Ale Posted October 18, 2008 Report Share Posted October 18, 2008 Mike Devlin , canada.com Published: Friday, October 17, 2008 DJ Jazzy Jeff, now on tour in Canada, says he and Will Smith have been talking of an official reunion for over a decade. Jeff Townes moved from Philadelphia to Delaware three years ago, cutting loose his 40-year relationship with the sixth largest city in the United States. For some, that's about as newsworthy as a bee fleeing from its hive. But when you consider that Townes is DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Philadelphia is the city that birthed DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, one of the first commercially successful groups in hip hop, that's the hip-hop equivalent of Rocky Balboa having no love for the City of Brotherly Love. There's no drama to the story, Townes says. He wanted to build a new studio facility, from the ground up, and the cost of doing so in Delaware was more to his liking. Plus, Philly is only half an hour away, and he has plenty of friends and family who still live there. Townes says he will always be associated with the city, either through his friendship with his fellow Philly native, Oscar-nominated actor Will Smith -- the Fresh Prince to his Jazzy Jeff -- or the new music Townes produces as a solo artist and touring DJ. Life is good no matter where Townes rests his turntables. He learned to adapt long ago. "As much as I do love and miss those old days, I embrace the change," Townes, 43, says from his new home. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince mean less to a wider audience than they do to fans of mid-'80s hip hop, the so-called "golden era" of beats and rhymes. To millions, they were the 20-somethings behind "Parents Just Don't Understand," the first rap single to win a Grammy. But to the underground faithful, Townes' incendiary scratching techniques from 1988 -- particularly the transformer scratch, now employed by every DJ working today -- re-wrote the hip-hop formula. The bit was perfected during the duo's second outing, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, which eventually sold millions of copies worldwide. It was the first commercial record that showcased a DJ, and put the technical on par with the verbal. "It was no-holds-barred, let's-just-try-it type of thing. That's how we approached it. When we'd go out on tour, we'd set routines and try stuff, and after the show we'd do a checklist: that worked really well, but they didn't get that; take this out and add this. After about the fifth date we had it worked out, to the point that we had a great show. That's how we would do our records." Townes still longs for those days. He appreciates modern hip hop, and has worked with some of the new-school's biggest names, from Eminem to the Roots. But when he tours, and he does frequently, Townes never forgets to showcase his famous routines, or drop an old-school joint. He loves touring Canada (his current trek, which began Thursday night in Vancouver, runs for 13 dates) and will respond in kind over the coming weeks. He has the respect of nearly everyone behind a turntable or with a microphone in their hand, yet Townes says he would trade all the accolades if only the creative tide would turn. "When I hear a song nowadays, I have to guess who it is, because everybody sounds the same." There's no mistaking the sound of Townes when he's on the wheels of steel, or Smith when he's getting jiggy on the mike. For that reason, talk of an official reunion between the two has been ever-present for over a decade. Townes and Smith are still tight, and often work together, so neither side is ruling it out. "Every time we get together, we talk about it," Townes said. "And I think it would be very well accepted. One of the biggest factors is that he's probably the biggest movie star on the face of the Earth. That's a big factor, because at the end of the day he's got a movie side and he's got a music side. And I don't think the movie side really likes the music side. I understand that. "If he makes a movie studio $750 million, they probably say he's crazy for wanting to do a record. But you know what? It's in his heart." DJ Jazzy Jeff's Canadian tour dates: 10/16 Vancouver 10/17 Whistler 10/18 Victoria, BC 10/19 Kelowna 10/22 Calgary 10/24 Winnipeg 10/26 Toronto 10/29 Sudbury 10/31 Barrie 11/1 Montreal 11/2 Ottawa 11/3 Kingston 11/4 Niagara Falls http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment...f8-44d7c8c385e5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpinJack AJ Posted October 18, 2008 Report Share Posted October 18, 2008 THANX!!! THE FRESH PRINCE LIVES!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bart5 Posted October 19, 2008 Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 (edited) THANX!!! THE FRESH PRINCE LIVES!! hahaha hard to tell when you see him in all these sweaters and vests haha. But deep down he will always be the same silly dude with a passion for music. But Jeff on the other hand looks exactly the same as Hes the DJ minus the hair and glasses haha Edited October 19, 2008 by bart5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Hero1 Posted October 19, 2008 Admin Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 Jeff always gives us hope of a new jjfp record Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Julie Posted October 19, 2008 Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 Yeah the "they often work together" statement sounds great. This is so good to read, we havnt heard anything about music for months, i was ready to give up all hope altogether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpinJack AJ Posted October 19, 2008 Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 Jeff always gives us hope of a new jjfp record Sometimes we don't have alot...but we always have hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 19, 2008 Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 can you imagine if they dropped a new "Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince" album......think about that. it would be CRAZY. i know everyone has killed that notion, but ressurect it and just think how insane that it. Jeff producing every track, the Fresh Prince doing his thing. i think it would be alot more successful that any Will Smith cd. i dont think its ever going to happen, but if it does i will be like "i knew it would happen" hahah i know i will. its just a matter of waiting and waiting and waiting for will becuase jeff seems ready to go. cant will take a break from the movies for like a year or two?...is that so hard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissAshley Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 cant will take a break from the movies for like a year or two?...is that so hard? YES! he's in his prime remember? lol maybe if Jada dropped a few hints he'd do it, apparently she was among the people who were telling him to get back into music when Big Willie Style came about. ack, it does kinda grate that his film career is in the forefront, esp. when he goes on and on about music being his first love. KEEP HOPE ALIVE JEFF! lmao. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members headache1 Posted October 22, 2008 Members Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 A new Fresh & Jeff album would be oh so very dope! Take hip hop back to being fun again. I just wish Jeff would come to Australia again so I can witness the madness in person! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Hero1 Posted October 22, 2008 Admin Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 A new Fresh & Jeff album would be oh so very dope! Take hip hop back to being fun again. I just wish Jeff would come to Australia again so I can witness the madness in person! hey another aussie! jeff may be back in oz sooner than you think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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