DJ Jazzy Jeff Interview
Spinning solo

Top DJ Jazzy Jeff talks to DIANE COETZER about his love of music, his eagerness to visit South Africa and going it alone on his latest project

Globally renowned DJ Jazzy Jeff is about to get on the promotional trail for his hotly anticipated debut solo album, but when it came to arranging times and dates he politely asked his promo team to do a little reshuffling so that he wouldn't miss out on a chance to visit South Africa.

Why? Well, the answer lies in this highly respected DJ, producer and performer's commitment to playing right here in Joburg at the Smirnoff Experience next Saturday.

"It's true," a relaxed and charming-sounding Jeff Townes says through a crystal-clear telephone line early in May. "I am going to be madly busy in the next few months, promoting the new album, The Magnificent, but I said there was absolutely no way I was going to miss a chance to come to South Africa. Absolutely no way."

Much of Jeff's "explore South Africa" desire comes from his long-time friend and creative collaborator, Will Smith, who has spent a lot of time in the region, filming Ali and taking in its sights and sounds.

"When Will returned from your country he was ecstatic, to say the least. There are so many stereotypes about South Africa that we have to fight through, but it was great to hear about the country directly from him. He said he was so taken by the place and the people that he wants to buy a house in South Africa. And, on a music level, Will told me how amazing it was to be in a place that has such a developed culture but that also embraces global consciousness.

"He said he could blindfold me and take me into a club in Joburg and I would think I'm in the hippest place in America."

That Jeff and Will are such good friends will come as no surprise to anyone who has bought an album with Will on it any time since 1987. It was in that year that the two - going under the name DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - released their first album. Titled Rock the House, it was to be the first of a catalogue of albums that would eventually sell more than 10 million copies, snag three Grammy awards, an MTV Music award and three American Music awards, among several others, and, along the way, bring a new flavour of hip-hop into households across the US.

As most South Africans will know, Will and Jeff extended that partnership into television with the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (still on South African screens), in which Jeff had a recurring role.

I ask Jeff if he gets tired of people recognising him from the television series when he's hugely respected in the musical arena, and he responds with a resolute "no".

"I have done few things I regret in my life, and The Fresh Prince is one of those I was always very happy to do. It was an extension of Will's and my music partnership, and I enjoyed the character I played. Of course, it helped me in so many ways in what I am able to do now. I have had a lot of offers to be in other television shows or in the movies but the truth is that I love music; I am really so passionate about it that everything else takes second place."

Passionate is probably an understatement for a man who truly lives and breathes music. I'm talking to Jeff while he's taking a short holiday in Cancun, Mexico, but he confesses that, along with his beach gear, he's brought his computer and is still making music.

"I work so hard that when it comes time for me to relax and do absolutely nothing it drives me crazy," Jeff says. And when you look at the output of his music complex in his hometown of Philadelphia, a place called A Touch of Jazz, you can only agree. There are too many to list, but among the talent to have been nurtured and developed there are English duo Floetry (one-half of whom, Marsha Ambrosius, co-wrote Michael Jackson's Butterflies track) and, more famously, Jill Scott. The latter artist was one of Jeff's first protégés, a Philly poet-turned-singer-and-songwriter whose debut, the DJ Jazzy Jeff-produced album Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, scored significant success around the world.

Jeff is undeniably proud of the project and thrilled to hear South Africans have taken to the album. "Wow, that's great! You know, the project with Jill really symbolises what I believe A Touch of Jazz and my work are all about, and that is, not sacrificing the musical integrity of the artist. Jill was a breath of fresh air because in America, radio stations tend to play the same 200 records over and over again. We never set out to sell lots of records but rather create something that Jill and all of us could feel proud of, and we did just that."

Jeff has taken the same approach with his soon-to-be-released The Magnificent.

"I have no real expectations for my album," he says. "I made it for myself, to truly cleanse my soul musically, and I did it for the people who like my work. It's got a little bit of everything. I've worked with so many different people - from Will to Jill, Teddy Pendergrass, Lil' Kim, MC Lyte and Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish - that there is a mix of jazz, hip-hop, alternative, pop, rock, folk and more on the album. It really represents me."

Jeff says he's eager to share a platform with the likes of Oskido, BOP and DJs At Work. "Being a DJ is a real brotherhood, and I'm always keen to hear what others are doing," he attests. He's also keen to experience homegrown South African music and perhaps mix it up with sounds from the US and beyond.

Oh, and this father of two - he says he's in "what's probably the last relationship of my life" with an "incredible woman" - is also going to find the time to take in the sights. "I am really good friends with the American football player Randall Cunningham, and his wife is South African, so with their and Will's recommendations, I plan to see South Africa at its most real and best."