Let's Give Iconic Black Women Their Flowers

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Speaker 1: Welcome to Jay dot Ill, a production of I Heart Radio. Peace in Love y'all. Jill Scott presents Jay dot Ill with my sister queens Age and I'm Jill Scott. Hello darling. How are you. I'm feeling kind of spicy. I didn't get a lot of sleep. Um. Working, working is good. Working is good, especially when you love what you do. But I'm a little you know, I could use the belly rub and a good little nap, you know, yes, come on, belly rug. Yes that that feels like m it feels like it needed right thing to do. You don't become an iconic woman in any industry, uh by only taking naps all the time. The opposite, it's like the opposite. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's quite the opposite. You gotta put in a whole lot of work. You gotta put a whole lot of guts, a whole lot of passion, a whole lot of energy into what it is that you do. Um. Oftentimes we talk about singers, and they're singers with these beautiful voices. They could do anything with the thing. And then they're singers, you know, like like a Janis Choplin. If you will all guts and grits and gristle and blood. And you know, my daddy called it screaming and that too, and that too because sometimes the scream is necessary. Sometimes it is necessary, just like that work, just like that, that soul bearing portion of the show, that that counts always as an artist, there are entertainers and their artists entertainers. Um, this is my opinion anyway. I think that entertainers entertained the people. You know, they put on the show, they practice the moves, they change the clothes and change the lights to do the thing. And I love to be entertained. So it's not even a thing. I'm not trying to dis anybody at all. And then you've got these flat footed I don't know what to call it, just the soul bearers that um, that make a difference in your vision. You know, I'm all over the place. But what I really want to talk about is UM, iconic women in the music industry for whatever reason, if it's because you know, they've been an incredible entertainers. UM, like a Diana Ross, because I I you know, she's the boss. Is the original? Yeah, she's like the original. I was gonna say the original be but then just in a sense of like singing and acting and doing kids all TV shows and producing and introducing new artists and introducing new artists. People don't give her credit for that. Yeah, she definitely brought out the Jackson Five, like the one of the biggest um groups of all time. Um, you know, there's there's there's a room full, there's a there's a mountainful of powerful women in front and behind, in front and behind the scenes. Yes, ma'am, talk about it. It's funny. You know. We talked about having this conversation early earlier, and I was thinking of like, who to you is iconic, And the person that came to my mind is somebody who I've been following my whole life as a radio girl. I actually worked for her. I've actually been fired twice for her radio stations. And yet and still I still think it's important to say her name because she is one of a few. Actually, she's the one and only. Her name is Kathi Hughes, the only black woman who has multiple radio stations. At some point, she had rail stations almost in every major city. You know, that's now matriculated into not just the radio station network but TV, but like and digital can you imagine and digital can you imagine the battle? I mean, actually you don't have to imagine the battle because you see a small so it and talk to me with don cheetah as they hint at Oh way, tell Joeper's character is Dewey Hughes, her husband at the time. Yeah, yeah, I mean for those of us who grew up in Washington, d C. We remember, you know, w h O l um when we were middle yeah, right, and when we were little and they would be in a trailer right over there off of a street, and you could actually drive by and see Cathy Hughes doing Sunday Morning Joy on Sundays. You could drive by and see her host in the Gospel music show or every Sunday and not knowing and understanding obviously not foreseeing, but even then understanding that she was putting the platform and the pavers down was gonna become such an iconic businesswoman, you know. And she's played every role in radio. You know, to to watch a man as a little girl be a radio personality and then a sin to where she has now is like and may I add, may I add Asia a hell of black lady. It's in the sense of what she said out of her mother. This is a woman who had a morning show every day with Dick Gregg. Okay, okay, but yeah, and and own radio stations. She that's it's black and said, you can't get no black up. You're like, and I'm still going to work. That's black. That's black. That's a beautiful thing. Yes, yes, yes, if you just you know, if you missed part of this, we were talking about Kathy Hughes. Goodness, that's you need to know the name. I mean, you shouldn't know the name. If if you know, you know, for for for the