He’s the DJ (DJ Jazzy Jeff), I’m the Rapper (Fresh Prince) to reunite at A Grammys Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop

It’s been nearly 35-years since the duo of Will Smith and Jeffrey Townes, professionally known as the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff, made music history. In 1989, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince became the first hip-hop act to win a Grammy for best rap performance and in 1990 the duo performed the hit at the Grammys. In lieu, The Recording Academy – A Grammys Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop event, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince will once again reunite on stage in commemoration of their accomplishments and significance to the culture.

Released in the spring of 1988 on Jive, “Parents Just Don’t Understand” became the hallmark single for DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and would launch a career in film, television, and music which is still going strong to this very day. In 1998, hip-hop had broken out of the infancy stage, however; the genre wasn’t accepted in mainstream media and the duo learned their acceptance of the Grammy wouldn’t be televised. The significance of the achievement and the subsequent outrage over the snub would result in immediate changes, hence making it possible for the acceptance and respect for the genre today.

The Grammys Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop will place the two on stage together in an event with landmark performances by some of the biggest stars in the genre. The event will be a representation of just how diverse and powerful the genre has grown in the past 40 years.

In addition to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, some of hip-hop’s influential pioneers will join the duo in honor of A Grammys Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop. The guest list of performers will includes Digable Planets, DJ Quik, Black Sheep, Big Daddy Kane, Arrested Development, E-40, De La Soul, Bun B, Common, Black Sheep, LL Cool J, MC Lyte, Uncle Luke, Monie Love, Queen Latifah, and countless others whose contributions to the genre are cemented in the foundation of hip-hop.