History
When he was growing up, he found that listening to his parents was unbearable. He got a job as a newspaper boy at age 7 to support his family. Once he grew up, he developed a reputation and following as a school and block party DJ extraordinaire, Jazzy Jeff was the feature of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. As a duo, they had several gold and platinum-selling albums and singles in the late 1980s and early 1990s, earning them the first rap Grammy ever presented in 1989 for Parents Just Don't Understand. When Smith branched out into television with the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Jazzy Jeff played a recurring character named "Jazz", Smith's best friend on the show. The two characters always greeted each other with their signature handshake (swinging mid-five, point-back/snap with both characters saying "Pssh!").
Jazz' trademarks include being physically ejected from the house by Uncle Phil (James Avery), screaming as he went flying out the front door. This was referenced in the song "N.Y, N.Y." by Lloyd Banks from his second album Rotten Apple, with the lyric "I throw a bitch out the crib like Jazzy Jeff". [1]
DJ Jazzy Jeff is not to be confused with Jeffrey Myree from the earlier hip hop group Funky Four Plus One, which in fact filed and won a lawsuit over the name Jazzy Jeff against Jeff Townes and Jive records when they signed DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. After DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince broke up, Townes went on to become a prominent R&B, soul, and neo soul record producer, establishing the A Touch of Jazz production company in his native Philadelphia. Among the artists that Jazzy Jeff has helped develop are Jill Scott and Musiq. Even though he separated from Will Smith as music partners, they are still best friends and still occasionally work together. Some songs by Will Smith were produced by Jeff Townes (Ex. Here He Comes), and he has performed on some songs by Will Smith such as "So Fresh" and "Potnas". In addition, he appears in several of Smith's music videos such as "Will2K", "Freakin' It", and "Party Starter". On some occasions, he makes appearances with Smith on live concerts, producing DJ scratches.
He, along with DJ Cash Money, is credited with making the transform scratch famous.
On July 2, 2005, DJ Jazzy Jeff performed with Will Smith at the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia. In the past, Will has performed on concerts with DJ Jazzy Jeff for the scratches. Moreover, Will acknowledges him in his music like "Comin' To The Stage" from the album Lost & Found or "Potnas" in his album Willennium.
His 2007 release TROTM (The Return of the Magnificent) is a classic work which returns to the roots of hip-hop with a neo-soul mixture included. This album featured numerous collaborations with old school and new school artists including CL Smooth, Big Daddy Kane, Pos from De La Soul, Method Man, Peedi Crakk (a remake of Brand New Funk), Rhymefest, and Raheem DeVaughn.
In 2007, he appeared with Rhymefest in the video DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Fest directed by Konee Rok, in which he makes music in his home recording studio with Rhymefest and they reveal that they are working on an album together called "I'm the DJ, I'm the Rapper".
Discography
Solo work as DJ Jazzy Jeff
* Unreleased album from Sony Records (1998)
* One cut in Battle of DJs
* The Magnificent (2002)
* Soulheaven Presents Jazzy Jeff in the House (2004)
* The Soul Mixtape Groovin' Records USA (2005)
* Hip-Hop Forever II Rapster Records (2004)
* Hip-Hop Forever III BBE Records (2006)
* The Return of The Magnificent EP (2007)
* The Return of the Magnificent (2007)
* The Return of Hip Hop EP (2007)
As DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
* Rock the House (1987) #83 US (Gold)
* He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988) #4 US (3x Platinum)
* And in This Corner… (1989) #39 US (Gold)
* Homebase (1991) #12 US (Platinum)
* Code Red (1993) #64 US (Gold)
* Greatest Hits (1998) #144 US, #20 UK
* Before The Willennium (1999)
* The Very Best of D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (2006)
Miscellaneous
* 1991 - Deep, Deep, Trouble with Bart Simpson and the remixes; from The Simpsons Sing the Blues
* 1997 - Jazzy Jeff's Theme; from the album Nuyorican Soul
* 1998 - "When To Stand Up" featuring Eminem
* 1998 - I Don't Know by Slum Village (scratches); from the album Fantastic, Vol. 2
* 1999 - The Next Movement by The Roots (scratches); from the album Things Fall Apart
* 2004 - Mirrorball (DJ Jazzy Jeff Full Sole Remix) by Everything But The Girl; from Adapt or Die: 10 Years of Remixes
* 2005 - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone (DJ Jazzy Jeff & Pete Kuzma Solefull Mix) by the Temptations; from Motown Remixed.
