Dred Scott

Dred Scott (c. 1799 – September 17, 1858) was an enslaved African American man in the United States who unsuccessfully sued for his freedom and that of his wife and their two daughters in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1857, popularly known as the "Dred Scott Decision." Scott claimed that he and his wife should be granted their freedom because they had lived in Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory for four years, where slavery was illegal. The United States Supreme Court decided 7–2 against Scott, finding that neither he nor any other person of African ancestry could claim citizenship in the United States, and therefore Scott could not bring suit in federal court under diversity of citizenship rules. Moreover, Scott's temporary residence outside Missouri did not bring about his emancipation under the Missouri Compromise, which the court ruled unconstitutional as it would "improperly deprive Scott's owner of his legal property."

While Chief Justice Roger B. Taney had hoped to settle issues related to slavery and Congressional authority by this decision, it aroused public outrage, deepened sectional tensions between the northern and southern U.S. states, and hastened the eventual explosion of their differences into the American Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and the post-Civil War Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments nullified the decision.

Dred Scott (disambiguation)

Dred Scott may refer to:

Dred Scott (musician)

Dred Scott (birth name as Jonathan Scott) is an American hip-hop/soul rapper, songwriter and music producer. Scott, who originally started his career as a rap artist was born to parents that were both professional actors/dancers who met while touring with various music productions. His mother was the first African-American female dancer to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. Scott received some training in jazz as a child, but was excited enough by the hip-hop innovations of Run-D.M.C. to pursue a music career as a rap artist. His music blends jazz, funk, hip-hop and soul, along with social consciousness and a sense of humor.

Dred Scott's debut album, Breakin' Combs on A&M Records, was released in 1994. The album achieved moderate success thanks to the underground singles "Check the Vibe" and "Back in the Day," which featured R&B singer and future wife Adriana Evans. The pair met while in college, which led to Adriana's appearance on Scott's "Breakin' Combs".

In 1995, he released his second album Small Clubs Are Dead. During this time Scott and Evans wrote and recorded her pioneering self-titled debut album on Capitol Records released in 1997. The album featured Scott's hip-hop-centric production backing Evans' jazz-influenced vocals; combined with live instrumentation, it was a significant departure from the R&B of the day. Changes at Capitol landed Adriana and her debut record on RCA/Loud Records and it was officially released in 1997. The two have since collaborated on subsequent Evans' albums El Camino, Nomadic, Kismet and her most recent Walking with the Night.