DJ Jazzy Jeff
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| DJ Jazzy Jeff | |
| Born | Jeffrey A. Townes January 22, 1965 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Known for | DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince |
| Occupation | Hip Hop Producer |
| Partner | Will Smith |
DJ Jazzy Jeff (born Jeffrey A. Townes on January 22, 1965 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an African American hip hop/R&B record producer and turntablist. He is best known for his early career with Will Smith as half of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince.
Together, the duo had 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 the popular recurring character "Jazz", whose trademarks were :
- to be physically thrown out of the house by Will's Uncle Phil (James Avery);
- his silly one-liners
- his crush on Will's cousin Hilary
Jeff was content to portray the "Jazz" character several times a season, but stated that he did not want to do any episodes without Will.
DJ Jazzy Jeff is not to be confused with Jazzy Jeff 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 are still best friends and still occasionally work together. Some songs by Will Smith were produced by Jeff Townes (Ex. Here He Comes) and performed on some songs by Will Smith like "So Fresh" and "Potnas". In addition, he appears in several of Smith's music videos such as "Will2K", "Freakin' It", "Party Starter" and various others.
He along with DJ Cash Money are credited with making the transformer scratch famous. The scratch was actually created by another Philadelphia DJ by the name Spinbad (not to be confused with DJ Spinbad from the cold cuts crew) "Transformer" scratch. (See: Scratching)
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.
Contents |
[edit] Partial discography
[edit] Solo work as DJ Jazzy Jeff
- One cut in Battle of DJs
- The Magnificent (2002)
- "Soulheaven Presents Jazzy Jeff In the House" (2004)
- "The Soul Mixtape" Groovin' Records USA (2005)
- "Hip-Hop Forever II" Rapster Records (2004)
- "The Return Of The Magnificent" BBE Music (2006)
- Hip-Hop Forever III BBE Records (2006)
- The Return Of The Magnificent (2007)
[edit] As DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
- Rock the House (1987) #83 US
- He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988) #4 US
- And in this Corner... (1989) #39 US
- Homebase (1991) #12 US
- Code Red (1993) #64 US
- 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)
[edit] Miscellaneous
- The Simpsons Sing the Blues for the song "Deep Deep Trouble" with Bart Simpson and the remixes.
- Papa Was A Rollin' Stone (DJ Jazzy Jeff & Pete Kuzma Solefull Mix) in the album Motown Remixed.
- Remix of "Feel It" by the Black Eyed Peas in the album Renegotiations: The Remixes (2006)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- DJ Jazzy Jeff (Official site)
- Jazz Edward Geoffries free form jazz band who are named partly in tribute of DJ Jazzy Jeff.
- IMDB profile for DJ Jazzy Jeff
- DJ Jazzy Jeff Tribute Fan Website
