35th anniversary review: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – “He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper”

This review is part of a series looking back at significant albums on their anniversaries. Through the benefit of hindsight we will be viewing the album not just as it was released, but how it stands the test of time, as well as its place in the band’s discography and the genre in general.

Jive Records – 29 March 1988

Parents just didn’t understand what they were letting themselves get into.

Alright, lets get the obvious out of the way real early here. Will Smith displayed some misdirected rage, unjustified aggression and a slight inferiority complex when he slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.  It was a shit move and he should be ashamed.  I can not justify those actions.  Matter of fact, I had a terrible time trying to describe the 35th anniversary of this seminal record without using any words with onomatopoeia or violent undertones.  Describing “Beats,” explaining that the record “slaps,” etc, no longer worked because of that disgusting decision. 

You might say He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper is a corny album, an LP devoid of emotion or the trials of life, but I’d counter by telling you that without this specific album and the mainstream success it earned, every brilliant hip-hop record you love owes at least a small bit to this one. This wasn’t the first rap record, hell, it wasn’t even DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s first record but it was the first double LP out of the genre, it was nominated the first time the Grammys deigned to acknowledge and award hip-hop’s impact and it was (in spite of the pair boycotting because it wasn’t presented during the proper ceremony) the first hip-hop record to win a Grammy. That likely was in no small part due to its feeling of sterility.

I can say with a fair amount of certainty that my parents did not have any hip-hop records in the house before I got the cassette of this one when I was 7 years-old.  You see, my parents just didn’t understand (see what I did there?) and while they had no problem with my watching Nightmare on Elm Street ad-nauseum at the age of 6, they weren’t too keen on the idea of bringing 1988’s hip-hop classics from NWA, Public Enemy or Big Daddy Kane into the house.  Their stance lessened for DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.  They didn’t swear, they didn’t take a stance on pretty much anything and they certainly weren’t going to be problematic (despite boycotting the Grammys that year).

There were few records in the hip-hop world in 1988 that were as safe, yet technically wonderful as this one.  Will Smith was a humble, self-deprecating charmer, wooing middle America with his car-door ears and hearty chuckles, always ready and willing to mug for the cameras, lowering the guard of status quo suburbia.  DJ Jazzy Jeff remains one of the most respected turntablists of all-time, a point backed up by his being chosen to perform during this past NFC Championship game.  In re-listening to this record on repeat, I realized his importance to the duo more than I had in the past.  He provided the impetus for the constant pause-play, stop-rewind, pause-plays of my little yellow walkman.  Sure, The Fresh Prince was the face and lyricist, but the turntables made this record spin.  

Between the talented duo and their docility, the colorful videos and humorous lyricism HTDJITR was exactly the gateway to hip-hop middle America needed. I don’t know if “safe enough for conservative parents” was the legacy they were looking for, but their winning of the hearts and minds of suburban parents helped open the eyes and ears of suburban kids to the art of hip-hop and its culture.