Jill Scott said her first encounter with the late Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, did not play out as she had imagined. During a March 31 interview on NPR’s Fresh Air podcast with Tony Mosley, Scott revealed that upon meeting Franklin for the first time, she wasn’t greeted with a hug and a smile. Instead, the music legend sent the “Pressha” singer on a journey to get her two hot dogs doused in some of her favorite toppings.
“Aretha Franklin sent me to get her two hot dogs with cooked onions and mustard,” Scott told Mosley with a chuckle.
“You met her, you told her you loved her, and then she said what?” Mosley clarified.
“‘Go to the corner and get me two hot dogs with cooked onions and mustard,’” Scott recalled. “And I went.”
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At the time, Scott had the No. 1 album in the country with her fourth studio LP, The Light of the Sun, but instead of scoffing at Franklin’s request she happily obliged.
Jill Scott said she learned this from the Aretha Franklin experience.
“And I went to the corner and I got those hot dogs, and I brought them back, and I just waited…I don’t even think she ate them,” Scott continued, telling Mosley that she learned a thing or two from the experience.
“I would, one, say be nicer to people,” she laughed. “Two, you gotta earn your stripes. [Back] then I was like, ‘Aww, I wanted her to be nicer to me, to embrace me to tell me, you know, give me some advice and hold my hand a little bit, but that’s not what happened.”
Now, Scott said she’s that woman to “a certain degree,” and looking back she understands that Franklin was testing her to see what she would do with an opportunity — even if that opportunity may have been getting the Grammy-winning soul icon, who passed away in 2018, a hot dog.
“Don’t waste it, don’t waste my time, don’t waste your time. It’s too valuable,” she added, while reflecting on what Franklin may have been thinking at the time.
“I like this,” Scott said. “This is the auntie portion; she’s a little tougher. This is good for me. It’s good for you too, if you want it,” the singer added.
Social media users react to Jill Scott’s story on Fresh Air with Tony Mosley.
Social media users lit up with comments about the shocking story with some arguing that it was a “mean girl” move on Franklin’s part.
“It’s definitely giving walk to Brooklyn to Juniors and bring me back a cheesecake,” wrote one user. “That’s called hazing,” one user penned.
Another added, “Nah I’ll always choose kindness. I can get my point across in other ways. We don’t always have to demean and belittle to teach them something.”
Others commended Jill for showing the late hitmaker a little “Respect.”
“YES, JILL respect,” commented one fan. Another added, “I would’ve come back with flowers & chocolate too. She would’ve been so sick of me.”
Jill Scott has long since earned her place as a powerhouse in the music industry. In February, she marked a major return with the release of her first studio album in over a decade, To Whom This May Concern.
The project made an impressive impact, debuting in the top 10 across seven Billboard charts (dated Feb. 28). It opened at No. 7 on Top Album Sales and also landed in the top 10 on multiple charts, including Top R&B Albums (No. 4), Independent Albums (No. 6), Vinyl Albums (No. 6), Indie Store Album Sales (No. 6), Top Current Album Sales (No. 7), and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (No. 10).
Scott is also gearing up to embark on an international tour starting June 4, with stops planned for New York, Chicago, Berlin, London and her hometown of Philadelphia.
Watch the full interview with Jill Scott and Tony Mosley on Fresh Air below. Thoughts?
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