42-457: Jeffrey Allen Townes (born January 22, 1965), known professionally as DJ Jazzy Jeff (or simply Jazz ), is an American DJ and producer. He was one half of the hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince , along with rapper-turned-actor and fellow Philadelphia native Will Smith . He is credited, along with DJs Spinbad and Cash Money , with popularizing the transformer scratch . Townes
84-636: A Live 8 concert was held in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States, in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art , with a densely packed audience stretched out for one mile along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway . The event was organized by the ONE Campaign . It was one of the first Live 8 concerts announced, as the city had played host to its Live Aid predecessor in 1985, and, until
126-409: A 'math lesson' by making the sound clips add 1+1, 2+1, and 2+2. Due to a self-admitted spendthrift attitude, Smith felt he had nothing to lose when a producer from NBC and Quincy Jones approached him with an idea for a sitcom, with Townes appearing as a recurring character, named "Jazz". A popular running gag would have Uncle Phil ( James Avery ) throwing Jazz out of the house; however, this action
168-563: A bit deeper than usual, to make it sound like he's agitated, similar to "Then She Bit Me" from And in This Corner... This song reached No. 20 Billboard Hot 100 and No. 22 Hot R&B/Hip Hop singles. In 1992 for the Barcelona Olympic Games the duo released the song "Higher Baby" as part of the compilation album Barcelona Gold . Code Red , their last studio LP as a duo, was released in 1993, reaching gold sales. This LP featured
210-453: A bit of extra money from starring in the successful sitcom, the duo decided to stage a comeback album in 1991, Homebase . The platinum album featured a more mature sound from the group, with Smith rapping in a deeper, consistent voice and changed their sound to fit the era's trend of hip-hop. Homebase featured the lead-off single "Summertime", which added rap lyrics to the music of the Kool &
252-446: A friend, Ready Rock C , to join as the beatboxer of the group. He was not officially credited to the duo, only as a support live member. In 1986, Philadelphia-based Word Records (later changed to Word-Up Records) released their first single " Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble ", which sampled the theme song of I Dream of Jeannie . Smith became known for light-hearted story-telling and profanity-free "battle" rhymes. The single became
294-540: A hit a month before Smith graduated from high school. Based on this success, the duo was brought to the attention of Jive Records and Russell Simmons . The duo's first album, Rock the House was released on Word Up in 1986 and rereleased on Jive in March 1987. The album sold approximately 300,000 units. That same year, the band embarked on its first major tour with Run DMC and Public Enemy . Their 1988 follow-up album, He's
336-528: A previous relationship, journalist/DJ Cory Townes and actor/musician Amir Mitchell-Townes , and a son (Pleasant) and daughter (August) with Jackson. DJ Jazzy Jeff %26 The Fresh Prince DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , consisting of rapper Will Smith (the Fresh Prince) and turntablist Jeff Townes ( DJ Jazzy Jeff ). Active full time from 1986 to 1994 and occasionally thereafter,
378-764: A return as was credited as "DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince". In 2005, Smith and Townes performed together at the Philadelphia leg of Live 8 . They performed in Croatia on August 26, 2017, Blackpool on August 27, and in Smith's 51st birthday on September 25, 2019. On November 8, 2023, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince performed at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood California for “ A Grammy salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop” Live 8 concert, Philadelphia On 2 July 2005,
420-524: A self-admitted harder sound than their other songs, with Jazzy Jeff saying "We wanted to take a new direction. It wasn't that we were concentrating on harder, it was just different", featuring more jazz and soul samples than previous releases. The lead single " Boom! Shake the Room " reached No. 1 in UK, Ireland, Spain and Australia, and featured a harder sound than any of their other songs. Other singles were "I'm Looking For
462-574: A short highlights program that evening. In the United Kingdom, BBC One aired highlights after the full coverage of the London show . Furthermore, BBC Three aired further highlights the following evening. Clair Brothers Audio Systems and Franklin Simon Productions were responsible for providing the live sound reinforcement for Live 8 Philadelphia. Electric Factory Concerts was also involved in
