Song:Summertime
Album:The Best Of
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince were important in making rap accessible to families. The 1991 single Summertime was their only top five hit. Jeff Townes and Will Smith met at a 1985 party. They did an impromptu performance and decided to join forces. After the single Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble got airplay, Russell Simmons signed them to Jive Records. Their 1987 debut album Rock The House was certified Gold. And they toured with Run DMC. The 1988 album He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper was their breakthrough especially the single Parents Just Don't Understand. It reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it won a Grammy. The album was certified 3XPlatinum. It made Townes and Smith household names. The rap community had mixed feelings because their music was clean. But it was important for parents that this was OK for kids. It showed that rap could be different things to different audiences. After the 1989 album And In This Corner... didn't do as well, Smith signed to do the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. That made him a big star. Townes appeared on the show in a supporting role. The whole thing was Quincy Jones' idea. The 1991 album Homebase had a more mature sound. The single Summertime reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is based on the Kool & The Gang classic Summer Madness. The album was certified Platinum. So it was a successful comeback. Their final album was Code Red in 1993. The single Boom! Shake the Room reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then Smith went on to concentrate on his acting career. He has also had solo success. You can get all of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince hits on this budget comp. Of course Smith is a big star. What about Townes? Though he has occasionally reunited with Smith, Townes has been a producer since the mid-90s. He has worked with Jill Scott, Floetry and many others. And he occasionally releases solo albums. Here's the video for Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.
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