Everything about Dj Jazzy Jeff totally explained
Jeffrey A. Townes (born
January 22,
1965 in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), also known as
DJ Jazzy Jeff, is an
American hip hop and
R&B record producer and
turntablist. He is best known for his early career with
Will Smith as
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. DJ Jazzy Jeff graduated from
John Bartram High School in Philadelphia, PA where he's enshrined in the school's "Wall of Fame".
History
When he was growing up, he found that listening to his parents was unbearable. He got a job as a newspaper boy at age 7 to support his family. Once he grew up, he developed a reputation and following as a school and block party DJ extraordinaire, Jazzy Jeff was the feature of the duo
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. As a duo, they'd several gold and platinum-selling albums and singles in the late
1980s and early
1990s, earning them the first rap
Grammy ever presented in
1989 for
Parents Just Don't Understand. When Smith branched out into
television with the
sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Jazzy Jeff played a
recurring character named "Jazz", Smith's best friend on the show. The two characters always greeted each other with their signature handshake (swinging
mid-five, point-back/snap with both characters saying "Pssh!").
Jazz' trademarks include being physically ejected from the house by Uncle Phil (
James Avery), screaming as he went flying out the front door. This was referenced in the song "N.Y, N.Y." by
Lloyd Banks from his second album
Rotten Apple, with the lyric "I throw a bitch out the crib like Jazzy Jeff".
DJ Jazzy Jeff isn't to be confused with
Jeffrey Myree from the earlier hip hop group
Funky Four Plus One, which in fact filed and won a lawsuit over the name
Jazzy Jeff against Jeff Townes and Jive records when they signed
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.
After DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince broke up, Townes went on to become a prominent
R&B,
soul, and
neo soul record producer, establishing the
A Touch of Jazz production company in his native Philadelphia. Among the artists that Jazzy Jeff has helped develop are
Jill Scott and
Musiq. Even though he separated from
Will Smith as music partners, they're still best friends and still occasionally work together. Some songs by Will Smith were produced by Jeff Townes (Ex.
Here He Comes), and he's performed on some songs by Will Smith such as "So Fresh" and "Potnas". In addition, he appears in several of Smith's music videos such as "
Will2K", "
Freakin' It", and "
Party Starter". On some occasions, he makes appearances with Smith on live concerts, producing DJ scratches.
He, along with DJ Cash Money, is credited with making the
transform scratch famous.
On
July 2 2005, DJ Jazzy Jeff performed with
Will Smith at the
Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. In the past, Will has performed on concerts with DJ Jazzy Jeff for the scratches. Moreover, Will acknowledges him in his music like "
Comin' To The Stage" from the album
Lost & Found or "
Potnas" in his album
Willennium.
His 2007 release TROTM (The Return of the Magnificent) is a classic work which returns to the roots of hip-hop with a neo-soul mixture included. This album featured numerous collaborations with old school and new school artists including CL Smooth, Big Daddy Kane, Pos from De La Soul, Method Man, Peedi Crakk (a remake of Brand New Funk), Rhymefest, and Raheem DeVaughn.
In 2007, he appeared with
Rhymefest in the video
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Fest
directed by
Konee Rok, in which he makes music in his home recording studio with Rhymefest and they reveal that they're working on an album together called "I'm the DJ, I'm the Rapper".
He is also the Father of
Cory Townes, a co-founder of Babylon Cartel and Co. Clothing line.
Partial discography
Solo work as DJ Jazzy Jeff
As DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
Rock the House (1987) #83 US (Gold)
He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988) #4 US (3XPlatinum)
And in This Corner… (1989) #39 US (Gold)
Homebase (1991) #12 US (Platinum)
Code Red (1993) #64 US (Gold)
Greatest Hits (1998) (including material from Will Smith's solo career) #144 US, #20 UK
Before The Willennium (1999) (?)
The Very Best of D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (2006)
Miscellaneous
1991 - Deep, Deep, Trouble with Bart Simpson and the remixes; from The Simpsons Sing the Blues
1997 - Jazzy Jeff's Theme; from the album Nuyorican Soul
1998 - "When To Stand Up" featuring Eminem
1998 - I Don't Know by Slum Village (scratches); from the album Fantastic, Vol. 2
1999 - The Next Movement by The Roots (scratches); from the album Things Fall Apart
2004 - Mirrorball (DJ Jazzy Jeff Full Sole Remix) by Everything But The Girl; from
2005 - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone (DJ Jazzy Jeff & Pete Kuzma Solefull Mix) by the Temptations; from Motown Remixed.
2005 - Lost & Found by Will Smith; produced intro song Here He Comes and several DJ scratches on several tracks
2005 - The Minstrel Show by Little Brother; Scratches on the song Watch Me.
2006 - Feel It (Jazzy Jeff Soulful Remix) by the Black Eyed Peas; from
2006 - Night in Tunisia (DJ Jazzy Jeff Remix) by Duke Jordan
2007 - Ear Drum by Talib Kweli; Scratches on song NY Weather Report.
2008 - Get Busy by The Roots (scratches); from the album Rising Down.Further Information
Get more info on 'Dj Jazzy Jeff'.
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