Return of the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff: 23 years later. “Last time I was here I did my Fresh Prince Rap. 8 Million Youtube Hits were on that. So this time I brought my DJ, JAZZY JEFF!”

By Nicholas SimmonsJune 3, 2013

Return of the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff:

23 Years Later.

“Last time I was here I did my Fresh Prince Rap.

8 Million You Tube hits

were on that.”

So this time I brought by DJ ~ JAZZY JEFF!’

James Lipton:

“When and how did you become Fresh Prince?”

(Inside The Actors Studio, 2002)

Original Air date: 13/01/02

Will Smith

“Fresh Prince…he he…

I kind of locked on to the

Prince when…

I think I must have been in eighth

grade…

my eighth grade teacher started calling

me the Prince….something to do with this

vast well-spring of charm I guess…

I dunno…she started calling me

‘Prince Charming!’

“And in 1985: ‘FRESH‘,

was the new,

inescapable

Hip-Hop slang

And I just put the

‘Fresh’

with the Prince!

“The Hip-Hop scene in Philadelphia was

essentially…there were few groups and there

were tons of individuals and what you would do

is go to the party and there’s twenty DJ’s…and

your allotted fifteen or twenty minutes….and

Jeff and I sort of gravitated towards one another

and we just started performing together all of

that year and we started recording

in record form in his mothers basement in late

’85, early ’86,

and we released our first record in June of ’86.

First single was ‘girls ain’t nothing but trouble’.

That was the most amazing feeling in the world.

To be in senior high school and to have a hit

record on the radio…man…whoa!”

He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper: Creating the first DJ Jazzy Fresh sounds, 1987.

Earlier the month of March,

I made a BIG blog prediction:

One certainly can dream, in 2013.

‘In West Philadelphia, born and raised!’

A real bounce back on the ‘music playground’

23 years later

You know, just about the ‘Summertime‘.

Not knowing it would ACTUALLY happen.

Not a ‘Fresh’ clue.

The Fresh Prince. DJ Jazzy Jeff. Alfonso Riberio.

And the new-born-to-be still to prove as a

‘Fresher’ Prince of this generation: Jaden Smith.

BBC. The Graham Norton Show. May 24, 2013.

How could anyone ever think

this would happen.

23 years later.

Far Fresh out of West Philadelphia by this point

in time.

Fresh years ahead. Not light years.

Rapping, acting and blockbuster years ahead.

Credits go to the BBC:

The Fresh Blogger’s view

Music Journalist: Nick Simmons

‘There’s an air of love and of happiness and this is the Simmons new definition of
summer madness….

It’s been 23 years, more or less! since Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff have been seen spitting rhymes of their classic sounds together.

So, as you can imagine, the emotions are running high on this one, being a big fan.

It’s so great to see two legends of the late ’80’s hip hop come together once again. The scene was set for a completely out of the box, spontaneous Fresh comeback in the UK on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ (May 24th, 2013). But before we get Jiggy with all the Fresh stuff, let’s take it far back before the ‘Willenium‘.

I’ve always loved Will Smiths music. Ever since I was little. His music is just so infectious, so fun, so carefree.
It’s the kind of music which is just so original, so organic, and so fine-tuned; yet can instate that sense of funky beat to bop rhythm which is so accessible not only to black culture, but people from different ethnics, backgrounds and minorities all over the world. It just goes to demonstrate the sheer ability and testament to African Americans striving for their true goals in life, despite the racial barriers they faced, despite the prejudice inflicted upon them from prevalent whites, and fulfilling the American dream.

Muhammad Ali. Mike Tyson. Michael Jordan. Tiger Woods. Oprah Winfrey. Michael Jackson…

Because people can get it. It’s music which is ‘rapping’ words about living. Pure and simple.

Take a few examples, at your ‘Will’…

Listen over here and interpret these how you please, as always.

Gettin’ Jiggy wit’ it’. (having fun, ‘JIGGING’ with the times)
‘Summertime’. (Living for the people, the great weather – the UK is more or less exempt from this…)
‘Just the two of us’ (The father/son relationship, the doting Dad).
‘Men In Black’ (the corporate individuals, the suits, the ties, the men of power).
‘Will ‘2K’ (WILLENIUM, a bit of Smith hip cheesy ‘tongue in cheek’).

It doesn’t have to swear or tell you about who is ‘shooting, shagging’ or attacking the powers of the world.
I mean, take ‘Summertime’ as a Fresh example of this. I have to bring this up.This is the song of the ’90’s, in my opinion. It’s stayed on my iPod > > iPhone > Samsung Galaxy S3 since the day I ever remember my first MP3 player, and will be there until the day I’m gone like a candle in the wind
(cheeky Elton John quote right there).

Hell, I would say it’s the worldwide radio anthem of the summer, if not the past two decades. It is the epitome of summer fun, beaches, beautiful women, cruising, and not forgetting, barbecues and a few cool beers, or in my case, the Apple sweet taste of scrumpy cider.

But what is it about the song? Is it the driving bass? The spin scratch sounds? DJ Jazzy’s timeless spinning?
The ‘Big Willie’s’ timeless rhythm rap sounds? I think, in all importance – this is a naive, ‘not to be taken seriously’ song released with full intention for the fun and ‘madness’ of great music, listener enjoyment, perfect weather and most of all, great times.

Put it on your summer spin playlist.

Credits go to user DJJazzyJeffVEVO:

“Summertime” (1991) has always been a perfect fusion between master musical rap and a
DJ crisp sound, spun out with perfect liquid rhyme flow in Hip-Hop 80’s/’90’s heaven. But hold up. Will and Jazzy sampled this track from a true classic. Not all of you may recognise it straight off. But this was inspired from the soulful sounds of Kool and the Gang’s “Summer Madness” (1974) – for the ’80’s babies out there, you should know this straight off the top of your ear lobes. I mean, how can you not? It’s the most peaceful and soothing of musical pop sounds to give birth to the ’80’s. For console gamers, you should not be foreign from this, either. Remember Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)?

I bet you do. Remember the sweet sunsets driving down in a Banshee or Infernus on Emotion 98.3/Fever 105?
I bet you do. Gamer paradise.

Returning to a ‘Vice’ and a ‘City’:
The sweet sun, beaches, beautiful women and cars.
It can only be “Summertime”.

Getting back on the fresh point – Will Smith and his son Jaden? Fresh Prince? The long lost dancing and American acting treasure Alfonso Riberio? We’ll work like rap clockwork on this one. A to the ‘Zee’.

The Graham Norton Fresh Prince Jazzy performance broke down all expectation. We weren’t even expecting it. It was so candid, so fun, and so naturally performed. And by God, did it rock the house. Who would have thought, after all these years – Alfonso Riberio would come back in to the Fresh mainstream? ALFONSO RIBERIO.
You heard me right.

Where has he been all these years? It wasn’t exactly his 10 minutes of fame, but he sure is still, even today, very Fresh for the ’90’s Prince.Anything past that point? Gone. Gone like the Riberio wind. But where has he been, all these years, besides the Banks Manor? Turns out, Carlton has played the Carlton dance in American clubs and VIP sections for years.