So this @JillScott X @IamAnitaBaker thing...... PR nightmare...

You know I try to stay outta the 'messy' ish but MY SOURCE* tells me that pretty much every thing that is being said is true about this situation. I think by now, the major places have covered the story so I am not really doing it for that. I am just really 'speaking on it' 'cause I think that it can be used as an example for some of the folks I know who are trying to 'be in that business'. Some of my people. Regardless of the angle..

This business gets PRETTY SKETCHY very quickly and sometimes things go awry.

Lets run down the TL of this particular issue and see what we can learn? We are gonna start with a Tweet that (was sent to me by source A WHILE AGO.) I have only seen on one or two of the sites that have reported it start with. Without this tweet, Anita doesn't type a thing. Without this tweet, THIS IS A NON STORY. Has no legs. Without it, she takes the high road and no one is the wiser as to what went down...

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Not how you want to conduct business....

So basically she wanted to rehearse the song and have it done right. Might have taken up some time BUT they all would be rest assured to have gotten on stage and things would have been right. That last tweet should have been the only tweet IMO. The first tweet (I posted) should have never happened. 






So I asked my source about this tweet below. She said that didn't come from anyone's manager either. It came from an artist. One who didn't perform....

 

Now even IF SHE SAID IT IN A PLAYFUL WAY, you don't say that to a legend/peer. I mean we are talking "Her, MJ and Lionel Ritchie were the ONLY ONES I EVER HEARD PLAYED IN THE ELEVATOR STATUS...MAMA I REALLY MADE IT...LEGEND status here." @ Anita's position. Even if you DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT, you don't say it like that. Sorry. You don't. I mean, it is my understanding that even though she is 'more relevant' than Anita at PRESENT, Mary J. Blige goes OUTTA HER WAY TO MAKE SURE HOMAGE IS PAID. So you know, while I LOVE JILL SCOTT'S TALENT, I gotta ask...


WHAT HAPPENED THAT MADE YOU COME AT ANITA BAKER LIKE THAT? It's ANITA BAKER. I want to hear it from you. I guess I should ask you..."DID YOU REALLY SAY THAT TO ANITA BAKER ABOUT HER SONG??" Please tell me you didn't say that to her about her song. I can't IMAGINE the reaction you would have had if someone would have ran up to you with some bullshit about something that you wrote and performed. So yeah, I am asking...Did you ACTUALLY SAY THAT TO HER?


You don't need to respond to my little blog either. You can go on SOME BIG RADIO station and do it. You can do it via Twitter. I don't care. Although I DO KNOW YOU READ BLOGS/forums/etc. (okayplayer) Which I am not even knocking. What better way to know what folks think than to read what they are saying straight from the water source.  I just want to know YOUR SIDE OF IT. 'Cause the way it is looking now, it makes you look REAL CRAZY outchea and your manager's original tweet didn't help... Talk to us Jill. I have heard (and read via a lil forum that we both frequent..you know the one..I don't have to call its name. It is Philly based..) all types of stuff which I don't wanna repeat for VARIOUS reasons. 

DO you 'owe me' an explanation? Nope. I figured that since you seem to be a 'very up front person', I would just ask you flat out though. All you can say is no or make no comment. What happened according to you Jill?






The Lesson Learned here for everyone else....

So how is this gonna 'help' the people I know. I mean after all, I am not running a 'gossip' blog per say so the only OTHER REASON I would run this story is to ACTUALLY HELP SOMEONE OUT IN THEIR QUEST FOR A PIECE OF THE PIE..

Easy. I think I have explained this before on my own Twitter but seeing as though I don't have a large 'black twitter following', it has not had a chance to matriculate down to the bowels of those trying to come up in the entertainment game via the Internet yet:

A good PR TEAM combats trouble..not starts it. 

This is a PR nightmare. I know a lot of you who WORK IN PR. You have an artist (or a roster) that you would like to represent. Some of you are in situations (lanes of the business) that you may think 'require' this sort of drama. No. This is NOT WHAT YOU WANT YOUR PR PERSON DOING. Starting fires. Especially ones like this. This should have NEVER MADE IT TO THIS WEBSITE/BLOG, the radio websites or any of that. The PR person's job is to PUT OUT THE FIRES. Not start 'em. Leave that up to the artists...@ starting them if they so desire.