* 2005 - Lost & Found by Will Smith; produced intro song Here He Comes and several DJ scratches on several tracks
* 2005 - The Minstrel Show by Little Brother; Scratches on the song Watch Me.
* 2006 - Feel It (Jazzy Jeff Soulful Remix) by the Black Eyed Peas; from Renegotiations: The Remixes
* 2006 - Night in Tunisia (DJ Jazzy Jeff Remix) by Duke Jordan
* 2007 - Ear Drum by Talib Kweli; Scratches on song NY Weather Report.
* 2008 - Get Busy by The Roots (scratches); from the album Rising Down.
Hold It Down feat. Method Man
DJ Jazzy Jeff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hold it down
I hold it down
I hold it down
Aight, Staten Island, what up?
Yeah, Long Island, what up? Come on
Jazzy Jeff, y'all
Philly, what's good?
Haha, New Jersey
Yo, I just had a Philly Cheese Steak
That shit was good as a muthafucka, baby
Yo, yo, who do it till the death?
Let the magnificent Jeff go do it to the rest
You see the difference, assumin' we a threat
Y'all just impotent, ain't no use of screwin' with the best, naw
I wrote a 16 and throw it in a tech
Shootin' game at these fools now for foolin' with a vet, yeah
It's Mr. Mef really, who did you expect?
Another shit talkin? MC with booty on the breath, naw
Let's smoke somethin', let your dude hold somethin'
And this dudes coke runnin' till the blue coats comin' yes
Cruise still stuntin', radio still frontin'
And the stuff they still bumpin' got me numb, I feel nothin', Jeff
So I'ma get it like I spit it
Get my glass, you can fill it to the rim with the realest and
I'm talkin' back when Biggie Smalls was the illest
And the boys from Cypress Hill said ?How I Could Just Kill A Man?
Already knowin' how we go, let's get at your people
I'm flowin', these streets know I hold it down
And put it down with The G Code, Jeff, just let the beat go
I'm reppin' the East Coast, so hold it now
Already knowin' how we go, let's get at your people
I'm flowin', these streets know I hold it down
And put it down with The G Code, Jeff, just let the beat go
I'm reppin' the East Coast, so hold it now
Until my nuts get room enough to breath
I'ma break down the leaf, my brotha, crush the weed
Not Puff Daddy, no boy, I puff the trees
In a room full of crackers, I might cut the cheese
They called me Mr. I got what you need
And a bag of sour dezz, you ain't gotta pluck the seeds, naw
So hit the peddle, I'll bring you up to speed
Nearly smashed up to Beamer, no more cognac for me
See, I'm in my backyard still cleanin'
All the fiends still fiendin', better deal with the demons and
I'm just bein' rash, I'm like what's the meanin'
'Cause as far as MCin' I ain't likin' what I'm seein', man
Nah, so M E F's on some other shit
Feel it like that first piece of pussy, fell in love with it
Y'all know what up with it, if I got my brother
Get money, clothes, hoes, 24?s on the mothership
Already knowin' how we go, let's get at your people
I'm flowin', these streets know I hold it down
And put it down with The G Code, Jeff, just let the beat go
I'm reppin' the East Coast, so hold it now
Already knowin' how we go, let's get at your people
I'm flowin', these streets know I hold it down
And put it down with The G Code, Jeff, just let the beat go
I'm reppin' the East Coast, so hold it now
The lyrics of DJ Jazzy Jeff's Hold It Down feat. Method Man emphasize the duo's confidence and dedication to their craft. They start the song by giving a shout-out to their hometowns and feature Jazzy Jeff's signature scratches on the turntable. Method Man goes on to boast about his skills as an MC and his experience in the music industry. He references past hip-hop legends like Notorious B.I.G. and Cypress Hill while criticizing the current state of hip-hop.
Method Man's verses are full of clever wordplay and humorous references. He talks about smoking weed, cutting the cheese, and getting his "nuts" room to breathe. He also references his classic hip-hop album with Redman, Blackout!, by mentioning "clothes, hoes, 24's on the mothership" as a nod to their song "Da Rockwilder". Overall, the song is a celebration of hip-hop and the East Coast rap scene.
Line by Line Meaning
I hold it down
I am taking care of everything/keeping things under control
Aight, Staten Island, what up?
Sup, Staten Island?
Yeah, Long Island, what up? Come on
What's good, Long Island? Let's go
Philly, what's good?
What's up, Philadelphia?
Haha, New Jersey
Just laughing and acknowledging New Jersey
Yo, I just had a Philly Cheese Steak
That shit was good as a muthafucka, baby
I had a cheesesteak from Philly and it tasted amazing
Yo, yo, who do it till the death?
