DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
The duo, consisting of DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith
Background information
Origin	West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, golden age hip hop
Years active	1985–1994 1999 (partial reunion) 2005 (reunion) 2013 (reunion) 2016 (reunion)
Labels	Word-Up, Jive
Past members	DJ Jazzy Jeff The Fresh Prince Ready Rock C

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince is an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rapper Will Smith (the Fresh Prince) met disc jockey Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff) in the 1980s, when they were both trying to make names for themselves in West Philadelphia's local hip hop scene. After joining forces with Clarence Holmes (Ready Rock C) the team members became local celebrities. Holmes left the group in 1990, and later sued it for his friend in 1999.

The group received the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand" (1988), though their most successful single was "Summertime" (1991), which earned the group their second Grammy and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Will Smith and Jeff Townes are still friends and claim that they never split up, having made songs under Smith's solo performer credit. DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince have sold over 5.5 million albums in the US.

Jeff Townes and Will Smith were introduced to each other by chance in 1985. One night, Townes was performing at a house party only a few doors down from Smith's residence, and he was missing his hype man. Smith decided to fill in. They both felt strong chemistry, and Townes was upset when his hype man finally made it to the party.

Soon after, the two decided to join forces. Smith enlisted a friend to join as the beatboxer of the group, Clarence Holmes (Ready Rock C), making them a trio. Philadelphia-based Word Up Records released their first single in late 1985 to 1986 when A&R man Paul Oakenfold introduced them to Word Up with their single "Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble," a tale of funny misadventures that landed Smith and his former DJ and rap partner Mark Forrest (Lord Supreme) in trouble. The song sampled the theme song of "I Dream of Jeannie." Smith became known for light-hearted story-telling raps and capable, though profanity-free, "battle" rhymes. The single became a hit a month before Smith graduated from high school. Townes was known for his turntable acrobatics, and he is credited by many as inventing a style of scratching called transforming.