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Strange Fruit: Soul Legend Jill Scott's Philosophy on Music and Life

Laura Ellis

It's our 150th episode! And who better to celebrate with than legendary soul singer Jill Scott? Scott performed in Louisville this week, and she took some time out of a busy touring schedule to visit with us on Strange Fruit.

We wanted to know how she maintains her integrity in an industry that seems to value marketability more than artistry.

"Anytime I go outside of the realm of who I am intrinsically, I start feeling funny, I get sick, I ain't right," she says. "I just won't do it. 'Cause my spirit will knock me out. Believe it."

She also tells us how she kept her son from getting separation anxiety when she left for work — by turning the electrical breaker off, so he could understand what would happen if she didn't earn a living.

"It was a huge lesson for him," she says. "The next day, he was like, 'Mommy, can you go to work?'"

We covered amazing black motherhood in our Juicy Fruit segment, too, with special guest Jason Walker (who was a guest on our very first episode!). Erykah Badu recently made a joke at Iggy Azalea's expense at BET’s Soul Train Awards. Then this week, saying her daughters love Azalea, she issued a hilarious "apology."

And, of course, we recap "The Wiz Live" on NBC: what worked, what didn't, and how it stacked up to other versions of the iconic show.

Laura is LPM's Director of Podcasts & Special Projects. Email Laura at lellis@lpm.org.