DJ Jazzy Jeff On ‘People’s Party With Talib Kweli’

In this episode of “People’s Party With Talib Kweli”, Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with iconic DJ, record producer, songwriter, and actor:

DJ JAZZY JEFF

Here’s what they got into:

• Why Talib considers Jeff his “DJ selector godfather”
• Jeff being one of the first well known DJs to fully embrace Serato and why
• The origins of Jeff’s Playlist Retreat, bringing artists together to inspire and motivate
• Jeff finally feeling empowered to focus on only the things he loves about his career
• Growing up the youngest of six kids in a house full of music and how that impacted him
• How important Gamble and Huff were to the creation of the Philadelphia sound
• How Jeff’s A Touch Of Jazz Studios came together and the albums it produced
• Helping Jill Scott get her foot in the door by handing out 150 copies of her demos
• This history behind why the Philly hip hop scene always put the DJs before the emcees
• Jeff being one of the true pioneers of the transformer scratch technique
• How Jeff and Mick Boogie’s ‘Summertime’ mixtape series came to fruition
• The importance of Pearly Lewis, Kenneth Adams, and Mark Johnson to Jeff’s journey
• How emcee and radio host Lady B helped Jeff make his mark on the DJ scene
• Jeff’s friendship with the late great Biz Markie and his unmatched charisma
• Bringing Philly legend Charlie Mack on tour with them
• How instrumental the records released in ’88 were to the evolution of hip hop
• Originally being chosen for the starring roles in the film “House Party”
• Recording ‘He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper’ in London
• “Parents Just Don’t Understand” being a precursor to “The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air”
• Growing up with friends who became gangsters as well as joined the police force
• How Mike Tyson being knocked out by Buster Douglas became a problem for Jeff and Will
• Rapper DaBaby catching heat for saying the same thing that Will said decades ago
• The ‘Homebase’ album showcasing Will’s transition from Fresh Prince to Will Smith
• What Will told Eminem about his future in the business that he took to heart
• Jeff’s 2002 release ‘The Magnificent’ as well as the follow up ‘The Return Of The Magnificent’
• “The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air” remake and how it came together
• Roots producer James Poyser getting on Will and Jeff’s “I Wanna Rock”
• Jeff’s two sons Amir and Cory and how they’re carving out their own paths in music
• Having a reset of his life and career after falling deathly ill to COVID-19 last year
• Working on an album with jazz legend Bob James as well as one with Rakim

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