Oprah Whimpley's, there are the Kathrey that Cathy uses of the world. It's only one though, still only Oh yeah, the first radio job I've ever had. It's twelve years old. And that trailer turned and ended up evolving into an actual storefront radio station. Remember radio stations had a window and you can walk past and wave at that person that's on the air right now. They shout you out, hey girl, I'll see you out there in that window. Uhuh in d C W h U R still has that. I always love that that at at Howard that they still have the window that's so endearing and it breaks down the wall. It does because we're in another space, right. We talked about how important it is for black people to be in all spaces right right indeed, Yeah, I mean, I just think that more than anything that when we see black women in charge of things, right, we have places and spaces that we're used to seeing black women run, and it's important for us to know that those same skill sets go everywhere and that they can be taken everywhere. And honestly, in my mind to think about the amount of sexism and racism that she's had to experience over the years is you know, it's humbling to think that you can have a career this long and still maintain into a company, because that's another thing. And one thing you see even with some of the big you know, black men in media, is that they've eventually had to or decided to not had to decided to relinquish their companies to larger parent companies. And she just has not done that. And also, shoot, black radio is dying. She is one of the last people standing. Shoutouts to this opportunity to do podcast. But somebody has a business. This is true, It's very true. That's the thing about America, guys. I thought a monopoly was illegal. It's I can't even we were dealing with so many monopolies as we speak on this podcast, Jill, I mean you talkt off companies that are owned billboards and all kind of media outlets. What are we talking about, guys? I just thought that was a legitimate question. It is, you know what we were saying, is that not on he is? It a legitimate question? But there's so many implications And that's what I's so complicated to be black in this country right now, be a woman in this country, be any kind of marginalized person in this country, because so many you have to interact with so many institutions that make it more difficult for a Cathy Hughes to exist, that make it more difficult for a Jill Scott to exist. It is like it is a very interesting kind of um, you know, parasitic existence. Is that everything is kind of built around this this thing. So it's it's a lot. Yeah, you're right, a monopoly is illegal. But at the same time, too, what we have is you know, corporate warfare, and if you think about that, who's going to fall at the bottom of that, it's real easy to figure out who and if it's a black woman owned media company in a medium that is no longer modern. Yeah, but the fact that she is still there even under those circumstances, the fact that she was there and and is there, but was there at all very male dominated, very white dominated, um uh industry. I believe the Dr Cosby owned a radio station at one point. We still does. Yeah, what is the what is their k J L H. Yes, because love joy hope, Yeah, joy, love happiness. And we're we're you know, definitely appreciative of that. Who were talking women today? We're talking about women in this industry, in the music industry that just have pioneered and open doors and are iconic to us for you know, multiple reasons. Oh, powerful influential black women UM in the music industry will give me. Well, I feel like that my choice is slightly unsung, you know, um for lack of a better word, but um, definitely not going to be surprising based on what I do. So my husband and I singing a singing group. If you're listening to this and you don't know that we've been doing that for twenty two years, almost one years. Uh, singing as a duo, and from the very onset of us doing our music, people just jumped out there and said, oh, you're gonna be the new ash for the self song? Who didn't who did the question? But I never thought that we were We were deserving of that number one because of just the the vast you know, I mean that of talent between the two of them, um, not just as performers, but also as writers and producer Hale and that is what really, that's the TV heat right there, That's the value that we're talking about here, And that's why I want to talk about Valerie Simpson as a woman who I think is such a powerhouse in the evolution of rhythm and blues songwriting that never gets mentioned. The biggest songs you can think of when you think of motown. How could you not think of ant Now, Mountain high Enough? How could you not think ain't nothing like the your Thing? How can you not think of these tunes? But what you don't think about is that the person behind the composition and the music and the production is one miss Valerie Simpson. And this is not to take away from her partnership, because