February 13, 2026
Provided Image/Kennedi Carter
Jill Scott, above, included a song that honors North Philly on 'To Whom This May Concern,' her first album in more than a decade. The song, 'Norf Side,' also features the vocals of Tierra Whack, a fellow Philly native.
On her first album in more than a decade, R&B singer Jill Scott honored her hometown in song.
"Norf Side," a collaboration with rapper Tierra Whack, is an ode to North Philly, where Scott was born and raised. The lyrics don't include any specific landmarks, but they mention hoagies, and Scott and Whack each give a shoutout to the city.
"J-I-L-L S-C-O-T-T in the place to be, North Philly, baby," Scott sings.
"Pray and obey to the W-H-A-C-K, I'm here to stay, North Philly all day," Whack follows a few verses later.
Scott grew up near 23rd Street and Lehigh Avenue and graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls and Temple University. Two years ago, a mural of Scott was unveiled at Girls' High.
Scott grew up in the 1970s listening to the likes of Gladys Knight and the Pips, Millie Jackson and Aretha Franklin.
"My mother would play those albums and then we would have these amazing block parties," she told Billy Penn in 2017. "There is nothing like that music."
"To Whom This May Concern," released Friday, is Scott's sixth studio album and the first since her 2015 release, "Woman." Alongside Whack, the 19-song album includes collaborations with Ab-Soul, JID, Trombone Shorty, Maha Adachi Earth and Too $hort.
When Scott announced the album in January, the Grammy Award winner thank fans for their patience and "listening ears."However, in an interview with artist Bisa Butler for the New York Times' Style Magazine, Scott said she wasn't sure if the album was for everyone. Per the name, it's meant for whomever it may concern, she said.
"Who's supposed to get it is gonna get it," Scott told Butler. "I want it to feel like there's a void when it's over, where the silence is too loud and either you're going to get up and do something or you're going to start the record over. You're going to really think about where you are and if it's what you actually want. What you do is you capture a person in their strength and weakness."
