DJ Jazzy Jeff

We always thought that Jazzy Jeff got the raw end of the deal when he parted ways with that freaky-bubbly dude who went on to take TV by storm as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, then conquered Hollywood and the delightfully luscious creature named Jada Pinkett. How fair is...

By Clay McNear

January 31, 2008

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We always thought that Jazzy Jeff got the raw end of the deal when he parted ways with that freaky-bubbly dude who went on to take TV by storm as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, then conquered Hollywood and the delightfully luscious creature named Jada Pinkett. How fair is that? Will Smith gets the girl and $20 million a film. Jeff -- who was, most discerning folks would agree, the creative engine that powered the duo -- gets squat. (Relatively speaking.) After a short stint as second fiddle to the Prince in the sitcom, did JJ end up a hobo with a house made of cardboard? Does Will secretly support him by leaving scraps by the trash can in the alley? Fortunately, no. JJ continues to perform, create, and innovate -- laying down jams all over the planet and doing some nice movie-soundtrack work -- and he's as admired by his peers now as he was then. (Case in point: Few people know, or remember, that DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince opened for Public Enemy -- Public Enemy! -- on one of PE's tours in the late '80s. It was weird.) Still, there's that lingering aftertaste. The promotional plug for the SIX Lounge show refers to JJ as "from the Fresh Prince." Ow. That's gotta hurt.
Sat., Feb. 2, 11 p.m.-2 a.m., 2008

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