When was DJ Jazzy Jeff born? DJ Jazzy Jeff was born on January 22, 1965.
DJ Jazzy Jeff was born Jeffrey Allen Townes in Philadelphia, PA, in 1965. He met Will Smith The first rap Grammy went to none other than Dj Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. The two-time Grammy-winning producer was a regular on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as Jazz, Will’s best friend. After parting ways, Jeff went on to found A Touch of Jazz as a producer in his native Philly.
He is credited with inventing the transformer scratch, where a DJ moves the crossfader while scratching to achieve the sound like the children’s cartoon Transformers would make when the robots would transform. He’s since worked with the likes of Eminem, Method Man, Floetry, and others.
On the night of February 22, 1989, During the 31st Grammy Awards, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince‘s won Best Rap Performance for Parents Just Don’t Understand, which appeared on the duo’s second album, He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper. “Parents Just Don’t Understand” was the first hip-hop song to win a Grammy and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (Will Smith) were the first rappers to win a Grammy. LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, Kool Moe Dee and J. J. Fad were also nominated in the same category that year. “Parents Just Don’t Understand” peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
After finding out the new rap category would not be aired on television, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince didn’t attend the event to accept their award. Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen led a boycott of the 1989 Grammys. DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Fresh Prince, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Salt-N-Pepa, Ice-T, Slick Rick and more boycotted together.
UNSPECIFIED – CIRCA 1970: Photo of Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Kool Moe Dee and J. J. Fad attended the event. While Kool Moe Dee went on stage to present the award for best male R&B vocal, he made a statement
“On the behalf of all M.C.s My co-workers and fellow nominees Jazzy Jeff, J. J. Fad, Salt-N-Pepa and the boy who’s bad We personify power and a drug-free mind And we express ourselves through rhythm and rhyme So I think it’s time that the whole world knows Rap is here to stay – drummer, let’s go!”
The Grammys boycott worked, the next year, The Grammys aired the award for Best Rap Performance (Young MC won for “Bust A Move”).
“He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper,” (released on March 29, 1988) the second album by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince‘s contained 85 minutes of music, forcing it to be put on two vinyl records. In order to fit onto a 72-minute CD, seven songs; “Nightmare on My Street”, “As We Go”, “D.J. on the Wheels,” “He’s the D.J., I’m the Rapper,” “Hip Hop Dancer’s Theme,” “Jazzy’s in the House” and “Human Video Game” were edited and “Another Special Announcement” was removed entirely. The album was produced by Pete Harris, The Fresh Prince, DJ Jazzy Jeff, released by Jive/RCA and recorded in London.
“He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper” was certified triple platinum on February 1, 1995. The album won DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince their first American Music Award for Favorite Rap Album and it earned them their first ever Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance (‘Parents Just Don’t Understand’).
“He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper” Side A track listing
