Shari Watson (born October 10, 1971), known professionally as Truth Hurts, is an American R&B singer.[1]
Truth Hurts | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Shari Watson |
| Born | October 10, 1971 |
| Origin | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | truthhurtsofficial |
Career
editIn 2000, Watson signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label.[2][3] She first appeared on Busta Rhymes' 2001 hit single, "Break Ya Neck", as a backing vocalist. In 2001, she played a small role in The Wash starring Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, as well as a cameo in the film Ali starring Will Smith. She also appeared as a background vocalist on the D12 song "Nasty Mind". For her first solo LP, Truthfully Speaking, issued on Aftermath in 2002, Truth Hurts enlisted the production talents of Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Hi-Tek, and DJ Quik. Her debut single, "Addictive", was a Top 10 hit in the United States, and featured a verse from hip hop artist Rakim. The original song, Lata Mangeshkar's "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai", was used as the main base of the track within the chorus. The copyright holders sued Aftermath and parent company Interscope Records for $500 million, and issued an injunction against further sales or performances of the record.[4] A judge later ruled that the album was not to be sold without being stickered with proper credits for Mangeshkar.[5] However, a judge eventually dismissed the case against the song, based on the copyright law of India, and sanctioned an attorney over $257,000 for bringing the lawsuit.[6] The song has since become available on streaming services.[7] Among the attorneys for Dr. Dre in the case was noted entertainment litigator Jeffrey D. Goldman.[8][9]
In summer of 2002, Truth Hurts secured a spot on the Smokin' Grooves tour with Lauryn Hill, Outkast, Cee-Lo Green, The Roots, Jurassic 5, and Erykah Badu.[10] However, following the buzz on "Addictive", Truth Hurts became relatively obscure, only contributing guest vocals to "The Watcher 2" on Jay-Z's Blueprint 2 album and "What" on Eve's Eve-Olution. To date, she remains a one-hit wonder in both America and the UK. "Addictive" was followed up by a song called "The Truth" written by R. Kelly, with whom she collaborated. The song underperformed on American radio and video outlets. This was likely due in part to the negative press Kelly received over sex-crime allegations, that hit media outlets shortly before the single's release.[11]
Truth Hurts returned in 2004 with her second album, Ready Now, on Raphael Saadiq's Pookie Entertainment label. Its first single, "Ready Now", was released in the summer of 2004. In 2005, Truth Hurts collaborated with J Dilla on Jay Love Japan on the track "Ghetto Love", shortly before his death in February 2006. Truth Hurts is now recording material for her upcoming album and has released a few promo singles via her website. Truth is promoting this material in Europe while touring at various musical venues.
Watson contributed to John Frusciante's 2011 solo album, but her contribution was eventually left off the album.[12]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [13] |
US R&B [13] |
UK [14] | ||
| Truthfully Speaking |
|
5 | 4 | 61 |
| Ready Now |
|
173 | 46 | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
Singles
edit- 2002: "Addictive" (featuring Rakim) (US #9, US R&B #2, UK #3,[15] GER #9)
- 2002: "The Truth" (featuring R. Kelly) (US R&B #47)
- 2002: "I'm Not Really Lookin' (featuring DJ Quik)
- 2004: "Ready Now"
- 2010: "Smoke"
- 2015: "Fight 4 Love"[16]
- 2015 : Helping is Trendy (feat. Gorzki and friends)
- 2022: "Cheated"
- 2023: "R&B Love"
Guest appearances
edit| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appearance as singer in the 2001 film Ali | 2001 | – | – |
| "Nasty Mind" | D12 | Devil's Night | |
| "Come 2Nyte" | 2002 | DJ Quik | Under tha Influence |
| "What!" | Eve | Eve-Olution | |
| "The Watcher 2" | Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Rakim | The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse | |
| "Fever" | 2010 | Big Bossolo | Notorious Boss The Birth |
| "Truth Hurts" | 2010 | 40 Glocc | New World Agenda |
| "Izbiagai Ot Skukata (LadiDadi)"[17] | 2016 | Bobo, Lariss | |
| "This Wave" | 2020 | James Worthy | Kaleidoscopes |
References
edit- ^ Johnson, Kevin C. (June 18, 2002). "Take it from Former St. Louisan Shari Watson ... Truth Hurts". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- ^ "Truth Hurts | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- ^ Sterling, Scott (August 2002). "Truth Hurts: Straight, No Chaser". Vibe. Aug 2002: 87.
- ^ "Dr. Dre, Interscope Stung With $500 Million Lawsuit Over 'Addictive'". VH1. September 19, 2002. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (February 4, 2003). "Judge Rules Truth Hurts' Album Must Be Pulled Or Stickered". VH1. Archived from the original on August 28, 2003.
- ^ Masnick, Mike (June 8, 2010). "Court Smacks Down Copyright Lawyer For Bad Faith Pursuit Of Copyright Infringement". www.techdirt.com. TechDirt. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ Kiser, Chad (March 26, 2021). "Truth Hurts' "Addictive" Available 19 Years After Infamous $500 Million Lawsuit". www.westcoaststyles.com. West Coast Styles. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ Hyland, Alexa (February 19, 2008). "Entertainmen Litigator Leaves Mitchell For Loeb". www.watanabellc.com. Daily Journal. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ "Lahiri v. Universal Music & Video Distribution". www.leagle.com. Leagle. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ DeRogatis, Jim (July 26, 2002). "Burning down the house". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem (September 13, 2002). "Truth Hurts Not Letting R. Kelly's Troubles Change Her Game Plan". VH1. Archived from the original on November 15, 2002.
- ^ "John Frusciante recording new solo album with Truth Hurts Share Watson". Stadium-arcadium.com. December 24, 2011. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ^ a b "Truth Hurts: Charts History". Billboard.com. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ "Truth Hurts: Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 568. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Truth Hurts – "Fight 4 Love" presented by VannDigital.com". Retrieved August 8, 2015.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Bobo, Lariss & Truth Hurts – "Izbiagai Ot Skukata" [Official Bg Video". YouTube. August 29, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2020.