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#1732855023313504-514: A video directed by Konee Rok , in which he makes music in his home recording studio with Rhymefest. In 2008, Townes performed with Smith at the premiere of the latter's 2008 film Hancock . In 2009, he made a mixtape titled He's the King...I'm the DJ in honor of the late entertainer Michael Jackson . Townes was featured in the video game DJ Hero as a playable character. He also has some original mixes in
546-432: Is not restricted to Uncle Phil, as other characters, even Will himself, have thrown him out in the same manner. Another trademark on the show involved Jazz and Will greeting each other by slapping each other's hand, then swinging back in opposite directions while saying "Pssh!" The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air boosted his profile and his pocketbook. But Smith ended up squandering almost US$ 2.8m, while failing to pay any of it to
588-577: The Internal Revenue Service in income taxation. Soon after And in This Corner... was released, Smith was found guilty of income-tax evasion by the IRS, and sentenced to pay this all back. For the first three seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith had 25% of his paycheck subjected to IRS garnishment. In 1990, Ready Rock C decided not to continue as support. He later sued the duo alleging breach of contract , but lost in court. Still having
630-665: The Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. Moreover, Smith acknowledges him in his music such as "Comin' to the Stage" from the album Lost and Found and "Potnas" from his album Willennium . His 2007 release The Return of the Magnificent featured numerous collaborations with old school and new school artists including CL Smooth , Big Daddy Kane , Pos from De La Soul , Method Man , Peedi Peedi (a remake of "Brand New Funk"), Rhymefest , and Raheem DeVaughn . In 2007, he appeared with Rhymefest in
672-816: The A Touch of Jazz production company in his native Philadelphia. Among the artists that Jazzy Jeff has helped develop are Eric Roberson , Jill Scott , Musiq Soulchild , Eminem , the Roots , Raheem DeVaughn , Darius Rucker , Talib Kweli , Floetry , Rhymefest , and many more. Despite separating from Will Smith as a music partner, they remain close friends and occasionally work together. Some songs by Smith were produced by Townes, and he has performed on some songs by Smith such as "So Fresh" and "Potnas". In addition, he appeared in several of Smith's music videos such as "Will2K" and "Freakin' It". On some occasions, he made appearances with Smith at live concerts, producing DJ scratches. On July 2, 2005, DJ Jazzy Jeff performed with Smith at
714-507: The DJ, I'm the Rapper , made them multi-platinum stars. Mostly recorded in the United Kingdom , the album was a double- vinyl LP release; it was also issued as a single cassette and CD. " Parents Just Don't Understand ", the lead-off single, made them MTV household names and also gained the honor of the first Grammy for a hip hop/rap song, which was met with criticism. Nevertheless, the single
756-462: The DJ, I'm the Rapper , was "Brand New Funk", which sampled and quoted the James Brown funk song " My Thang ". In narrative of the song, the Fresh Prince explains how Jeff has brought in a tape described to be startlingly good, which the Fresh Prince raps to, and how much people enjoyed it at the first performance. The song was well received by many hip hop fans due to its funk sound, lyrical spins, and
798-486: The Fresh Prince have sold over 5.5 million albums in the US. Their latest performance dates back to November 2023. Jeff Townes was introduced to Will Smith at a house party during a performance in 1985, and Smith ended up filling in for Townes' missing hype man . They both felt a strong chemistry, and Townes was disappointed when his hype man finally made it to the party. Soon after, the two decided to join forces. Smith enlisted
840-474: The Gang instrumental "Summer Madness" and has become one of their most enduring hits. The couple is seen being driven about while perched on a car in the film, which includes scenes from a family gathering in Philadelphia. The pair won their second Grammy for Summertime. "Ring My Bell" and "Things That U Do" were the ensuing singles. Both songs have the typical early 1990s' sound. A different rendition of each song from
882-607: The One (To Be With Me)", which is similar to "Summertime", and "I Wanna Rock", which showed off more of Jazzy Jeff's DJ skills. Shortly afterward, Smith began to pursue acting full-time and the duo split. He and Townes ended up being sued by Jive, who alleged that the duo was still under contract to create more albums. In 1998 the label released the compilation Greatest Hits with the hits and two previously unreleased songs. Years later, Will and Jazzy performed together sometimes in parties for close friends or selected events, but never announced
