He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper

He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper
Studio album by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
Released	March 29, 1988 [1]
Recorded	1987
Studio	Battery, London, UK Studio 4, Philadelphia
Genre	Hip hop
Length	72:19 (CD) 85:10 (vinyl and cassette)
Label	Jive RCA
Producer	DJ Jazzy Jeff The Fresh Prince Pete "Q" Harris Bryan "Chuck" New
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince chronology
Rock the House (1987) He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988) And in This Corner... (1989)
Singles from He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper
"Brand New Funk" Released: December 2, 1987 "Parents Just Don't Understand" Released: February 17, 1988 "A Nightmare on My Street" Released: August 1, 1988

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	B− [3]
Pitchfork	7.2/10 [4]
Sputnikmusic	4/5 [5]

He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (also known as I'm the Rapper, He's the DJ due to the way the title is printed) is the second studio album by American hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. It was the first double album in hip hop music, and was the eighth rap album to become a platinum album. ^[6]

The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 1, 1995, ^[7] and is the duo's most successful album. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums.

Singles

The album's first single, "Brand New Funk", was only released promotionally and, thus, failed to achieve any commercial success. However, the album's second single, "Parents Just Don't Understand", won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards and reached number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. ^[8] Although the album's third single, "Nightmare on My Street", which reached number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100, was considered for inclusion in the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master , the producers of the film decided against its inclusion. As a result, later vinyl pressings of the album contain a disclaimer sticker that says, "[This song] is not part of the soundtrack...and is not authorized, licensed, or affiliated with the Nightmare on Elm Street films."

Track listings

Original vinyl and cassette release

While released as a double album, Sides C and D were labeled as "Bonus Scratch Album."

Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"A Nightmare on My Street"	Will Smith Jeffrey Townes Pete Harris	6:08
2.	"Here We Go Again"	Smith Townes Harris	4:01
3.	"Brand New Funk"	Smith Townes	4:04
4.	"Time to Chill"	Smith Townes	4:25
5.	"Charlie Mack (First Out of the Limo)"	Smith Townes	4:46

Side B

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"As We Go"	Smith Townes	6:00
7.	"Parents Just Don't Understand"	Smith Townes Harris	5:35
8.	"Pump Up the Bass"	Smith Townes	5:13
9.	"Let's Get Busy, Baby"	Smith Townes Harris	4:06
10.	"Another Special Announcement"	Smith Townes Harris	2:12

Side C

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Live at Union Square, November 1986 (Live)"	Townes	4:07
12.	"D.J. on the Wheels"	Townes	3:36
13.	"My Buddy"	Smith Clarence Holmes	3:40
14.	"Rhythm Trax-House Party Style"	Smith Townes	4:39

Side D

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
15.	"He's the D.J., I'm the Rapper"	Smith Townes	6:10
16.	"Hip Hop Dancer's Theme"	Townes	3:48
17.	"Jazzy's in the House"	Townes	4:10
18.	"Human Video Game"	Smith Townes Holmes	5:40

Original CD release

On the original CD, "A Nightmare on My Street", "As We Go", "D.J. on the Wheels," and the final four songs appeared in edited form, and "Another Special Announcement" was omitted. A German edition omitted "Jazzy's in the House" and "Human Video Game" instead. On September 8, 2017, the full vinyl version was finally issued as a double CD set that was released by Real Gone Music under license from Sony Music Entertainment with bonus tracks. ^[9]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"A Nightmare on My Street"	4:56
2.	"Here We Go Again"	4:01
3.	"Brand New Funk"	4:04
4.	"Time to Chill"	4:25
5.	"Charlie Mack (First Out of the Limo)"	4:46
6.	"As We Go"	5:35
7.	"Parents Just Don't Understand"	5:15
8.	"Pump Up the Bass"	5:13
9.	"Let's Get Busy, Baby"	4:06
10.	"Live at Union Square (November 1986)"	4:07
11.	"D.J. on the Wheels"	2:44
12.	"My Buddy"	3:40
13.	"Rhythm Trax (House Party Style)"	4:39
14.	"He's the D.J., I'm the Rapper"	4:57
15.	"Hip Hop Dancer's Theme"	2:55
16.	"Jazzy's in the House"	3:01
17.	"Human Video Game"	4:14
Total length:		72:19

Samples and interpolations

"A Nightmare on My Street"

• Theme from A Nightmare on Elm Street by Charles Bernstein

"Here We Go Again"

• "Westchester Lady" by Bob James

"Brand New Funk"

• "Bouncy Lady" by Pleasure
• "Funky President (People It's Bad)" by James Brown
• "I Can't Live Without My Radio" by LL Cool J
• "(Fallin' Like) Dominoes" by Donald Byrd

"As We Go"

• "Impeach the President" by the Honey Drippers

"Parents Just Don't Understand"

• "Won't You Be My Friend" by Peter Frampton

"Pump Up the Bass"

• "Funky Drummer" by James Brown

"Let's Get Busy, Baby"

• "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder

"Time To Chill"

• "Breezin'" by George Benson

"He's the D.J., I'm the Rapper"

• "Jungle Love" by Steve Miller Band

"Live at Union Square (November 1986)"

• "Got to Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn
• "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band
• "Dance to the Drummer's Beat" by Herman Kelly and Life

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1988) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [10] 131 Canadian Albums ( RPM ) [11] 97 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [12] 47 UK Albums (OCC) [13] 68 US Billboard 200 [14] 4 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [15] 5

Year-end charts Chart (1988) Position US Billboard 200 [16] 27 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [17] 14

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [18]	Platinum	100,000^
United States (RIAA) [19]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Recording Industry Association of America. Accessed March 29, 2015.
2. link
3. Christgau, Robert (29 March 1988). "DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince". Robert Christgau . Retrieved 4 October 2017.
4. Greene, Jayson. "DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 4 October 2017.
5. "DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (album review ) - Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com.
6. LLC, SPIN Media (December 1999). SPIN. SPIN Media LLC.
7. RIAA Searchable Database - "DJ Jazzy Jeff". Recording Industry Association of America. Accessed November 10, 2008.
8. Huff, Quentin B. (June 20, 2006). The Globalization of Beats & Rhymes. PopMatters. Accessed November 9, 2008.
9. "Real Gone Music - News - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince: He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (Expanded Edition) (2CD-Set)". www.realgonemusic.com.
10. "DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince ARIA chart history". ARIA. Retrieved July 20, 2024– via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
11. "RPM 100 Albums". RPM . 48 (26). October 15, 1988. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
12. "Charts.nz – DJ Jazzy Jeff – He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
13. "DJ Jazzy Jeff | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
14. "D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
15. "D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
16. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1988". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
17. "1988 The Year in Music & Video" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 52. December 24, 1988. p. Y-24. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
18. "Canadian album certifications – D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince – He's the D.J. I'm the Rapper". Music Canada.
19. "American album certifications – DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince – He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper". Recording Industry Association of America.