DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper

Brand New Funk! (5 Stars)

Many people may push this incredible duo to the side due to their content. It's light, fun, fresh, energetic, and positive in every way possible. These two built their career on pure skill. And they arguably held the most skill out of ANY duo in 1988. Will Smith (aka The Fresh Prince) brought forth some of the freshest, alluring, and most relatable stories that anyone of any age could get down with; all delivered with a fierce, hungry and inspired flow.

Now on to the groundbreaking production brought forth by DJ Jazzy Jeff. Jeff was the very best producer/turntablist of the 80s, second only to Marley Marl. Back in the day, Jeff was often looked at as the musical visionary of this duo. And it's easy to see why. Upon listening, DJ Jazzy Jeff almost gets more shine than The Fresh Prince. I dare you to find some doper cuts than these. Along with Smith, Jeff treated this album like a explosive workout of skills.

01. Nightmare On my Street: Along with "Parents Just Don't Understand", this was one of the blazing singles that so-called gangsta posturing "fans" passed off as novelty fluff. It was easy to dismiss the two tracks when you see the cheesy videos from 1988. Regardless, this is a straight banger and opens the album brilliantly. It showcases this duo at their best with memorable production and storytelling inspired by the 1984 film "A Nightmare on Elm Street". You may notice that the CD version of this song is a radio edit, clocking in at 5:00. My cassette & vinyl versions run 6:20, but I barely notice a difference.

02. Here We Go Again: The first album cut on the record is a strong one. The Prince maps out their progression since the first record "Rock The House" and weaves it into a clever and interesting story. It's easy to hear the remarkable new focused sound from their predecessor. The beat is a bit more simple here, though just as alluring, and stripped of the first track's novelty bounce.

03. Brand New Funk: This is definitely my favorite cut on the album. It contains some of Jeff's most infectious sampling and production, that's carefully intertwined with The Fresh Prince's inspired lyrics. This is the perfect example of these two playing off of each other with impeccable wit. Smith is simply moved by the production, and it shows.

04. Time To Chill: Like the title suggests, this one slows it down a bit with a slower, more chill beat. The Fresh Prince plays off the production nicely, and spends a lot of the tune rapping about the beat. It's a solid change of pace for the structure of the record thus far.

05. Charlie Mack (1st Out Of The Limo): This is a big standout. An entertaining and often hilarious tale about their bodyguard, Charlie Mack. Jeff's production is ultra-tight here, bringing some hard funk, dope scratching and a tight hook.

06. As We Go: Some grade A braggadocios lyrics. Smith raps about scoring the ladies and living the life of the party with Jazzy Jeff. At the end, they end up kicking out the new-found gold-digging honeys.

07. Parents Just Don't Understand: This was the duo's biggest hit back in '88. No matter how silly that video was back in the day, I will always love this track. A hilarious series of stories that anyone could relate to. Whether it was his Mom dressing him in ugly school clothes, or his parents forbidding parties while they were gone on vacation, this song is on-point in every way.

08. Pump Up the Bass: This tracks really competes for the top pick in my opinion. Jeff & Prince kick it old-school as they reminisce of the old days. Jeff pulls out all the stops here - dope cuts, ill samples, and incredible scratching. Ready Rock C stops by for a little human beat box action as well. Smith kicks some of his fastest and dopest rhymes on the CD here, also acting well as Jeff's hype man.

09. Let's Get Busy Baby: Another tune about The Prince chasing the ladies. As usual, they are pretty entertaining, and a little tongue-in-cheek, considering his young age at this point. Very entertaining.

10. Live At Union Square (November 1986): Like the title says, this is an old live cut. Much of the album has a live feel to it anyway, so this fits right in, The Prince says he's 17 years of age here, and you can tell by his voice. Smith plays the witty hype man for Jazzy Jeff & Ready Rock C. They are seriously rocking this audience here. Jazzy's obviously the star here.

11. DJ on the Wheels: This one is 100% Jazzy Jeff. As if the album cuts aren't enough to uphold his legacy, this among other tracks with prove Jazzy's status in the hip-hop game.

12. My Buddy: Where the last two cuts starred Jazzy Jeff, he is notably absent here. Ready Rock C (the human beat-box) is the star here. The Fresh Prince rhymes nicely over the rhythm. A nice mix-up in the formula.

13. Rhythm Trax-House Party Style: Another track with Jazzy Jeff tearing it up. Quality turntablism throughout.

14. He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper: This presents Jeff & Prince at their best...just having fun. Not often are a rapper and producer on the same wave length as each other. But in this case, the chemistry is overflowing. Prince is lyrically pumping iron, and Jeff is dropping delicious cuts to match. Pure sickness.

15. Hip Hop Dancer's Theme: An excellent mash-up of beats, styles, samples and vocal cuts from Jeff. MUCH sicker than most anything you would hear in 1988.

16. Jazzy's in the House: Jazzy Jeff drives it home with a some more dope turntable work.

17. Human Video Game: Great tune about old-school video games, with some help from Ready Rock C. This one brings back memories of hanging out in the arcades back in the day. An excellent note to end the album on.

Overall, I'm not sure how these guys get dismissed as an artistically oriented collective. This is an excellent time capsule of the fun-loving footsteps of hip-hop that unfortunately was pushed aside for more violent overtones, bling, and lyrics filled with misogyny. On the other side of the coin, these pioneers never sold out to what their mainstream counterparts heckled them for. They have always relied on a good-natured, positive formula that kept their sound original and unscathed to this very day. Make no mistake about it, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince were two of the best to ever do it. February 11, 2008

Good, clean old school rap

I love old school rap. The dj is what it was all about back then and no one was better than DJ Jazzy Jeff. December 3, 2007

Props to Hip Hop's first Grammy winner............

Changed the game forever and further opened the door of hiphop to the mainstream. Made a star of Will Smith and solidified Jazzy Jeff as a respected DJ. Respect Due! April 17, 2007

Too d*mn pissed (what am I what am I)

Would they repackage Led Zeppelin 4 without Stairway to Heaven? This pale imitation of the REAL "He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper" omits the best track on the album, "Another Special Announcement." Couldn't they have cut off one of Jeff's 10 minute ego-trip megamixes to make room? Sorry, but you can't beat Freddy Krueger saying "I'm too damn hyped" over and over. Also, Nightmare on my Street is edited, and Human Video Game omits the entire "Pac-Man" beatbox section. Stick with the record or cassette version of this masterpiece. October 13, 2006

Rewriting the past...?

As someone else noted, the cd edition currently available is missing the original album version of "nitemare on my street", and i personally see no justification, as it can't have been an issue of there not being enough space on the disc - clearly there is room to spare, making it yet more baffling to me that they also left an entire track off! i had the cassette 'back in the day', and, MAYBE it was a cassette-only bonus track at that time, but the first side of the tape ended with a full-crew acapella called 'another special anouncement' which pretty much contained one lyric- "too damn hype"! ("what are we, what are we?" call-and-response, etc) -repeated over and over - now, this was before will smith was an action figure actor-father-clean rap role model, and will smith -GASP!- occasionally cursed!! ....and so, i'll have to dig out that crusty old cassette . . . maybe will is purposely censoring his back catalog? i find this really puzzling . . . i loved "too damn hype", as any 16 year old would!! otherwise, this is a great, classic album, but look for the original cassette or vinyl edition. August 11, 2006

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