Put away your Chinchilla coats and furry boots because the summer bell has officially rung, courtesy of DJ Jazzy Jeff and Mick Boogie. They’ve recently released Summertime 3, the third installment of the Summertime Mixtape series. An added treat, this one features Hollywood star and longtime pal Will Smith on the intro. DJ Jazzy Jeff is known for setting the mood at a party, taking party goers on a journey that seamlessly migrates from old school to new school; hip-hop with Run DMC and Slick Rick to blended pop, soul and R&B tracks with T.I., Drake and Trey Songz. A native of West Philadelphia, Jazzy Jeff contends, “You have to make the people have a good time. If someone in the crowd is having a bad day at work or going through stuff with their mates, I allow them to escape for two hours.”
One of his most notable party-starting anthems is “Summertime” (1991), the first single from his studio album with Will Smith. It earned them a Grammy Award for best rap single. With a career in hip-hop that spans more than two decades, DJ Jazzy Jeff has been keeping busy with solo projects, collaborations, mixtapes and live shows, touring with Jill Scott in Philadelphia, Chicago and Las Vegas, as well as performing in the Middle East and Europe.
When asked how does he choose songs to get the party started? DJ Jazzy Jeff answers, “Hip-hop deejays are bigger than ever. It’s crazy because you got spots in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, and there are a bunch of clubs that have hip-hop deejays. And you also have games on XBox and Playstation like DJ Hero that’s inspiring a new generation of deejays. So, I think that the sky is the limit,” he beams. –yvette caslin