it was really a heavenly partnership because no one and I just you can fight me. No one can write a lyric and can write melody and lyric like Valerie Simpson, No like Nick Ashford, lyric like Nick ash For Nick Ashford was the the the lyricist and the two of them, not that they didn't exchange, right, not that they didn't exchange different roles. But his main role was writing the lyrics. And so there was a big story obviously between them about how he wrote I'm every Woman. Oh, that he wrote the lyrics that I Am every woman and so and so they tell a fabulous story about this. This is on the internet. Yeah, I ain't got to tell it. It ain't my story to tell. But y'all could go listen to that remix agent. Come on, man, come on, you know we listened to this podcast. But she basically told him he was he was struggling with it, and she was like, listen, you need to sit down and get into your inner woman and think like a woman and think like women think, and try your best to get into that whole situation that he was like he was, you know, he sat quietly and and tried to get into his best mode, and he vote like the quintessential so to me. But at the same time too, and I know we're talking about women, but we'll take a little sidetrack real quick to talk about lyrically. Nick Ashford, Oh my gosh, he said, um um, I want to say this is either ain't nothing like the real thing, or it might be ain't no mountain high enough where he says, I know you could make a man out of a soul that didn't have a goal. This man knew how to say a thing in a tune. So my thing, my reason why bringing this up is that because him being the lyricists and then assuming that it was Valerie Simpson was the lyricist. When she was the composer, she was the compostor. Hold on singing writing, ladies, what that mean? I understand because I thought that was the same thing. I'm just speaking for the people. I know the real answer, but just in case I don't what what you're talking about, Asia, Because composing, composing means, composing means when it's time to write the song. The person who sits down and writes the chords, the person who sits and does she the reason that we have do do do do do Don on every woman. That the way it starts, like the straight arrangement, Valerie Simpson, all the fingers, Honey, you better give all of girl. You're better put some respect on this woman's name. I'm not even done. I'm not even done. Not only did she write these songs, did she write the music to these songs. These are the same songs who literally just two days ago, I'm watching This is Us and Child. A whole commercial comes on and once again the Walmart commercial is playing what her music? I think it was ain't a mountain? But again again, this is to this day, this music is not being is not just only recognized within its genre, but outside of the genre commercially every way possible. Her composition, and this woman has been writing since seventeen eighteen years old. When she met her husband, she was only eighteen nineteen years old, which, of course, you know is deep to my heart because I also met mine at this same age. So bottom line, yes, so their story is very very close to Connie. I love them. I love them as people. They're amazing people, and they've been lovely to us, and she has been amazing to us. Really just being an asshole, like I don't like I don't like the idea of the new blah blah blah. The person is, oh, yeah, I don't like the new blah blah blah. They're the only they're only She's amazing. But let me say this also, um oh honey and legs yea, legs and shoes and shoes and shoes, shoes that legs, let's and shoes, shoes that leg Okay, So last thing about her. I and you can fight me, because I don't care I fight. She's the inventor of the remix what she what was the first She took Ain't no Mountain high enough her and her husband and re recorded the song with an entirely new arrangement because that's how with Diana raw and created a whole another number one hit with it. They were writers on the whiz. Yes, oh, they were there, their old school Motown writing duo. They were there very They were part of the second wave of writers. They were very young. They came in after the Hollandosha Hollands and that kind of thing, but they were still there during the same time. They were just much younger. But they've written amazing. Yeah, So I believe that that was the first major remix to me, not the same as like, let's say, when you have a jazz standard and people sing a different type of jazz, different you know, takes on the jazz standard. This was a producer driven moment, and I honestly don't care if anyone agree. She's amazing. She's a genius. She is a genius, not a diva. I'm tell about anybody listening, not a diva. Not a diva, not a diva, a genius. Man. Put some respect on her name, got it there. I wish you all could see Age's face because she's she's sitting, but she put her hands on her hips to the side and everything. She's like, put some respect on her name. And then the quiet you saw