DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

DJ Jazzy Jeff’s reputation as an inventive mixmaster cements him as a pioneer of hip-hop, but his true superpower is in the art of collaboration. Born in Philadelphia in 1965, the young Jeff Townes experimented with a makeshift turntable setup, developing the animated, cartoon-inspired transformer scratch that became his signature. By the mid-’80s, he was a local sensation, spinning at parties around the city, when a fateful encounter with Will Smith birthed a musical partnership: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Together, the duo won the first Rap Grammy for their 1988 hit “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and another for their inescapable 1991 scorcher “Summertime.” At the height of his career, Jeff created A Touch of Jazz, a production studio that served as an incubator of talent for neo-soul artists of the late ’90s and early 2000s—including Musiq Soulchild, Floetry, and Jill Scott—before they signed to major labels, giving them the freedom to refine their sound without repercussions. Since then, DJ Jazzy Jeff has taken it back to his roots as a touring DJ, transforming music one record at a time.