Officially confirming that what holds true for the Oscars doesn't carry over to all major awards ceremonies, the Recording Academy has announced that Jeff Townes, a.k.a. DJ Jazzy Jeff, will be reteaming with his longtime musical collaborator Will Smith, a.k.a. The Fresh Prince, for A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop.
The event, which will take place on November 8 at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California, will be recorded for a special which will air on CBS on Sunday, December 10.
The iconic cover art from DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince's album 'He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper'
Townes and Smith first met in 1985 at a house party in - where else? - West Philadelphia, when Smith stepped in for Townes' hype man, who was late in arriving at the party. By the time the missing man finally showed up, Townes didn't need him, and the instant chemistry between the newfound collaborators quickly led to bigger and better things for the duo, starting in earnest the following year with the release of their debut single, "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble."
By 1987, D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince had released their debut album, Rock the House, but it was their sophomore effort, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, which would provide them with their first major pop hit, "Parents Just Don't Understand," which climbed to #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and quickly became an MTV staple.
While the reunion of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince was sufficient to warrant a new press release from the Recording Academy, make no mistake, the pop-rap duo is definitely only one of many, many notable performances set to take place during the course of the evening. If you haven't seen the list of other performers, brace yourself accordingly, because here it comes:
Arrested Development
Big Daddy Kane
Black Sheep
Black Thought
Bun B
Common
Cypress Hill
De La Soul
Digable Planets
DJ Quik
Jermaine Dupri
E-40
GloRilla
Gunna
Jeezy
J.J. Fad
Juvenile
Talib Kweli
The Lady Of Rage
Latto
LL COOL J
Luniz
MC Lyte
MC Sha-Rock
Monie Love
The Pharcyde
Queen Latifah
Questlove
Rakim
Remy Ma
Roxanne Shanté
Spinderella
Three 6 Mafia
T.I.
Too $hort
2 Chainz
Uncle Luke
Warren G
YG
Yo-Yo
So just to confirm, yes, it's a big deal that DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince are getting back together, but don't let it go to Will Smith's head, because there'll be plenty of other hip-hop legends in the house.