was her body organizing itself for a fight, like like you're gonna get one. People listening, you can't even see she's talking to y'all people she's talking about. Yeah, I'm just talking to y'all out there. I want all the smoke that would be kindred the wife on Instagram, which just if you got some smoke, don't bring it to the jail podcast. Speaking of smoke, all right, the woman that is my iconic woman, uh in the music industry is my rainie. Homegirl's name is Gertrude. Good. Okay, that's where you starts. Where that's where you start. When somebody's name is Gertrude, It's about to be some fire, my rainie. This goes way back, y'all. Um. She was born in eighteen eighty six. Yeah, this is the time number one. Um, clearly, Uh we're still fighting. Um, we're still fighting now. For that matter, she was started out singing the blues, ended up singing the blues. But this her blues was was raw dog okay, in a time when people wore the dresses to a certain length and made sure to be modest and in church every Sunday and all of these things, and that it wasn't just the institution of church, it was mandatory that you had to be a certain kind of way, particularly in an industry like the music industry. She wasn't light skinned, She wasn't propped up her she her titties was hanging comfortably. Um. She she wasn't light skinned. Okay. Um, she was sassy and assy has some I was like, yes, yes, yes, Um. She wasn't a soft woman either, meaning she didn't say okay, I'll do whatever you say. No, she was a fistfighter and a tongue lasher and um, she didn't play any kind of games. This woman wrote a song called prove it on Me, Okay, prove it on me. Um. She she apparently got caught in this um orgy at her house in n and it was it was popular news that she had you know, was was out there doing what she was doing. So she wrote a song called prove it on Me okay, and the lyrics say, they said, I do it. Ain't nobody caught me. Sure got to prove it it on me without last night with a crowd of my friends. They must have been women, because I don't like no men. Yeah, okay, my gangster. Y'all know who Angela Davis is right now? Okay. She's an activist and a scholar, just in case you don't know. And um, she said that that song was the reason for the whole lesbian cultural movement in the seventies. Wow, I wonder what happened in between them. They're they're doing a movie about her. Um. Netflix is doing a movie about My Rainy. Um. It is based off of the play that August Wilson did. My Rainey's Black Bottom. It's interesting to you. It's funny what we We got an opportunity to kind of watch it, and I was it makes me want to go back to the play because and I think you you guys are both seen to play. I have never seen the play. Okay, I've never seen the play. So let me ask you to jail the character that Chadwick plays Leddie. I believe Levi Levi I'm sorry. Was he the central character in the actual August Wilson's play. It depends on who's directing. Okay, the way I see it, it it all depends on who's directing. Um, I I saw it as well. And that performance by Chadwick. Ye see. It's that I'm a I'm a firm believer. I don't think that I can sing everything. I've always said this, I have to write it. It has to come through me in a way in order for me to be able to relate the information other than that, Um, it's just a song. And I'm not really a singer. I'm I. You know, there's We're gonna argue about these things. For some people, it's okay, um, but it was what was written. It's that it's that the August Wilson of it all, the August Wilson of it all, what he put down on paper, Oh my God, of the of of those lines. And how as an actor you're required to sing everything August Wilson when he writes us it's all music from the beginning to end. And Viola Davis a man rainy. You know, can I just take a moment for elder? Can we can we also give some love to go with child? Listen, I'm so glad you said it because it was burning in my soul. Listen, the flowers, the bouquets, the shrubbery. You've been doing the work like small trees when said this. Let me say this, there was a moment. I cried many times throughout this movie, many many times. But the first of the many times I cried was in the very beginning. And not to give any any any spoilers, but there is a moment. There's a moment in in in the beginning of the movie where black men are talking m m mm hmm oh. And if ever you want to fall in love with black men even deeper than you are already, this is the moment that will get you there. The way they laughed, and the way they joked with one another, and how they would go from the serious to the funny, to the painful to the painfully. You see black men exchange these complex and nuanced moments with each other. Was everything that I ever needed in my life. It was everything. Because I don't think enough of this is shown of our men. I'm going to respect that emotion, honey, Enough of that is not shown of our men and their vulnerabilities, because that's what we saw too, right, Like even when they were