy and devoted

The essence of glue
I symbolize the bond between us

I will stick to you
I will remain loyal to you

Through earthquakes and moods
No matter what happens, I will be here for you

If ever one thing was true
This is one thing that is definitely true

I'm not afraid to wind it, wind it
I am not afraid to dance and have fun with you

I'm not afraid to keep your pace
I will follow your lead in life

I'm not afraid to create my queendom
I am confident in my ability to build a prosperous life for myself

I'm not afraid to take my place
I am not afraid to claim my spot in your life and the world

Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, TuneCore Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JILL H. SCOTT, OMARI SHABAZZ

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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