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.
Strings Of Life
DJ Jazzy Jeff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who might be able to relate to
What I am gonna do,
You've had to put up with all the lying,
Cheating, back stabbin',
So many years
And too many tears,
But I realised,
'Cause I'm stronger now,
Stronger on my Own!
Yeah, you can't hurt me boy,
Nah no, noooo baby,
'Cause I'm stronger on my own,
You wanna go it alone,
Or go lonely,
Y'see you let me down so many times before,
But right here in my mind,
You are the only, the only one I love
But I showed you the door,
If you could see me now,
And what I was back then,
You'd swear I was a different girl,
Oh, believe me boy,
I had to make a choice,
No more would you destroy my world,
No more that I can take
Don't need to serve this dish you made,
'Cause I'm stronger on my own,
I'm stronger on my own,
Right now I see,
Just where I wanna be,
And it's better on my own
I'm stronger on my own
No more that I can take
Don't need to serve this dish you made,
'Cause I'm stronger on my own,
I'm stronger on my own,
'Cause right now I see,
Just where I wanna be,
'Cause it's better on my own
I'm stronger on my own
The lyrics to DJ Jazzy Jeff's song Strings of Life are about empowerment and moving on from a toxic relationship. The singer addresses anyone who has experienced lying, cheating, and betrayal in a relationship and tells them they don't have to suffer anymore. The chorus repeats the sentiment that the singer is stronger on her own and can't be hurt by the person who hurt her before.
Throughout the song, the singer reflects on the past and how her ex-partner let her down multiple times. She acknowledges her love for this person but ultimately chooses to move on and be stronger without them. The song's powerful and uplifting message encourages listeners to let go of past hurt and focus on themselves.
Overall, DJ Jazzy Jeff's Strings of Life is a motivational anthem for anyone who needs a reminder that they are capable of being strong and independent.
Line by Line Meaning
This is going out to anybody
I'm dedicating this song to anyone who has been through what I have
Who might be able to relate to
Who can understand
What I am gonna do,
What I'm about to say
You've had to put up with all the lying,
You've had to deal with all the falsehoods
Cheating, back stabbin',
Deceit, betrayal,
So many years
For a long time
And too many tears,
And too much crying
But I realised,
But I came to understand
I didn't have to suffer like this no more,
I didn't have to endure this anymore
'Cause I'm stronger now,
Because I am more resilient now
Stronger on my Own!
More capable by myself
Yeah, you can't hurt me boy,
You can't harm me anymore
Nah no, noooo baby,
No, you can't
'Cause I'm stronger on my own,
Because I am more capable alone
You wanna go it alone,
You want to be alone
Or go lonely,
Or be lonely
Y'see you let me down so many times before,
You disappointed me several times in the past
But right here in my mind,
But in my thoughts right now
You are the only, the only one I love
You are the only one I have loved
But I showed you the door,
But I ended our relationship
If you could see me now,
If you could see me at this moment
And what I was back then,
And how I was in the past
You'd swear I was a different girl,
You would think that I have changed
Oh, believe me boy,
Believe me
I had to make a choice,
I had to decide
No more would you destroy my world,
You would no longer ruin my life
No more that I can take
I can't handle it anymore
Don't need to serve this dish you made,
I don't want to accept what you've made
'Cause I'm stronger on my own,
Because I am capable alone
Right now I see,
At this moment I realize
Just where I wanna be,
Where I want to be
And it's better on my own
And it's better by myself
I'm stronger on my own
I am more capable alone
'Cause right now I see,
Because at this moment I realize
Just where I wanna be,
Where I want to be
'Cause it's better on my own
Because it's better alone
I'm stronger on my own
I am more capable alone
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JACQUI WILLIAMS, DERRICK MAY, MICHAEL JAMES, PAUL TIMOTHY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind