DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
Encyclopedia
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince is a hip hop
duo from West Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
. Vocalist Will Smith
(The Fresh Prince) met Jeff Townes
(DJ Jazzy Jeff) while trying to make a name for himself in West Philadelphia
's local hip hop scene. After joining forces with Clarence Holmes (Ready Rock C) the team members became local celebrities. Holmes left the group in 1990, and later sued it in 1999.
The group received the first rap Grammy ever in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand
", though their most successful single was "Summertime" which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Will Smith and Jeff Townes are still friends and claim that they never split up, having made songs under Smith's solo performer credit. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince have sold over 5.5 million albums in the US.
. Smith decided to fill in and both felt strong chemistry: so much that Townes was upset when his hype man finally made it to the party.
Soon after, the two decided to join forces. Smith enlisted a friend to join as the beatboxer of the group, Clarence Holmes (Ready Rock C), making them a trio. Philadelphia-based Word Up Records released their first single in late 1985 to 1986 when A&R
man Paul Oakenfold
introduced them to Word Up with their single "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble
," a tale of funny misadventures that landed Smith and his former DJ and rap partner Mark Forrest (Lord Supreme) The song sampled the theme song of "I Dream of Jeannie
." Smith became known for light-hearted story-telling raps and capable, though profanity-free, "battle" rhymes. The single became a hit a month before Smith graduated from high school. Townes was known for his turntable acrobatics, and he is credited by many as inventing a style of scratching
called transforming
.
Based on this success, the duo were brought to the attention of Jive Records
and Russell Simmons
. The duo's first album, Rock the House
, which was first released on Word Up in 1986 debuted on Jive in March of 1987
. The album sold about 300,000 units. That same year, the band found themselves on their first major tour with Run DMC, Public Enemy, and others.
, made them multi-platinum stars. Mostly recorded in the United Kingdom
, the album was rap music's first 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 to mixed feelings. Nevertheless, the single 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, very much like their first single "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble
". It gained much 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 the same series ("The Fresh Prince Project" and "Not With My Pig, You Don't").
Another single, "Nightmare on My Street
", showcased a fictional confrontation with movie villain Freddy Krueger
. Coinciding with the release of the fourth Nightmare on Elm Street film (1988’s The Dream Master
); New Line Cinema
was not pleased. A video allegedly shot for the single was buried, and a disclaimer was hastily included on pressings of the album indicating that the record was not officially affiliated with any of the Nightmare films. (Ironically, Jive Records ended up releasing the soundtrack to the next film in the series, The Dream Child
.) After this success, in 1988 the lead singles from Rock the House
, including "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble
", were re-released and changed a bit from their original 1985 release, referencing singles "Nightmare on My Street
" and "Parents Just Don't Understand
":
Jeff reveals on track 19 of Skillz
's Infamous Quotes mixtape
that New Line Cinema approached Will & Jeff for a movie role which they ended up turning down. The film was House Party
.
Jeff: Man, first your parents just don't understand.
Will: Word, I know, man.
Jeff: Then you have these crazy nightmares.
Will: Why me? Why me?
The last single from He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper
was "Brand New Funk" sampled a James Brown song and quotes; however it is Ready Rock C saying get down in the song. In the song, Prince explains how Jeff has brought in a tape that contains a very cool song that he cannot help but rap over, and how fans react to it. The song was well received by many hip hop fans, due because of its funk sound and lyrical spins and 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. This is the only music video to feature the third member of the group, Ready Rock C (it is possible he was in the "Nightmare on My Street" video, but it was allegedly axed).
curse of various rap acts had come to pass, 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 became more enamored with hardcore acts like Ice-T
and 2 Live Crew
.
The lead single, "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson
" was in the same vein as their other lead singles; with this one having Will say he could literally beat Mike Tyson in a boxing match. Jazzy Jeff is shown training Prince to perform this task, and after Prince loses, Jeff then claims that he might be able to do it himself. James Avery and Alfonso Ribeiro
(co-stars of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) show up as Don King and member of the fighting crew's posse, respectively.
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 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". The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
boosted his profile and his pocketbook. Smith blew through almost 2.8 million dollars, while giving none to the IRS for taxes. Soon after And in This Corner... was released, Smith was sentenced by the IRS to pay this all back. For the first three seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith had 25% of his paycheck garnished by the IRS.
Ready Rock C left the group in 1990 due to creative differences. Smith claimed that beatboxing at this time of hip hop was "played out". Holmes later sued the duo in 1999.
. 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 & the Gang
instrumental "Summer Madness" and has become one of their most enduring hits. The video features clips from a family reunion in Philly, and shows the duo being driven around while sitting atop a car. Summertime earned the duo its second Grammy win.
The next singles were "Ring My Bell" and "Things That U Do". Both featured the typical sound of the early 90s. Both videos for the songs featured a different version from the original found on the LP.
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 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 #20 Billboard Hot 100 and #22 Hot R&B/Hip Hop singles.
" reached #1 in UK and Australia, and featured a harder sound than any of their other songs. Other singles were "I'm Looking For 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. He played his first lead film role in 1993’s Six Degrees of Separation
. The 1996 blockbuster Independence Day
cemented him as a major draw, and he left the Fresh Prince sitcom that same year. Strangely, he and Townes ended up being sued by Jive, who alleged that the duo was still under contract to create more albums. In an interview, Smith has stated that while shooting Men in Black
he approached Jive with the "Men in Black" single
; they turned him down, saying that it couldn’t be a hit. In the aftermath of the movie and soundtrack’s success, the duo settled the lawsuit out of court. Hence, their greatest hits
compilation includes two cuts from the M.I.B. soundtrack.
Since then, Smith has released three solo CDs on Columbia/Sony records. After being dropped by Columbia he released one CD in 2005 on Interscope. Townes released two albums on the famous UK DJ label BBE. He has also become an R&B producer of note, overseeing releases by Jill Scott
, Rhymefest
and many others.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
duo from West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Vocalist Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
(The Fresh Prince) met Jeff Townes
DJ Jazzy Jeff
Jeffrey Allen Townes , also known as DJ Jazzy Jeff or simply Jazz, is an American hip hop, R&B record producer, turntablist and actor. He is best known for his early career with Will Smith as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince...
(DJ Jazzy Jeff) while trying to make a name for himself in West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
's local hip hop scene. After joining forces with Clarence Holmes (Ready Rock C) the team members became local celebrities. Holmes left the group in 1990, and later sued it in 1999.
The group received the first rap Grammy ever in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand
Parents Just Don't Understand
"Parents Just Don't Understand" is the second single from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's second studio album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989, one of only two songs to ever do so before the award was discontinued in 1991. It peaked at...
", though their most successful single was "Summertime" which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Will Smith and Jeff Townes are still friends and claim that they never split up, having made songs under Smith's solo performer credit. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince have sold over 5.5 million albums in the US.
Early years (1985–1987)
Jeff Townes and Will Smith were introduced to each other by chance in 1985. One night, Townes was performing at a house party only a few doors down from Smith's residence, and he was missing his hype manHype man
A hype man in hip hop music and rapping is a “backup rapper/singer who is also responsible for increasing an audience's excitement with call-and-response chants” according to The Hilltop and author Grant Barrett....
. Smith decided to fill in and both felt strong chemistry: so much that Townes was upset when his hype man finally made it to the party.
Soon after, the two decided to join forces. Smith enlisted a friend to join as the beatboxer of the group, Clarence Holmes (Ready Rock C), making them a trio. Philadelphia-based Word Up Records released their first single in late 1985 to 1986 when A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
man Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
introduced them to Word Up with their single "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble
Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble
"Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" is the debut single by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, from their 1987 debut album Rock the House. The music is built around a sample from the theme tune of the 1960s television series I Dream of Jeannie. It was featured in the 8th episode of The Fresh Prince...
," a tale of funny misadventures that landed Smith and his former DJ and rap partner Mark Forrest (Lord Supreme) The song sampled the theme song of "I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a fantasy premise. The show starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries...
." Smith became known for light-hearted story-telling raps and capable, though profanity-free, "battle" rhymes. The single became a hit a month before Smith graduated from high school. Townes was known for his turntable acrobatics, and he is credited by many as inventing a style of scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
called transforming
Transform (scratch)
A transform is a type of scratch used by turntablists. It is made from a combination of moving the record on the turntable by hand and repeated movement of the crossfader.- Creation :...
.
Based on this success, the duo were brought to the attention of Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
and Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
. The duo's first album, Rock the House
Rock the House (album)
Rock the House is the debut album from the rapping duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released on March 19, 1987, in the United States, and was subsequently re-issued in 1988 in Europe and the UK...
, which was first released on Word Up in 1986 debuted on Jive in March of 1987
1987 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987.See also:Record labels established in 1987-January-February:*January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
. The album sold about 300,000 units. That same year, the band found themselves on their first major tour with Run DMC, Public Enemy, and others.
He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988)
Their 1988 follow-up album, He's the DJ, I'm the RapperHe's the DJ, I'm the Rapper
He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper is the second studio album by hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.-Background:The original release of the album on Vinyl LP and Cassette lasts for more than 85 minutes...
, made them multi-platinum stars. Mostly recorded in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the album was rap music's first double-vinyl LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
release; it was also issued as a single cassette and CD. "Parents Just Don't Understand
Parents Just Don't Understand
"Parents Just Don't Understand" is the second single from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's second studio album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989, one of only two songs to ever do so before the award was discontinued in 1991. It peaked at...
", the lead-off single, made them MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
household names and also gained the honor of the first Grammy for a hip hop/rap song, which was met to mixed feelings. Nevertheless, the single 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, very much like their first single "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble
Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble
"Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" is the debut single by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, from their 1987 debut album Rock the House. The music is built around a sample from the theme tune of the 1960s television series I Dream of Jeannie. It was featured in the 8th episode of The Fresh Prince...
". It gained much 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
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
("Someday Your Prince Will Be In Effect (Part 1)"), and referenced in two other episodes of the same series ("The Fresh Prince Project" and "Not With My Pig, You Don't").
Another single, "Nightmare on My Street
Nightmare on My Street
"A Nightmare on My Street" is the third single from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's second studio album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. The song became a crossover hit in the US, reaching #15 on the Hot 100. The song was released as a single in early 1988...
", showcased a fictional confrontation with movie villain Freddy Krueger
Freddy Krueger
Frederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,...
. Coinciding with the release of the fourth Nightmare on Elm Street film (1988’s The Dream Master
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 American slasher film and the fourth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
); New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
was not pleased. A video allegedly shot for the single was buried, and a disclaimer was hastily included on pressings of the album indicating that the record was not officially affiliated with any of the Nightmare films. (Ironically, Jive Records ended up releasing the soundtrack to the next film in the series, The Dream Child
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child is a 1989 American slasher film and the fifth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. It was directed by Stephen Hopkins. The film's general tone is much more gothic and dark than the films before, and used a blue filter lighting technique in most of...
.) After this success, in 1988 the lead singles from Rock the House
Rock the House
"Rock the House" is a song from the Gorillaz self-titled debut album, Gorillaz. It was released as the third single from the album in October 2001. It peaked at #18 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is one of the more hip hop-oriented songs on the album, along with "Clint Eastwood"...
, including "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble
Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble
"Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" is the debut single by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, from their 1987 debut album Rock the House. The music is built around a sample from the theme tune of the 1960s television series I Dream of Jeannie. It was featured in the 8th episode of The Fresh Prince...
", were re-released and changed a bit from their original 1985 release, referencing singles "Nightmare on My Street
Nightmare on My Street
"A Nightmare on My Street" is the third single from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's second studio album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. The song became a crossover hit in the US, reaching #15 on the Hot 100. The song was released as a single in early 1988...
" and "Parents Just Don't Understand
Parents Just Don't Understand
"Parents Just Don't Understand" is the second single from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's second studio album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989, one of only two songs to ever do so before the award was discontinued in 1991. It peaked at...
