DJ Jazzy Jeff’s heart will ‘always be from Philly’

As a kid growing up in West Philadelphia, Jeffrey Townes remembers watching local DJs spin records at block parties and being instantly hooked.

“ He played a record, everybody cheered,” he says. “I wanna do what he does, ’cause he makes people happy.”

It turned out he had a knack for it. Alongside his friend Will Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince became hip-hop pioneers, selling millions of albums and winning the first-ever rap performance Grammy in 1989.

In the 1990s, he turned producer, working with Jill Scott, The Roots and many other acts out of his Old City studio, A Touch of Jazz. He’s also widely regarded as a turntablist pioneer and scratching innovator. These days, he mentors young musicians and builds community through his PLAYLIST Retreat.

For our Sense of Place: Philadelphia series, Jeff stopped by the World Cafe studios to talk about growing up in West Philly, how he and Will Smith first teamed up, and why he and other hip-hop artists boycotted the Grammy Award ceremony in 1989.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Miguel Perez. Our senior producer is Kimberly Junod and our engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.