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#1732855023313924-455: The concert. Non-organizer estimates ranged from 600,000 to 800,000 and one million to 1.5 million. Some estimates are of the number of people at the concert at any one time, while other estimates are of the total number of people on the Parkway over the course of the nearly eight hours-long event. All times EDT Several artists mentioned or dedicated performances to Luther Vandross who had died
966-474: The day before. The show managed to expose fault in the SEPTA Regional Rail system, which is the commuter rail portion of the city's mass transit system, SEPTA . Trains to and from the concert were overcrowded and many had to ignore departure times in order to accommodate the unprecedented influx of passengers using the system at one time. Two days after the concert, Elton John gave a free concert on
1008-700: The duo became just the third rap group in recording history to receive platinum certification , after Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys . The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for " Parents Just Don't Understand " (1988), though their most successful single was " Summertime " (1991), which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 . Will Smith and Jeff Townes have remained close friends and claim they never split up, having made songs together under Smith's solo performer credit. DJ Jazzy Jeff &
1050-502: The fact that it showed off more of the skills of Jazzy Jeff. The video was shot in black and white, showed live performance clips from a concert and featured 2 Damn Hype Dancing. The group's third LP, And in This Corner... , was released in 1989. The album was a commercial success, selling over half a million copies and reaching Gold certification by the RIAA , although at this point the duo had decreased in popularity. The crossover style of
1092-502: The first rap Grammy Award ever presented in 1989 for " Parents Just Don't Understand ". At the time of winning the Grammy Award, DJ Jazzy Jeff came home crying as he had just $ 500 in the bank. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince also won a second Grammy for " Summertime ". After DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince broke up, Townes went on to become a prominent R&B , soul , and neo soul record producer and actor, establishing
1134-541: The first records DJ Jazzy Jeff ever appeared on was with the Korner Boyz (Street Artz Records) and their songs "Bust the Move" and "The Saga of Roxanne", which featured legendary Philadelphia rappers MC Parry P and Grand Tone. The instrumental was called "Jazzy Jeff Scratch" (1985). As a duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince had several gold and platinum-selling albums and singles in the late 1980s and early 1990s, earning them
1176-483: The game. In 2010, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Mick (formerly known as Mick Boogie) teamed up to release the Summertime: The Mixtape series. The mixes are released every summer. In 2013, DJ Jazzy Jeff performed with Will Smith on The Graham Norton Show . Also that same year, DJ Jazzy Jeff released Vinyl Destination , a web series documenting his hundred plus DJ shows from all around the world. He also appeared as
1218-448: The group was causing their fanbase to decline, as their initial audience felt they had become too accessible; non-crossover rap acts like Big Daddy Kane and Boogie Down Productions had bigger street followings; meanwhile, pop radio had latched on to new faces like Tone Loc and Young MC , while non-radio followers were more attracted to hardcore acts such as Ice-T and 2 Live Crew . The lead single, " I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson ",
1260-543: The inclusion of a concert outside Toronto , was the only city in North America to represent Live 8. It did, however, remain the only United States city to participate in the event. The event is also referred to as "Live 8 Philadelphia" , "Live 8 Philly" , or "Live 8 USA" . Unlike other venues, no tickets were issued to control access, and Philadelphia police declined to give a crowd estimate. Presenters stated several times on stage that over one million people were at
1302-922: The lead interview in Paul Stenning 's book Success – By Those Who've Made It . In 2015, he performed the scratch overdubs for the film Straight Outta Compton . In August 2017, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith performed two shows in Europe: MTV Summerblast Music Festival in Croatia and the Livewire Festival in Blackpool . In 2024, he went on tour with New Kids on the Block as a supporting act, alongside Paula Abdul , on The Magic Summer Tour (2024) . DJ Jazzy Jeff married Lynette C. Jackson in Jamaica on July 31, 2010. He has four children: two sons from
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1344-446: The one on the LP was featured in the videos. The final single for the release was "You Saw My Blinker", a song about an old lady that crashed into Prince's new car and his anger at the events that happened thereafter. This is the first (and one of the only) songs where Smith curses, saying the word 'bitch' ( To the left lane I tried to switch, then, you saw my blinker, bitch ). Prince's voice is