Who keeps doing it until they die?
Let the magnificent Jeff go do it to the rest
Let the talented Jazzy Jeff do it to the others
You see the difference, assumin' we a threat
Can't you see the contrast? Assuming that we're a danger
Y'all just impotent, ain't no use of screwin' with the best, naw
You're just powerless, there's no point in challenging the best, no
I wrote a 16 and throw it in a tech
I wrote a 16-bar verse and recorded it
Shootin' game at these fools now for foolin' with a vet, yeah
I'm giving some advice to these fools who are messing with a veteran rapper
It's Mr. Mef really, who did you expect?
It's really Method Man, who did you anticipate?
Another shit talkin? MC with booty on the breath, naw
Just another foul-mouthed rapper with bad breath, no
Let's smoke somethin', let your dude hold somethin'
Let's smoke something and share it
And this dudes coke runnin' till the blue coats comin' yes
This guy's selling cocaine until the cops come, yes
Cruise still stuntin', radio still frontin'
We're still showboating and radio is still pretending
And the stuff they still bumpin' got me numb, I feel nothin', Jeff
The music they're still playing is numbing me, I don't feel anything
So I'ma get it like I spit it
I'm going to get it (money/fame) just like I spit out these lyrics
Get my glass, you can fill it to the rim with the realest and
Fill up my glass with the realest stuff
I'm talkin' back when Biggie Smalls was the illest
I'm talking about the time when Notorious B.I.G. was the best
And the boys from Cypress Hill said ?How I Could Just Kill A Man?
And Cypress Hill made a popular song called 'How I Could Just Kill A Man'
Until my nuts get room enough to breath
Until I have some space to relax and breathe
I'ma break down the leaf, my brotha, crush the weed
I'll break down the marijuana leaf and crush the weed
Not Puff Daddy, no boy, I puff the trees
I don't smoke like Puff Daddy, dude, I smoke trees (marijuana)
In a room full of crackers, I might cut the cheese
In a room full of white people, I might fart
They called me Mr. I got what you need
They call me Mister because I have what you need (referring to drugs)
And a bag of sour dezz, you ain't gotta pluck the seeds, naw
And I have a bag of sour diesel, you don't have to remove the seeds, no
So hit the peddle, I'll bring you up to speed
So step on the gas pedal, I'll update you about things
Nearly smashed up to Beamer, no more cognac for me
I almost crashed my BMW, I won't drink cognac anymore
See, I'm in my backyard still cleanin'
I'm still cleaning up the mess in my backyard
All the fiends still fiendin', better deal with the demons and
All the addicts are still craving, we better confront our inner demons
I'm just bein' rash, I'm like what's the meanin'
I'm just being impulsive, wondering what it all means
'Cause as far as MCin' I ain't likin' what I'm seein', man
As far as rapping goes, I'm not liking what I'm seeing (in the industry)
Nah, so M E F's on some other shit
Nah, I (Method Man) am on some different, unique stuff
Feel it like that first piece of pussy, fell in love with it
It feels like the first time having sex, I fell in love with it
Y'all know what up with it, if I got my brother
You already know what's going on if I have my brother with me
Get money, clothes, hoes, 24?s on the mothership
Let's get money, clothes, women, and ride 24-inch rims on a luxurious vehicle
And put it down with The G Code, Jeff, just let the beat go
And represent with The G Code, Jazzy Jeff, just let the music play
I'm reppin' the East Coast, so hold it now
I'm representing the East Coast, so keep it going
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CLIFFORD SMITH, SCOTT SPENCER STORCH, T. GIBSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Howard Butler
Damn this is good! I would break it down at my mother's funeral if this was playing.
Brian Emery
Just dope! This sounds like Meth walked into the recording studio, freestylin’ it, dropped the mic...left. One take, done!
Old school is STILL ALIVE!!!!
Chuck LeeClerk
2 legends!!! such a shame only 90k views but some garbage popshit gettin 300m +
sampsonbadman
A warmup DJ played this at DMC 2009 world final last night I almost had a trouser accident. SICK SICK SICK TUNE!
Henry Alex
That beat is crazzy as heell!! Mista MEF kill a beat again, One of the best Rapper Alive
lucatoris16
CLASSIC BEAT
J b
Classic
Kaiser - Jungle BJJ
great!!!!!
A.K.A. The Rugged Manchild
DJ Jazz and Mef Tical Held It Down!
RC LaROCK the Mic 🎤stro
hard hit...