THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

643-DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince-Summertime.

1991-Number 8 single.

Best Bit-At 0.05. Unlike the majority of Rappers, you will never need a ‘Parental Advisory Label’ on one of Will Smith’s records, but he did show the world that he possesses a potty mouth, at the ‘Academy Awards’ of 2022.

Willard Carroll Smith II was born on September 25th, 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, he began Rapping at the age of 12. Smith has said that when his grandmother found a notebook of his lyrics, which he described as containing ‘All his little curse words,’ she wrote him a note on a page in the book: ‘Dear Willard, truly intelligent people do not have to use words like this to express themselves. Please show the world that you’re as smart as we think you are.’ Will Smith said that this influenced his decision not to use profanity in his music.

Will Smith first met Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff) at a house party that Townes was playing at in 1985. Townes’ ‘hype man’ had failed to show, and Smith filled in, and the two, from then on, decided to collaborate. DJ Jazzy Jeff was born Jeffrey Allen Townes on January 22nd, 1965, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, he has stated that he wanted to be a DJ since the age of 10. He has been highly praised for his skills on turntables, and is credited with making the ‘Transformer Scratch’ famous. After parting ways with Will Smith in 1994, he has written and produced for himself, and numerous other artists including Will Smith.

Due to the success of their early records, ‘NBC’ television decided to make a sitcom, with Will Smith starring as ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ with Jeff Townes also featuring heavily, as a recurring character. This led to Smith receiving his first major role in film, in the 1993 drama ‘Six Degrees of Separation.’ His music career, and acting career have run concurrently, leading to him becoming one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. As of 2024, his films had grossed over $9.3 billion globally, with him being the only actor to have starred in eight consecutive films which have grossed over $100 million in the United States box office, and 11 consecutive films which have grossed over $150 million internationally.

The discography of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince includes five studio Albums released between 1987-1993, and 18 singles released between 1986-1998, there are also four official compilation Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, five of their singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Summertime,’ from 1991, peaking the highest at Number 4, while in the UK they have charted within the top 40 on six occasions, with ‘Boom! Shake the Room’ making Number 1 in 1993. The solo discography of Will Smith includes four studio Albums released between 1997-2005, and 18 singles issued between 1997-2019, there is also one official compilation Album available. On Billboard Will Smith has had seven top 40 hits, (one as the featured artist) with ‘Gettin’ Jiggy wit It,’ (1998) and ‘Wild Wild West’ featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee, (1999) both getting to Number 1. In the UK, he has had 12 top 40 hits, (one as the featured artist) with his debut solo single ‘Men in Black,’ reaching Number 1 in 1997.

‘Summertime’ was the first of four singles released from the DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s fourth studio Album ‘Homebase,’ from July 1991. The song heavily samples the 1974 track ‘Summer Madness,’ by the American R&B group Kool and the Gang,’ taken from their fifth studio Album ‘Light of Worlds.’ The songwriting credits for ‘Summertime’ are shared between all eight members of Kool and the Gang at that time, along with Will Smith, (who wrote the lyrics) Jeff Townes, and Lamar ‘Hula’ Mahone, who was also the songs co-producer along with Craig Simpson, (K. Fingers) and Roland Edison. Incidentally Lamar ‘Hula’ Mahone, would go on to great success as one half of the Hip-Hop duo The Outhere Brothers. In recognition of the Kool and the Gang original, the last line of ‘Summertime,’ as Rapped by Will Smith, is ‘And this is the definition of Summer Madness.’

Here it is a groove slightly transformed, just a bit of a break from the norm. Just a little somethin’ to break the monotony, of all that hardcore dance that has gotten to be a little bit out of control, it’s cool to dance, but what about the groove that soothes that moves romance.’