Clear your affairs up behind closed doors. This could have been avoided if the PR had not made his original tweet. Definitely uncalled for and very unprofessional and according to those backstage...UNTRUE. 

Social network responsibly so that your artist doesn't get caught up in bullshit like this with folks like me @'ing them on Twitter or hitting them with questions in interviews that have NOTHING TO DO WITH WHY THEY ARE BEING INTERVIEWED. It is bad enough the artists are out here tweeting/acting crazy. You can't have your staff and your reps doing the same. 

In addition, artists out there, this is a just a glimpse of what you can expect from your peers from 'time to time'. Someone is wrong in this situation regardless of the story as the scheduled performance did not go down. In addition, the person most upset WAS ASKED AT THE LAST MINUTE (for performing standards anyway) to perform and she did a favor. Now when she doesn't do any more 'favors', she is going to be the bad 'guy'. smh Again, those little voices in the back of your head (or those coming from your STAFF) shouldn't be brushed off. :) Sometimes they save you the heartache...















*I have NEVER SAID THE WORD 'SOURCE' on my blog. This is the first time. There is a reason for that. It is because I have someone who wants the story to be known that I personally know. As in, HAS BEEN TO MY HOUSE personally know. So I feel like I can say 'source' on this one 'cause well...I trust them and I know they are DEAD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SITUATION.

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I know most of you don't 'read' the comments section..9th/Phonte my opinion on it.

Since I know most of you don't realize that there is even a comment section here and/or read them, I will take the time to repost my opinion in a post. Why? Did you REALLY JUST ASK ME WHY? As much as I endure ya'lls opinion on things that are 'not your business' like the Tiger shit, the Jesse James thing, or whatever 'scandals' come out? Please. Spare me the 'high road thing' this morning because of 'ties we may all have to the artists involved'. Hasn't stopped you before.





Matter of fact, let me just address this right now for future reference. We have ALL spoken on things that don't have anything to do with 'our lives'/are none of our business. All day long my Twitter feed/Facebook timeline/and message board screens are full of 'half lies'/opinions/factual lies and the whole nine yards in regards to an array of topics/people we don't know personally. It happens offline as well. So don't go getting tender on me now 'cause it is an artist that we both may happen to know or like.



Phonte is human....



Yes! This just in. They are BOTH human so no one is without flaws but that doesn't have shit to do with the price of tea in China right now.





Going in on people we may know personally.....





I have seen you guys go in on people I have known FOR 20 PLUS YEARS SINCE WE WERE YOUNG (Grouchy Greg & Jayson Rodriguez come to mind IMMEDIATELY) and said NOTHING. Why? 'Cause it is your opinion. I happen to know both of them and KNOW THEY KNOW MORE ABOUT MUSIC THAN MOST OF YOU. I don't say shit when you shit on their opinions/get personal with the attacks or none of that bullshit. I operate under the assumption that if we are 'e-cool'/real life cool/whatever, that I have deemed you one of sane body and mind. That you probably have some reasons, unbeknown to me, why you feel how you feel. I may not AGREE BUT I CAN RESPECT IT. Not hard for me to do actually. I can't tell you how you feel about them (or any other situation) and your interactions WITH HIM. Or how you perceive any of the people that I may know. It is a waste of time to them. I appreciate the passion though and can understand it. I just know for me, it would be a waste of time to do so. I will be referencing this post for future reference just so you know..as I won't be saying this too many more damm times.





Back to my opinion though on the whole 9th/Phonte thing. My apologies to those of you who do read the comments/follow me on Twitter and actually already know how I feel about it.









My opinion..





How am I supposed to come back behind that! lol @ Assertive.



