Also naming the 2300 block of Oakdale Street as "Jill Scott Lane."

WHEREAS, Jill Scott was born April 4, 1972 to Joyce Scott and raised as an only child by her mother and grandmother in North Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, Scott discovered the poetry of Nikki Giovanni in the 8th grade and was majorly inspired by her work, with Scott later enjoying writers like Octavia Butler and J. California Cooper as well; and

WHEREAS, Scott graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1990 as a member of the 234th Class, and enrolled at Temple University, where she studied to become a teacher before leaving to pursue a career in theater and the arts; and

WHEREAS, Scott’s spoken word poetry performance at the October Gallery led to her being discovered by Questlove of The Roots, and she was invited to collaborate with the legendary rap group as a songwriter and vocalist; and

WHEREAS, Scott moved on to collaborate with other Philadelphia artists such as Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Dre & Vidal, and Carvin & Ivan, and even non-Philadelphia artists such as Common, while also landing a role in the Canadian Broadway musical

Rent

; and

WHEREAS, Scott became the first artist signed to Steve McKeever’s Hidden Beach Recordings

label, which released her 2000 debut album

Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol. 1

; and

WHEREAS,

Who Is Jill Scott?

peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200 and earned Scott three GRAMMY nominations, with its biggest single “Getting in the Way” setting the tone for her musical career; and

WHEREAS, Scott followed up her debut album success with a sequel,

Beautifully Human: Words and Sounds, Vol. 2,

earning her another GRAMMY nomination for “Best R&B Album” and a GRAMMY award for “Best Urban/Alternative R&B Performance” for its single “Cross My Mind”; and

WHEREAS, Scott’s third

Words and Sounds

album,

The Real Thing: Words and Sounds, Vol. 3

was released in 2007 and went gold; and

WHEREAS, Scott would take a hiatus from music to pursue an acting career, appearing in films such as

Hound Dog,

Tyler Perry’s

Why Did I Get Married?,

Tyler Perry’s

Why Did I Get Married Too?,

and

Get On Up

while starring in the HBO television series

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

; and

WHEREAS, After a four-year hiatus from music, Scott released her fourth album,

The Light of the Sun

, in 2011, and released her fifth and to date most recent album

Woman

in 2015; and

WHEREAS, Jill Scott performed at the White House several times in the 2010s, reading poetry and performing soul music to significant acclaim; and

WHEREAS, Scott continued to write poetry, publishing in 2005 a compilation volume of her poems called

The Moments, The Minutes, The Hours

that instantly became a New York Times bestseller; and

WHEREAS, Never limited to music, Scott has had numerous additional film and television appearances, and is the host of the award-winning

Jill Scott Presents: Jill The Podcast

; and

WHEREAS, In 2023, Scott embarked on her highly successful

Who Is Jill Scott? 23rd Anniversary Tour

, reuniting with fans nationwide to celebrate her chart-topping, genre-defining

album; and

WHEREAS, Scott has won numerous GRAMMY, Soul Train, and NAACP Image Awards across her acting and singing career; and

WHEREAS, Scott’s achievements and longevity in numerous endeavors exemplifies the multitalented excellence the blocks of North Philadelphia produce every day; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the 2300 block of Oakdale Street shall be also named as “Jill Scott Lane.”

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this Resolution be presented to Jill Scott as evidence of the true and sincere admiration and respect of this legislative body.

End