DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of rapper Will Smith and turntablist Jeff Townes. Active full time from 1986 to 1994 and occasionally thereafter, 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 & the Fresh Prince have sold over 5.5 million albums in the US. Their latest performance dates back to November 2023.
Jeffrey Allen Townes, known professionally as DJ Jazzy Jeff, 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.
Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop duo from New York City who were most popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The duo is composed of Christopher Reid ("Kid") and Christopher Martin ("Play") working alongside their DJ, Mark "DJ Wiz" Eastmond. Besides their musical careers, they also branched out into acting.
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which point the award was split into two categories: Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. These two categories were combined again in 2012 as a result of a restructure of Grammy categories, and the reinstated Award for Best Rap Performance was presented at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012. The restructuring was the consequence of the Recording Academy's wish to decrease the number of categories and awards and to eliminate distinctions between solo and duo or group performances.
"Jump Around" is a song by American hip hop group House of Pain, produced by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, who has also covered the song, and was released in May 1992 by Tommy Boy and XL as the first single from their debut album, House of Pain (1992). The song became a hit, reaching number three in the United States. A 1993 re-release of the song in the United Kingdom, where the initial release had been a minor hit, peaked at number eight. Its music video was filmed in New York City, featuring footage from the 1992 Saint Patrick's Day parade.
Big Willie Style is the debut solo album by American rapper and actor Will Smith. It was released on November 25, 1997, by Columbia Records. The album was primarily produced by Poke & Tone, with other contributors including L.E.S. and Smith's former collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff. The album was the first to be released by Smith since 1993's Code Red, the last by the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. Five singles were released, including Smith's first US Billboard Hot 100 number one, "Gettin' Jiggy wit It".
Rock the House is the debut album from the hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. The album was released on April 7, 1987, in Europe and the United States, and was subsequently re-issued in 1988 in Europe and the United Kingdom. Three tracks from the album were released as singles: "The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff", "A Touch of Jazz" and "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble". When the album was released on CD in 1988, the rerecorded version of "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble", which was released as a single after He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper ran its course, replaced the original 1986 recording. The art work for the album cover was done by a Philadelphia artist, Charles Gossett.
He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper 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.
Homebase is the fourth studio album released by hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released on July 23, 1991, reaching number 12 on the Billboard 200 charts and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It received generally favorable reviews from critics. The album was certified Platinum and won an American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album in 1992.
Code Red is the fifth and final studio album by the American hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, released on October 12, 1993, on Jive Records. The album peaked at number sixty-four on the Billboard 200 and number thirty-nine on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. On January 14, 1994, the Recording Industry Association of America certified the album gold. Four singles reached the Billboard charts; "Boom! Shake the Room", "I'm Looking for the One ","I Wanna Rock", and "Can't Wait to Be With You".
"Boom! Shake the Room" is a song by American hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The track samples the 1973 song "Funky Worm" by the Ohio Players. Released on July 16, 1993 by Jive Records, as the second single from the duo's fifth studio album, Code Red (1993), the single peaked at numbers 13 and 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, as well as topping the charts of Australia, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. In Spain, it was a number-one hit for six weeks. Its music video was directed by American film director Scott Kalvert, featuring the duo performing onstage in front of a live crowd.
"I'm Too Sexy" is a song by British pop band Right Said Fred, released in July 1991 by Tug Records as their debut single from their first album, Up (1992). The song was written by band members and brothers Fred Fairbrass and Richard Fairbrass with Rob Manzoli and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, it topped the charts in seven countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United States. James Lebon directed the music video for the song, featuring various clips of models walking on the catwalk. In 2023, Billboard magazine ranked "I'm Too Sexy" among the 500 best pop songs of all time.
"Parents Just Don't Understand" is the second single from American duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's second studio album, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988). In the song, the Fresh Prince details his problems with his parents, whom he feels do not understand the challenges of being a teenager.
"Whoomp! " is the debut single by American hip-hop/pop-rap duo Tag Team, released in May 1993 by label Life as the first single from their debut album by same name (1993). The song was written by members Cecil "DC the Brain Supreme" Glenn and Steve "Rolln" Gibson, and reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot R&B chart, as well as No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100. "Whoomp!" reached multi-platinum status and broke records for the number of consecutive weeks in the Billboard top 10. Tag Team is considered a one-hit wonder, as their subsequent singles did not find the same success. "Whoomp!" has remained a pop culture staple with multiple placements in film, television, and advertisements. The song has also endured as a mainstay at sporting and arena events. In 2024, Billboard ranked "Whoomp! " number 14 in their "The 100 Greatest Jock Jams of All Time".
"Summertime" is a song by American hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, released in May 1991 by Jive and RCA as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Homebase (1991). The song was produced by Chicago-based producers Hula and K. Fingers, and it won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 1992 Grammy Awards. It spent a week at number #1 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart, as well as reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the duo's first single to enter the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #8.
Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. The album includes several of the duo's biggest hits, including "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble", "Parents Just Don't Understand", and "Summertime". This also includes the previously unreleased track "Lovely Daze", and two solo tracks by Will Smith from his major-motion picture film, Men in Black.
"Shoop" is the lead single released from American hip hop group Salt-N-Pepa's fourth studio album, Very Necessary (1993). The song was produced by group members Sandra "Pepa" Denton and Cheryl "Salt" James with Mark Sparks. Released in September 1993 by Next Plateau, the song became one of the group's more successful singles, reaching numbers four and five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, and topping the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart at number one. Two months after its release, "Shoop" was certified gold by the RIAA; it went on to sell 1.2 million copies. Its accompanying music video was directed by Scott Kalvert. The success of both this single and the follow-up single "Whatta Man" propelled Very Necessary to sell over 5 million copies in the US, becoming the group's best-selling album.
"Hey Mr. D.J." is a song by American R&B group Zhané, recorded for their debut album, Pronounced Jah-Nay (1994). Co-written by group members Renée Neufville and Jean Norris, it was released as their debut single in August 1993 by Flavor Unit and Epic, and also features a rap from Rottin Razkals member Fam. The song was produced by Naughty by Nature and samples "Looking Up to You" by Michael Wycoff. Originally, the track was recorded and released on the 1993 compilation album Roll Wit tha Flava.
The discography of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince consists of five studio albums, four compilations and 18 singles.
"Ring My Bell" is the second single released from American hip hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's fourth studio album, Homebase (1991). The song samples and shares the same name as Anita Ward's 1979 single, "Ring My Bell", though the original lyrics were replaced by those written by Will Smith. Nevertheless, The song's original writer, Fredrick Knight was sole writer who received writing credits. The song appears on Smith's series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in the closing credits from "The Mother of All Battles" off the season 2 episode.