trying to man in the midst against the other, it's like, hold up, brother, let me tell you why I am. And then in that moment after I tell you who I am, that's where you change your ways because you're like shit, like yeah, we we tried, like we man. And that powerfully strong presence of my Rainy, that losing over everything. It's almost unbelievable that she had such free she was so free, you know what I mean, Like the way that she spoke to those those white men who you know, were ran her record label, and what she refused to do which and the way that she understood it, how she understood that she was a tool and all they wanted was her voice, and she was going to make sure she got everything that she wanted because they was gonna get everything they wanted. That's right. But that commentary is important, whether she said the words or not, it is. That commentary is important because it is still relevant. It is still truly relevant, particularly about Black women and black women who have a lot of agency around their sexuality. Even in today's music industry. You think about a Cardi b. You think about a Megan Nostalgion, you think about a Lizzo, all these different people, there's a very real conversation still happening, you know, around women's sexuality, Black women's in the entertainment and music particularly, and women being able to um, you know, dictate business wise, how that's gonna go, how that's going to be sold, and how it's going to be done. I just who baby, So don't think you were the first young women, No you were not. We must we must take this moment to shout out Millie Jackson to come on, it must be done. It must be done lyrically. Her presence on stage, her the growl, and her voice, all of it. Grace Jones, I mean, yes, yes, there is this. Uh it's a fear of our sexuality. That drives me absolutely insane. It drives me crazy. You're allowed to be smart, you can be smart, Okay, but I remember, um, well, I'm thinking Angela yee, that's not her name, Angela right, Angela right? Politics, yes, politics, Angela right. When people realize that she was a hottie, they didn't know what to do it, They didn't know what to do with it. Yeah, you should hear her stories of having a shut nicks down. It's crazy to me. You're not to be or. It's not so much that you're not allowed, it's just uncomfortable for people. When you allow yourself to be all of yourself, you have to pull back in some way, shape or form. I particular for her because she is mixing together two things that people can't. People's brains are exploding. It's like, oh, I talk about politics and religion because she's also a very devout Christian, talk about politics and religion. And I'm about to put this dress on and show y'all how snatched this waist is and give you all this glamor. You interviewed her. I remember that night, and she was dynamic. It has been dynamic sense. But to see how things have have have moved forward for her. But like I said, pulling together those two worlds for people, you know, it might be able to handle it in music, but if you're doing handle it music, But y'all trying to handle it in music. They pretend there's been more discussions about whop in the last You Know a Girl months. Um. I remember when I first heard what I was taken aback by the lyrics. Quite frankly, I wasn't ready myself. Why did it feel different than uh, any random Little Kim song? I'm just using a Little Kim as an example, like, why do you feel I remember being excited by Little Kim? Mhm Um. I think it had a lot to do with the word play. We need you, I think, yeah we should. Yeah, I think it had a lot to do with the word play. I'm I'm you know, I'm also a reader a writer, and um, I like word play and I think that there was a lot of it there with Little Kim. Yeah. I didn't feel that necessarily from wop um. Everything seemed to be pretty straightforward word right, just come get this wet ass pussy. Yeah, well, I don't know, Like Kim was pretty straightforward to it. She was like, you know, I'm gonna watch my stories while you eat my pussy. That's pretty straightforward. Yeah, but it'll come came to the picture. So you basically are saying something about lyrics curiously, like somebody is obviously a better lyricist to you in a sense of just right. There's the reason why I gravitated towards it. I just because Kim I saw pictures, and for why I heard words to lyrics, I mean to a rhythm. Yeah, you don't get all you get your feelings hurting and all in your back my feelings. I'm talking like you. I'm other people listen, other people listen to Asia. You know you guys are sometimes um but you know that's the way I feel. I'm a I'm kind of I'm a lyricist fan. I like I like that put together in a way. I mean, I wrote Crown Royal. You know I thought it was visual. You know I can do that. It is I could be wrong. Your hands on my hips pull me right back to you. I'm sorry. I have a whole part is when it's no. My part is when it's hell you you I don't it's not it's not. It's you don't say you It's like he