Seriously, I just think the BEST thing would be for everyone not to speak on it anymore. Period. Yes, people are gonna ask but no more words. No slick comments about 'It isn't me..." or none of that shit. Like you, I feel like if the truth isn't out there and I don't like what you are saying, I'mma tell the truth. Obviously, in this situation, the truth is deep. Deeper than 9th wants to get into. Cool. QUIT BRINGING THAT SHIT UP THEN. No rap for it. Otherwise, people like us are gonna have some sort of opinion. Like I told my friend on Twitter, he doesn't 'owe' us anything. But that isn't going to stop one from drawing conclusions due to the bitchiness of the behavior he is exhibiting by taking snipes. Which he has done. His whole suggests that. Almost on some 'If you knew the real Phonte' type shit. Spill it then but don't threaten me with a good time, don't tell me and THEN TO BOOT tell me I don't know what I am talking about. I mean, I have had disagreements and the unspoken rule is we just don't speak on it. Too much personal info to be running around all nilly willy with it taking shots. On both sides. I see this the same way.



Now the NOSY side of me wants to know. I can't lie about that but I know that the nosy side IS NOT CORRECT. (See how I did that?) The correct thing to do is for them not to speak on each other ever again. Period. No innuendos. No sneak disses. Nothing but love or nothing at all. Sounds like they have unfinished business though. Which is just that. Their unfinished business. I am just glad that he spoke on it a little bit so he wouldn't be doing the same passive aggressive thing. Right or wrong. He spoke on his side. We all pretty much know there are three sides to every story. Yours. Theirs. The truth. We may not know the truth in this one and it is okay. We will live. It is nice to have some pieces though.





@ Steph. You are correct as usual. Yeah, the Cap in me feels him. lol Might not ever get responded to and that is his right. @ 9th. But to keep 'hinting their is more' and then not saying what that more is...is..well....shady. At least to me at this point. Early on? Cool. Now? Just address it. Not NECESSARILY in public either. Just with Phonte and then having Phonte say "We good.." would be cool to me. We don't even need to know 'what' is going on @ the actual underlying issue. Just that they are good or at least agree to respect each other. Otherwise, the comments from fans and critics alike will continue to flow. It is clear neither one of them want that to happen or it wouldn't be getting addressed.



I don't want them fighting. Personal experiences and feelings aside. Nothing is gained by them bickering at the end of the day. Musically, they will not be working together it seems so we ALL SHOULD BE GETTING OVER IT. I have. I did a long time ago. Had a great run and all still make great music.







I always wanted to ask him but NEVER DID. Not in all my days of speaking to him. Wasn't my place. Still isn't my place. @ Phonte.





I will add to that comment. 'Cause I can. That's why. I also never asked 9th about why they broke up. EVER. I always felt it was unfair to ask either of them in a public timeline about that 'cause if they REALLY WANTED US TO KNOW, they would say. Now since it got DISCUSSED in a public forum by BOTH OF THEM, I spoke on it and what it appeared to be to me. That is it. I got passionate about it because I have my OWN reasons for feeling like I do and they are based on interactions/encounters with each. I don't proclaim to KNOW EITHER ONE OF THEM THOUGH on a personal level like I do the two people I named up top. Lets be clear. I DO have a relationship with one of them though and from what I know, he strikes me as genuine. I have told him when I didn't agree with him TOO! He didn't go getting 'tender' on me.



I don't know the other person but through a couple interactions. That is all I have to go by. If you know him (or Phonte), PERSONALLY GREAT. I am sure he is a great person. I don't hate him or no shit like that. I don't know him to hate him. I just think he is wrong in this case. That is all. Unlike most of you, I won't be calling him names (or outta his name) or no mess like that. That is that 5th grade shit to me. Again, like I said up top though, I have seen you guys do it though but don't get me fucked up with you. I am not YOU. I am me. I like the guy's music and in the end, that is all I need from him. The music. Actually from all three of the parties involved. If they never make music together again, I hold no malice towards them about it. At all. I appreciate what they gave and K.I.M. That's just me though. It was just my take on the situation. They owe me nothing and I owe them nothing at the end of the day. Believe that and that shit works like I-95 my nig. North and South. Both ways. Understand that Jack.



Questions? Good. Lets go....

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