Watch Jill Scott Accept Her Billboard R&B Hall of Fame Induction: ‘This Is a Testament to Yes’

Jill Scott, a celebrated singer-songwriter, accepted her induction into the Billboard R&B Hall of Fame on September 9, 2022, at Ludlow House in New York City. In her acceptance speech, Scott emphasized the driving force behind her extraordinary career – the word "yes." This sentiment originated from a poem she wrote years ago after someone hurt her feelings; she shared it, received encouragement, and decided to recite it at a poetry reading, answering "yes."

That initial "yes" evolved into a mantra that guided her throughout her career, whether it was accepting another poetry reading, an acting gig, or co-writing The Roots' Grammy-winning hit "You Got Me." Scott reflected on how "yes is scary, yes is thrilling, and my precious career has proven to me, when the soul says yes, the juice is worth the squeeze."

Her career has been marked by nine top 10 albums on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and 17 top 10 entries on the Adult R&B Airplay list, including five No. 1 hits. Her most recent album, "Pressha," reached the top spot 25 years after her first No. 1 hit, "A Long Walk," in 2001. Scott recently released her first album in five years, "To Whom This May Concern," which reached the top 10 on seven Billboard album charts.

Her induction also highlighted other notable achievements at the event, such as The Roots' induction into the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame and Kehlani's R&B Artist of the Year honor.