Friday, March 12, 2021

DJ Jazzy Jeff

The year was 1988 and I was at my friend Corey's birthday party. His Mom had taken about 10 of us to Bushkill Falls in PA for some outdoor fun. After a hike we were then taken out for pizza and some roller skating at Bushkill Park!
As us rowdy 7-10 year olds were racing around the track a song came over the speakers in the roller rink. It was a song I had never heard before! It had a cool beat, high energy and lyrics talking about Freddy Krueger! I had to know what it was. I asked one of my friends and he said "Nightmare On My Street". From that point I was hooked on the catchy rhymes of Fresh Prince and the amazing cuts of DJ Jazzy Jeff!
I bought all their albums from "Rock The House" to "Code Red" and even got in a fight with my buddy Little Joe when he told me that Fresh Prince sucked! Well, we all know what happened to Fresh Prince aka Will Smith after his rapping days with Jazzy Jeff were over, but what became of Jazzy Jeff?
He had some great appearances on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" TV show and was a video game character in DJ Hero, but did you know he has released some great hip-hop albums and produced songs for some amazing artists? He has worked with everyone from Bart Simpson (Deep, Deep Trouble) to Eminem (When To Stand Up) and Jeff is still writing, producing and cutting up records with the best of them today! Like any good DJ, a good percentage of DJ Jazzy Jeff's releases are mixtapes, but he has put out a few records with original content. No matter what the content, I have enjoyed them all. Here are some of the albums of Jeff's I have in my collection:
HIP HOP FOREVER II: MIXED BY DJ JAZZY JEFF
2004 BBE
Favorite Tracks: "Danger" by Blahzay Blahzay, "Buck Em' Down" by Black Moon & "Electric Relaxation" by A Tribe Called Quest
HIP HOP FOREVER III: COMPILED AND MIXED BY DJ JAZZY JEFF
2006 BBE
Favorite Tracks: "Passing Me By" by The Pharcyde, "Mass Appeal" by Gang Starr & "The Choice Is Yours" by Black Sheep
HE'S THE KING, I'M THE DJ
2009 DJ Jazzy Jeff & UNDRCRWN
Favorite Tracks: "Human Nature/Right Here Mix" by Michael Jackson & SWV, "Remember The Time" by Michael Jackson & "Off The Wall" by Michael jackson
DJ JAZZY JEFF: THE SOUL MIXTAPE
2005 Groovin' Records
Favorite Tracks: "No Tears" by Pete Rock featuring Leela James, "Make Love Last Forever" by Michael Bohannon & "Daydreamin'" by Kelli Sae
THE MAGNIFICENT
2002 BBE
Favorite Tracks: "Da Nitro" feat. Pauly Yamz & Baby Blak, "Mystery man" feat. The Last Emperor & "How I Do" feat. Shawn Stockman & Cy Young
THE RETURN OF THE MAGNIFICENT
2007 BBE
Favorite Tracks: "The Definition" feat. Kel Spencer, "Practice" feat. J Live & "Brand New Funk 2K7" feat. Peedi Peedi
Not only do I have a decent collection of DJ Jazzy Jeff albums, but I also purchased this autographed 2015 Panini Americana card for around $10 a few years ago, but that's not all...
I also picked up this autographed DJ Jazzy Jeff World Tour lanyard! I got this from Jazzy Jeff's website back in the day for around $10-$15. You can visit his site if you want to check out the rest of the merch that includes shirts, vinyl albums, masks, hoodies & more. While you are visiting DJJazzyJeff.com, don't forget to check out the "Music" section for your chance to download some of his mixtapes for FREE! I highly recommend the "Summertime" mixtape series put together by Jeff & Mick Boogie. These are the perfect playlists for any cookout or a game of any backyard sports!
And there you have it! A collection of music and memorabilia from one of the best DJs of all time! Thanks for reading. As a reward below is a "Magnificent Lunch Break" from 3/3/21! Man, he's still got it after all these years! ENJOY!!!!

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