1386-484: The same series ("The Fresh Prince Project" and "Not With My Pig, You Don't"). Another single, " A Nightmare on My Street ", showcased a fictional confrontation with A Nightmare on Elm Street villain Freddy Krueger . The record's release coincided with A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master , which caused legal threats from the movie's distributor New Line Cinema . In response, the corresponding music video
1428-754: The same stage used for Live 8, as part of the city's Independence Day celebrations. Live 8 producer/promoter Russell Simmons was the man responsible for adding more African-American artists to the Live 8 Philadelphia bill, including some Def Poetry Jam poets. After noticing the lack of hip-hop artists on the bill, Bono called Jay-Z and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park personally and asked them to perform in Philadelphia. 50 Cent , Justin Timberlake , Usher , and Sean Combs were also originally scheduled to perform but cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. Despite suspicions that
1470-624: The show's finale would consist of a new rendition of the USA for Africa hit " We Are the World ", which was performed at the Philadelphia show 20 years earlier at Live Aid , it did not. Also, rumors circulated in the crowd that Bruce Springsteen would close the show. In the United States, MTV and VH1 provided intermittent and incomplete live and taped coverage, frequently breaking away mid-song for commercials or commentary by their veejays. ABC provided
1512-468: The two characters always greeted each other with their signature handshake (swinging mid-five , point-back, snap with both characters saying "Pssh!"). A running joke throughout the show's run involved the character being physically ejected from the house by Uncle Phil ( James Avery ), most often using the same footage for comedic effect, but sometimes filming new footage instead. Jazz had an unrequited crush on Hillary Banks (played by Karyn Parsons ). One of
1554-411: Was " Summertime " which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 . When Smith branched out into television with the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , Jazzy Jeff played a character named Jazz, Smith's best friend on the show. Jazzy Jeff was initially a recurring character in the first season, but became a regular shortly thereafter. In the early seasons,
1596-501: Was a success, launching the group into even more mainstream stardom. The video showed Prince's misadventures of trying to get around his parents' strict rules in a very comical way, much like their first single " Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble ". It gained considerable airplay on TV channels such as MTV, giving the group much attention. The song was played in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ("Someday Your Prince Will Be In Effect (Part 1)"), and referenced in two other episodes of
1638-447: Was born on January 22, 1965, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . Raised in the area, Townes developed a reputation and a following as a local school and block party DJ . He was ten years old when he first became interested in being a DJ. He told author Paul Stenning , "At summer time block parties I wouldn't be the one dancing, I sat where the DJ was set up, watching him. Even when I would go to other block parties in other neighborhoods I
1680-412: Was pulled from release and a legal disclaimer was included on later pressings of He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper denying affiliation with the film. The video was released by Jazzy Jeff in 2018. Jeff reveals on track 19 of Skillz 's Infamous Quotes mixtape that New Line Cinema approached Will & Jeff for a role in the movie House Party , which they turned down. The last single, track 3 from He's
1722-427: Was similar to their other lead singles. The track narrates the Fresh Prince claiming he could beat Mike Tyson in a boxing match, and after training, is beaten in the first round. The music video features cameos from Mike Tyson, Chris Rock and Don King. The next single was "Jazzy's Groove", sampling " Nautilus " in the chorus and bridge. The song features much more of Jazzy Jeff, like in "Brand New Funk"; Jazzy Jeff gives
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1764-505: Was still infatuated with the DJ. He was the guy that played music that everyone in the neighborhood loved. You might not have known his face, you might not have known his name but he was the guy that made everyone move." He took the stage name DJ Jazzy Jeff. He was one half of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince , along with Will Smith . The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for " Parents Just Don't Understand ", though their most successful single
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