":
Jeff reveals on track 19 of Skillz
Skillz
Shaquan Lewis, also known as Mad Skillz, Skillz, is an American rapper known for his acclaimed 1996 album From Where???, a reference to his origins in Virginia, not the stereotypical New York City or Los Angeles rapper, and he's also known for his yearly "Rap Ups", which he has done since...
's Infamous Quotes mixtape
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
that New Line Cinema approached Will & Jeff for a movie role which they ended up turning down. The film was House Party
House Party (film)
House Party is a 1990 American comedy film released by New Line Cinema. It stars Kid and Play of the popular hip hop duo Kid 'n Play, and also stars Paul Anthony, Bow-Legged Lou, and B-Fine from Full Force, and Robin Harris . The film also starred Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, A.J...
.
Jeff: Man, first your parents just don't understand.
Will: Word, I know, man.
Jeff: Then you have these crazy nightmares.
Will: Why me? Why me?
The last single from He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper
He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper
He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper is the second studio album by hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.-Background:The original release of the album on Vinyl LP and Cassette lasts for more than 85 minutes...
was "Brand New Funk" sampled a James Brown song and quotes; however it is Ready Rock C saying get down in the song. In the song, Prince explains how Jeff has brought in a tape that contains a very cool song that he cannot help but rap over, and how fans react to it. The song was well received by many hip hop fans, due because of its funk sound and lyrical spins and 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. This is the only music video to feature the third member of the group, Ready Rock C (it is possible he was in the "Nightmare on My Street" video, but it was allegedly axed).
And in This Corner..., television, and hiatus (1989–1990)
1989 saw the release of And in This Corner…, the group's third LP. While the sales were a success, reaching gold, the duo's popularity was slipping. The crossoverCrossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
curse of various rap acts had come to pass, as their initial audience felt they had become too accessible; non-crossover rap acts like Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
and Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the...
had bigger street followings; meanwhile, pop radio had latched on to new faces like Tone Loc
Tone Loc
Anthony Terrell Smith , better known by his stage name Tone Lōc, is an American rapper and actor.-Early life and career:...
and Young MC
Young MC
Marvin Young , better known by his stage name Young MC, is an English-born American singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit "Bust a Move"...
, while non-radio followers became more enamored with hardcore acts like Ice-T
ICE-T
* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
and 2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew
2 Live Crew was a hip hop group from Miami, Florida. They caused considerable controversy with the sexual themes in their work, particularly on their 1989 album As Nasty As They Wanna Be.- Early career :...
.
The lead single, "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson
I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson
"I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson" is the first single taken from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's third studio album, And in This Corner…. The song was released a single in the summer of 1989...
" was in the same vein as their other lead singles; with this one having Will say he could literally beat Mike Tyson in a boxing match. Jazzy Jeff is shown training Prince to perform this task, and after Prince loses, Jeff then claims that he might be able to do it himself. James Avery and Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro is an American actor, director, dancer, game show host, and comedian. While he received attention for his performance in the title role of the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid and his appearance as a dancer in a Pepsi commercial featuring Michael Jackson, Ribeiro is best...
(co-stars of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) show up as Don King and member of the fighting crew's posse, respectively.
The next single was "Jazzy's Groove", sampling "Nautilus
Nautilus (song)
Nautilus is the sixth and final track, lasting 5 minutes and 8 seconds, on the 1974 album One by jazz musician Bob James.Nautilus is famous as being one of the most sampled songs in hip hop history...
" in the chorus and bridge. The song features much more of Jazzy Jeff, like in "Brand New Funk"; Jazzy Jeff gives 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
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
approached him with an idea for a sitcom, with Townes appearing as a recurring character, named "Jazz". The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
boosted his profile and his pocketbook. Smith blew through almost 2.8 million dollars, while giving none to the IRS for taxes. Soon after And in This Corner... was released, Smith was sentenced by the IRS to pay this all back. For the first three seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith had 25% of his paycheck garnished by the IRS.
Ready Rock C left the group in 1990 due to creative differences. Smith claimed that beatboxing at this time of hip hop was "played out". Holmes later sued the duo in 1999.
