DJ Jazzy Jeff

The accomplishments of DJ Jazzy Jeff, the Philadelphia-born Jeff Townes, pre-date and extend far beyond his multi-platinum, Grammy-winning, small-screen partnership with Will Smith. Revered for his party-rocking skills and acknowledged for his development of the transformer scratch, Townes has also been active in studios since 1985. A few years into his subsequent alliance with Smith as DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Townes founded a production house, A Touch of Jazz, went on to assist Smith's solo material, and worked with rap and R&B artists, most notably Jill Scott. Although Townes released guest-filled solo albums during the 2000s, he was much more active on other fronts, such as on official mixes, a series of mixtapes, and production and DJ work. ~ Andy Kellman