you, you don't. I don't know what you say when you say I flipped ship something to the lip, I say a lip, himp dip and I'm twisted in your hands and your lips and your tongue tricks and you're so thick. Yeah, it's it's nasty as a song is nasty. However, however, yes it is. It is. It is woven together in a lyrical little meal that is fantastical. However, we just like when we because I doubt anybody on this line was like, I cannot stay. I'm not saying you can lick it, you can stick it, you could taste it. I'm talking every drip drop. Don't you waste it like that was? That was some hot ship when it came out. Was in that was a Canelli put it in your mouth. And I wasn't there for that. He wasn't He wasn't here for that. I'm gonna tell you that I was. I was late to the Kim Train. I was actually late to the little Kim Train when it first came out. I was a little taken aback, I got a little I got slightly. It was a lot. I got slightly united Methodists when I heard you know what I'm saying. I'm on Man Dreams, A Sucking R and B Dick. But listen, I was late when I first got there. I wasn't ready. Okay, it was a lot for me. Okay, As I got older, I was like, okay, Kim was all someothing. But also to further down the when I got to other songs, radio hits, the radio hits, I was like, boom, but I had to work up to listen to the album versions was not lie. I had to work up to it. But again, if we're raising young women these days, to honor these women, these iconic figures within this industry, and we know that we're at you know, Auntie age around this time, and we have other young girls who are coming, young women who are coming into this business, we have to offer them the space, uh in evolved space, a space that says that you no longer have to fight this same fight to be yourself and be who you are. And I never forget um. Chris Rock talked about how you know he was this world famous comedian and he lived next door to a dentist and that you know wife folks get a chance to be mediocre. All right. Everybody is not gonna necessarily have the same level of um access to that kind of lyrical prowess, you know what I mean. But they do have an audience and they do have an artistic voice for some reason. Let me let me for some reason, if I say anything, it's it's a speaking out, some speaking out against something or other than I'm not thinking. I don't have any problem at all. Want your earthie perchase somewhere. That's what they say. They say, you on your earthie perch somewhere. Just you know that I made that. Shut up. It was just a translation of what I think I mean. I guess there are people that think that that's fine. I don't know what to tell you. I'm a whole person. W h o l e w h oh. That's not how my raining would have said there, But listen, I'm a whole I love it. It would have been. And she speaking to anybody because all of herself, she allowed herself to be herself. She was not afraid of those folks that were trying to put her in boxes or confine her to anything. And black people, a lot of black people did not like her. I'm glad you said that, because I wondered thinking here, like in retrospect we can all have this kind of level of respect. But like if she was to come out right now, what where where would we be on the side of the coin, Because like I told you, I was slowed to the chim train. Yeah, I was slowed to the Billy Holiday train. Wow. All right, yeah, you know that's what I'm saying. Like I saw how would she be received? Lady Sings the Blues before I actually saw uh before I heard of Billie Holiday music. But that's fair, that's I think that's some eighties baby ship. But yeah, yeah, And I didn't catch on until what that was until I got my feelings hurt. Once I got my feelings hurt and listened to Billy Holliday, I was like, oh, I see what this is. Yeah, but I didn't get it until then. Yeah. I think we're always going to end up in some kind of Auntie position when it comes to two songs like like wap you know, um, I had to bring that up again. I just feel like we're always gonna come up with something that people are gonna feel like there's a judgment or an anti thing happening. I just like what I like, you know, I was just gonna. I also try to keep aware of the steady evolution of sexuality in media, because I always used the whole thing of like at some point when margat Gay came up with sexual Hill and my fucker was like, wow, no, that's too much, turn it down. So now I'm like, here, we are forty years later. What the funk do I expect? We are twenty years after Little Kim Yeah, wet ass pussy, that's about right. Wow, we are twenty years after Little Kim and and it's always fun in games until you see it, until you hear a three year old singing it. Yeah, I don't never want you'll be like, oh yes, yes, ladies, you'll be at I have some songs on my next project that I'm like, oh I know, no, oh no, no, we do give it, give it. It's the next level, Crown Royal, because we're here for that. You gotta evolve, you know, at this age, nasty Jail is the only Jill I'm