Homebase (1991–1992)
Still having a bit of extra money from starring in the successful sitcom, the duo to stage a comeback album in 1991, HomebaseHomebase (album)
Homebase is the fourth studio album released by hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released in July 1991, reaching #12 on the Billboard 200 charts and #5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart...
. 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 & the Gang
Kool & the Gang
Kool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and...
instrumental "Summer Madness" and has become one of their most enduring hits. The video features clips from a family reunion in Philly, and shows the duo being driven around while sitting atop a car. Summertime earned the duo its second Grammy win.
The next singles were "Ring My Bell" and "Things That U Do". Both featured the typical sound of the early 90s. Both videos for the songs featured a different version from the original found on the LP.
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 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 #20 Billboard Hot 100 and #22 Hot R&B/Hip Hop singles.
Code Red and unofficial split (1993–1994)
Code Red, their last studio LP as a duo was released in 1993, reaching gold sales. This LP featured 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 RoomBoom! Shake the Room
"Boom! Shake The Room" is the second single taken from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's fifth studio album, Code Red, released in 1993. The song became the duo's first number one in the United Kingdom, as well as reaching #13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of their last significant...
" reached #1 in UK and Australia, and featured a harder sound than any of their other songs. Other singles were "I'm Looking For 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. He played his first lead film role in 1993’s Six Degrees of Separation
Six Degrees of Separation (film)
Six Degrees of Separation is a 1990 play written by John Guare that premiered at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, Lincoln Center on May 16, 1990, directed by Jerry Zaks and starring Stockard Channing...
. The 1996 blockbuster Independence Day
Independence Day (film)
Independence Day is a 1996 science fiction film about an alien invasion of Earth, focusing on a disparate group of individuals and families as they converge in the Nevada desert and, along with the rest of the human population, participate in a last-chance counterattack on July 4 – the same...
cemented him as a major draw, and he left the Fresh Prince sitcom that same year. Strangely, he and Townes ended up being sued by Jive, who alleged that the duo was still under contract to create more albums. In an interview, Smith has stated that while shooting Men in Black
Men in Black (film)
Men in Black is a 1997 science fiction comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith and Vincent D'Onofrio. The film was based on the Men in Black comic book series by Lowell Cunningham, originally published by Marvel Comics. The film featured the creature effects...
he approached Jive with the "Men in Black" single
Men in Black (song)
"Men in Black" is a song by Will Smith from the movie Men in Black, in which he also starred. The song plays during the movie's closing credits...
; they turned him down, saying that it couldn’t be a hit. In the aftermath of the movie and soundtrack’s success, the duo settled the lawsuit out of court. Hence, their greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
compilation includes two cuts from the M.I.B. soundtrack.
Since then, Smith has released three solo CDs on Columbia/Sony records. After being dropped by Columbia he released one CD in 2005 on Interscope. Townes released two albums on the famous UK DJ label BBE. He has also become an R&B producer of note, overseeing releases by Jill Scott
Jill Scott
Jill Scott is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress. In 2007, Scott made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That year, her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, was released on...
, Rhymefest
Rhymefest
Che Smith , known by the stage name of Rhymefest, is an American hip hop artist from Chicago, Illinois whose first official album, Blue Collar, was released on July 11, 2006. He co-wrote Kanye West's "Jesus Walks", which won a Grammy at the 47th Grammy Awards. In October, 2010, Rhymefest announced...
and many others.
Discography
- Rock the HouseRock the House (album)Rock the House is the debut album from the rapping duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released on March 19, 1987, in the United States, and was subsequently re-issued in 1988 in Europe and the UK...
(1987) - He's the DJ, I'm the RapperHe's the DJ, I'm the RapperHe's the DJ, I'm the Rapper is the second studio album by hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.-Background:The original release of the album on Vinyl LP and Cassette lasts for more than 85 minutes...
(1988) - And in This Corner...And in this Corner...And in This Corner… is the third studio album released by MC/DJ duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released in April 1989, reaching #39 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart...
(1989) - HomebaseHomebase (album)Homebase is the fourth studio album released by hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released in July 1991, reaching #12 on the Billboard 200 charts and #5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart...
(1991) - Code Red (1993)