5 lessons from Jill Scott and Erykah Badu's Instagram Live Battle

I was only 13 when Erykah Badu’s debut album Baduizm came out and 16 when Jill’s first album, Who Is Jill Scott ?, was released. I was a budding poet and sometimes photographer back then. I wore headwraps, grew dreadlocks, and performed my poetry in Leimert Park, which was then a bohemian enclave in the middle of South Central Los Angeles. Jill and Erykah’s music found me when I was just trying to find my own voice, even back then. As I got grown, got my heart broken, fell in love—their music was a mainstay at every stage of my womanhood.

I left DC for good at the top of 2011 and moved back to LA after leaving an emotionally abusive relationship, among other things. In those earlier it was songs like Jill Scott’s “Slowly, Surely” and Erykah’s “Out My Mind, Just In Time” that helped put myself back together again. And now that I’ve turned 36, Badu’s “Me” is my current theme song.

So of course, when it was announced that Jill Scott and Erykah Badu were slated to do a Verzuz battle on Instagram Live, there was no question that I was absolutely going to watch. Even though it was framed as a battle where one of them would “win” and one would “lose,” it was the first event int the Verzuz series that did not feel like a battle at all. Rather, it was more like the cathartic vibe session between two of my favorite artists that I didn’t know I needed.

Just like with Teddy Riley (bless his heart), there are lessons here too—both in life and when it comes to using Instagram Live for virtual events. Below are some of the takeaways:

It’s never a bad idea to check in with each other before diving into the work.

Jill and Erykah were intentional about checking in with each other before they got to the music. Erykah asked how Jill was liking Tennessee, Jill asked Erykah how things were in Texas. They complimented each other on how they looked and sounded. This may seem small, but checking in before getting down to business matters. Remembering that the people you collaborate with are human beings with basic needs is very important, especially in the time of the Rona.

If you what you want to accomplish scares you, do it scared.

Both Jill Scott and Erykah Badu played their renditions of the Roots classic “You Got Me” to start the evening off. As the story goes, Jill wrote the chorus to the song for Erykah to sing on the original recording. But on the Roots Live album, it is Jill who performs alongside the Roots during their performance of the song. This served as her debut to a larger audience. During the battle, Jill mentioned that she was very scared and nervous before she began to sing this song for the live recording. That was very surprising to hear since I believe her rendition of “You Got Me” is one of her strongest vocal performances of her career. Jil Scott did something so phenomenal, so magical with that performance, and yet she did it while scared shitless. It blew my mind.

But this is a lesson for all of us. It is okay to name our fears and confront them, but we have to be ready to take action, too. We all have something we want to do with all our heart that scares is, whether it is for our career, for our relationships, or any other aspect of our lives. Do it scared.

If things go wrong, it may be time to improvise.

Right as Erykah Badu was about to play her song “Tyrone,” her iPad’s battery died and she disappeared from the Instagram Live. Jill Scott had the same reaction that most of us had at that moment (“Oh Nooooo!”), but instead of sitting idly, she came up with a Plan B: she played Erykah’s selected song for that round on her end until Erykah returned to the IG Live feed. It was quick thinking on Jill’s part, but it made me wish that previous battles featured folks who could improvise the way Jill did. Instagram Live events are new to a lot of folks and while I have high standards, I try to extend a bit of grace when I can. Just like with any new use of technology, things can go wrong, but it doesn’t have to mess up the flow. The best thing to do is improvise and be ready to switch it up in the moment.

It doesn’t have to be a competition—even if folks want it to be.

For as long as I remember, from my early days on the Okayplayer.com message boards, folks have been trying to pit Jill and Erykah against each other. Somehow, there is this perception that there can’t never more than one dope woman artist existing and creating dope things at one time, and when there is, they automatically have to be in direct competition with each other.

The truth is, there has never been beef between Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, and they said as much. “The ‘battle’ ended up flowing more like two friends trading songs they love,” Naima Cochrane wrote in her Billboard re-cap about the battle. I couldn’t agree more. It was not the throwdown showdown it was billed as, and I don’t think I’m the only one who was glad it wasn’t.

The moral of the story here is this: it is not a requirement that you compete with your colleagues, your friends, or even your contemporaries. I’ve covered this before, but it bears repeating with this beautiful example by Jill and Erykah last weekend. There is room for everyone, there is room for every dream, and room for every innovation. It’s okay to shine while others shine right next to you. Nobody’s light gets dimmer because of it.

Storytelling matters.

There is a lot to be said about the ways that both Jill and Erykah tap into the divine when it comes to making and performing their music. Jade Perry has a great video that does a deeper dive into this when it comes to Jill Scott. She touches on how both her and Erykah played the role of a griot, a storyteller. I love hearing the stories behind some of my favorite songs because when I know the origin story, the music hits different. I’m really, really hoping that more artists share the stories about their songs and albums in future Verzuz battles.

It gets to another lesson though: knowing your “why.” Your story and your reason for wanting to achieve something, whether it is a creative project or a career goal, matters. Don’t be afraid to share that story with the world. You may find that once people know your “why,” they want to help you reach that goal in whatever way they can.

One last thing: my favorite part of this Verzuz battle was when Jill told Erykah how much it meant to write the hook to “You Got Me” for Erykah to sing. “You didn’t have to give an emerging artist a shot,” Jill said. And Erykah replied, “I DID have to.”

That moment damn near brought me to tears. Erykah felt she had a responsibility to make room for an up-and-coming artist and give her a chance to use her talent. Even though Erykah was singing the song, she made it about giving Jill a platform she didn’t have before.

I hope we all can seize the opportunity to reach back and lift someone else up as we climb our way to the top.