DJ Jazzy Jeff
DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince:
Code Red (1993) Homebase (1991) And In This Corner… (1989) He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper (1988) Rock the House(1987) Solo Albums:
The Magnificent (2002)
What’s happening with you these days?
I’m just traveling and making music man. That’s the easiest way to describe it. I’m on my way to Canada tomorrow. I go to Toronto then to Dearborn, Michigan on Friday, then Ottawa Saturday and back to Toronto Sunday.
You’ve been doing a good job keeping out of the spotlight. A lot of people don’t know you’re behind a lot of Neo Soul music from Jill Scott to Bilal. What’s the reaction that people have when they find out how much you’re involved in?
A lot of people are shocked. I think the ones that are shocked are the ones that don’t look at you like you can do more than one thing. That’s probably the main reason why I’ve done it the way that I have. Its really hard for people to accept you doing different types of things. All of that stuff makes me up. Then I’ve always been low key and a lot of the stuff I do in music are for music lovers not necessarily to have your name plastered all over the place. I do it for the reasons that make me happy. Its not so much for the accolades, I definitely appreciate all the accolades, but I’ve never been that type of dude that I want to do something for everybody and then run around and tell everybody I did that.
How wack of a term is Neo Soul?
People have to give everything a label now. I think that was just the label that they came up with and its funny because its new soul but its like what we did with Jill Scott is no different than what they did with Minnie Rippelton. The only thing that is different is the time, so its like what are you gonna call it when it comes up twenty years from now Neo Neo soul? Soul was new when Minnie Rippleton did it. Everybody just needs to put a title on it, but I never concern myself with titles. I just look at it like the more people you can get to understand that there is a soulful type of music out there whatever you call it is fine as long as you go and get it.
What is it about Philly that has some of the best R&B coming out of it?
I think we have history here. I grew up listening to Gamble and Huff. I had the privilege of those rare occasions when Gamble would get on the radio and deejay. Later on getting to know him and him becoming a big influence it was music. Before hiphop there was R&B soul, there were classics like Earth, Wind & Fire or Confunction. I went to block parties before hiphop and we danced off of Earth Wind and Fire, Confunction and Mass Production and Brass Construction so we all had a backbone in real music. What we’re doing now is mixing what I grew up off of with the emotion that hiphop gives you. All we doing is putting the same chorus structure that Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye gave us to a banging as beat.
What’s your favorite classic Philly song like out of the Ojays or Mcfadden and Whitehead that whole crew?
You can’t really say that you just put that tag on Gamble and Huff. Gamble and Huff ran it. They did so much stuff. Gamble and Huff did the Jacksons, ‘Let me Show You the Way to Go’ which was one of my favorite joints. People don’t understand if you listen to that that’s Philly soul. You got the ‘MFSB,’ ‘Love is the Message,’ which was a huge classic disco dance hit and a lot of people don’t know that the roots of house music come from Philly International. That whole four on the floor that was the birth of house before they called it house.
Speaking of the Jacksons I heard you did some work with Michael. Did you go to Neverland and climb trees with him?
Nah, haha. Actually I was only in the studio with him one day and the cat who did the track down here just finished it out. Mike was cool. You gotta get over the fact that that’s Michael Jackson. My whole thing is I’m like damn this is the dude that did ‘Billy Jean’ and ‘Beat It’ and you are just in awe that its Michael Jackson and he is a legend. You kinda wish he could have stayed the same dude that he was but it doesn’t stop the respect level.