interested in. How about that? How about that that I need Nasty Jill consistently in my life Unless you gotta you about to lose your job remix because I'm looking. I've been looking, waiting for something or to do that for me. But that's fine. You know, whatever mix is not needed. The original is a classic. It is she is, she does classic. An iconic woman. I'm just joking because she had the triflate part. That's what I'm out what she called it, triflate. Hmm, what's you thinking, jail over there? I was thinking of some more iconic women, um in this music industry. I'm wow, we're talking about women that may change. You know, I've heard that name damn near my whole life. I've heard that name my whole life. I'm gonna throw a Beyonce in the hat. That is absolutely as she should be. Might be fine, fine, fine, fine. I've never seen anybody anywhere work harder than that lady ever. I know, you know, musicians that work with her and that level of of business, that level of professionalism. I every time I've ever seen her perform anywhere, I I get chill bumps. I'm stuttering. See she's taking that Diana Ross formula next level. It's amazing. She's amazing, She's amazing, and she's introduced so many different kinds of music and different kinds of visuals um that are healthy. And every time I think, I think, I think what she has done, and she has kind of mixed together what used to be the pop trifecta and put it into one artist. You know, they're used. Madonna was known as a chameleon, where she would figure out what was going on in the underground and bring it to the mainstream. Beyonce has done that consistently. Then Michael Jackson was a person who brought um just a dynamics of stage performance and dance into his artistry, beyond just the fact that he was an amazing singer and everything. And she has been able to like turned I mean that the Michael Jackson mentality. I mean, she's taking that to the very next level in my in my opinion, humbly, you know. And then you talk about just straight flatfoot singing that part. But she was saying earlier, she both like how you both She thrice the we're gonna keep, We're gonna end up um forgiving ourselves at times, you know, I We're gonna keep. We're gonna keep forgiving ourselves as we continue, because we're gonna say the wrong thing sometimes and it's wrong because we're trying to advance past it. So you know, when you know that something is baige, you don't want to keep calling it white, you know what I mean? You want to learn what it is and then move moved towards that, move towards the truth, or moved towards um a place where people can feel happy and healthy and um seen. And I certainly want you to have all of your sexuality. I certainly want you to be all of you. I do what else is there? I'm super proud of these women that um that they weren't then that they've never been doing it for me. You know, they did it because that's where, that's where, that's who they were. It's so much so much better to go ahead and be who you are. I mean, that is I mean, that is the pathway to being iconic. Is it not? What is not? My phone says uh, Small minds can't comprehend big spirits. To be great, you have to be willing to be mocked, hated and misunderstood. Stay strong. It is the mic Onna floor is the mic Gonna floor. The mic is on the floor. How do you eat an elephant? One by it? Time. What's up everybody. I'm Eaves, a producer on the show, and it's resource time. Okay, so we have a lot today. Joe would like to point you to Queer Cultural Center dot org, which has information on the importance of My Rainy. You can check out the Netflix film A Rainy's Black Bottom as well. And for the love of all that is black and beautiful, please read or go see in August Wilson Play. If you ever have the chance, and while I'm one that note, go support small theaters, female directors and emerging actors. And then there's all of the people that Jill, Asia and Layah mentioned today. If you don't know about some of these people and groups like Millie Jackson, LaBelle, Cathy Hughes, and Valerie Simpson, go look them up and learn a little bit more about their work. If you already do know a little something about them, I'll drop some leaks in the episode description. Thank you for listening to Jill Scott Presents j dot il the podcast. This podcast is hosted by Jill Scott, Laya st Clair, and agent Graden Danceler. It's executive producers are Jill Scott, Shawn j and Brian Calhoun. It's produced by Laya St. Clair and me Eve Jeff Coke. The editing and sound design for this episode we're done by Taylor Chaquoin. Listen, you ain't gonna look too far for Ashbrod and Simpson any motown discography. Just just checked out to get by all I need. That's the Aretha version, but she wrote it. But that's that's iconic. You wrote a song that Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, and Aretha Franklin all recorded, and all all three versions are different. Bye Bye. J dot Ill is a production of i HA Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows