JumpinJack AJ

The song that started his mainstream success... Craig on Sista's (Missy Elliot's first group) on the Dangerous Minds soundtrack Craig on Veronica's "No One But You"

Craig on TLC's So So Def Remix of "Kick Your Game" Craig Mack on Boyz II Men's "Vibin'" remix with Treach, Busta Rhymes, and Method Man Craig in a live performance with Brownstone on the Street Vibe Remix of their hit "If You Love Me," which features Mimi in her last performance with the group (not even singing the end of the song) and the member that replaced her, Kina

The singles from 1997's "Operation: Get Down"... His featuring on BLACKstreet's remix of "Tonight's The Night" with SWV

Rapper Craig Mack was on the verge of a comeback before death “Lyrically, he was about to be something,” Erick Sermon told Billboard. Craig Mack helped launch Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records. Photo Credit: WireImage / Johnny Nunez By Glenn Gamboa glenn.gamboa@newsday.com @ndmusic March 20, 2018 2:38 PM Print Share The saddest part of the death of Brentwood native Craig Mack earlier this month is that the “Flava in Ya Ear” rapper seemed poised to make a comeback. Mack, the 47-year-old rapper who helped launch Sean Combs’ Bad Boy Records, had just appeared on “Come Thru,” the first single from Erick Sermon’s forthcoming album “Go.” Ronkonkoma’s Sermon, best known as the “E” from EPMD, says there will be more Mack appearances on the album, which he expects to release in April. “Lyrically, he was about to be something,” Sermon told Billboard. “I can put him up with the whole hit squad. When you hear the stuff that he did, you’re going to be like, ‘Oh, why didn’t we get to hear that?’ ” His verse on “Come Thru” backs that up. “My outrageous wild style will prove I’m the greatest,” Mack raps. “Mr. 3000, back in the majors, hit an inside curve ball 9,000 acres.” On the day Mack died of heart failure, Sermon tweeted, “The mood over here at #DefSquad is upbeat despite the recent passing of our brother Craig . . . We playing his music.” Sermon said Mack’s contributions to “Go” are impressive. “This sounds crazzzzy!” Sermon tweeted. “God bless you Craig!” https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/craig-mack-rapper-1.17543728

Man, this one has been weighing on me. Craig Mack truly is one of the best to do it. Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear" established Bad Boy. Without that hit, who knows what would have happened. I'm going to anger some people with this next part, but this is how I see it. Craig Mack wasn't even a Bad Boy artist. He came from the EPMD camp and his debut album was almost entirely produced by himself, his right hand man Alvin Toney, and Easy Mo Bee. Other than seeing Puffy's name as an executive producer and his adlibs on the Tumblin' Dice produced "Making Moves with Puff," Puffy did nothing for the project. Craig Mack was straight Hip-Hop and always stayed true to himself. Biggie's lyrics weren't always authentic he mellowed his style out for mainstream success. Mack was the real deal. Next thing you know he's collaborating with Boyz II Men, TLC, BLACKstreet, SWV, Sounds of Blackness, and Missy Elliot's group Sista, after initially being featuring on a Mary J. Blige remix. Puff definitely favored Biggie though. Biggie was likely easier to work with. Craig Mack was unstoppable for a couple years, but he walked away from it all. He never hated Puffy, but Bad Boy's greed made it an environment that he wanted no part of. Puffy lied about his support of Craig Mack (ever see Craig's reaction in that interview where Puff says they were working on a second album?). He started working with Eric B and was going to be on Deathrow East, but when 2Pac was kill and Deathrow crumbled, he went the indie route. While not a gritty, his second album was dope, but just didn't enjoy the success it could have since it wasn't on a big label. Coming and going at the outskirts of Bad Boy, he shined on that G-Dep "Special Delivery" remix in 2002, and then peaced out. For years he dropped promo singles, but nothing came of it, though the third album was to be titled "Who I Be." If you get The Mackworld Sessions, which was just released this past September, it features most of those songs. Craig was said to be tired with the world, which is why he joined that secluded church that some people have called a cult. Erick Sermon said Craig new his days were numbered. That church he belonged to didn't leave the campus. That's why he didn't get medical treatment. It makes me wonder if that project was released just to finally get that (mostly) old music out and to support his family. I know he was working on a documentary to tell his story. I hope it comes out so his better understood. I also can't wait to hear the work that he recently did with Erick Sermon. The song they did with Method Man and Mr. Cheeks is DOPE! I've been playing a lot of his stuff lately. Such a loss. Easily one of the most under rated emcees of all time.

Hearing her speak of him like that, even at that young age, is exactly why he's had he career that he's had.

KJ-52 F/ DATIN - All I Had Jonah: Part 2 (2018)

The album is slated for release March 23rd. It looks like it's more of an EP at only eight songs. I'm really interested to hear the duet with Colbie Caillat. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07B6D8674?ref_=pe_508720_275903430

He announced it a couple of months ago on social media. I previewed it a couple of weeks ago and it's good, and genuine...not a gimmick. It comes out March 16th.

THE UNDERACHIEVERS - Gotham Nights Renaissance (2017)

Yes, LTI's R&B Remix is the last one in that video. I looked at my CD singles and it was one two non-US versions of the CD single (one in a jewel case and another in a cardboard sleeve, as well as vinyl. I have extended and shorter radio versions on a rare promo. I like the R&B Remix, because even though it's similar to the album version, it's not as polished. I agree that "Chasing Forever" would have been a good single choice. They put too much space between singles. The album did so well that the could have had another video/single or two.

I saw one of my favorite singer/songwriters earlier this week. I also got to meet her, which was a pretty big deal for me. I been listening to her new album, At Now, almost non-stop. Here's my favorite song off of the new album from Anna Nalick. ANNA NALICK - Knots At Now (2017)

I was hoping to find the laid back Love To Infinitiy's R&B Remix that was only released as a promo in South America (to my knowledge), but I can't find it on YouTube.

"Just The Two of Us" is an excellent song. The lyrics personal, heartfelt, and occasionally comical. The video was touching and artsy. The media often portrays black men as poor or absent fathers, and the video featured so many cameos of black fathers. It was brilliant. The remixes of the song were great too. It was the perfect follow-up to a radio-ready song like "Just The Two of Us." I wish he would have followed it up with a better single though. "Miami" is the least interesting song on Big Willie Style, in my opinion. I have the "Just The Two of Us" book that was inspired by the song.

The new one cracked me up. I'd like the show to stay as it is, but I'd love for them to do staged skits like this once in awhile.

That meme is hilarious. LOL I'm not interested in hearing a remake of "Nightmare On My Street," but I'd love to hear a modern day remix by Jazzy, or at least having him oversee. Of course, seeing the music video after all of these years would be epic.

I saw this article the other day. I'm not really sure what to think about it. If it were well done, I'd be really interested in it. I just can't imagine how they action scenes could compare on a TV budget. I also can't imagine how her character can take center stage. Her character and her occupation could set the base of something good, but they'd have to create an entire world that compliments everything from Bad Boys. I was curious if her and Mike would be together in the third one. If so, Mike would have to be around from time to time, and only Will can play that role. Certainly Marcus would have to be there from time to time. It's all just very interesting, but is the average TV watcher interested in a supporting character from a 2003 movie? Maybe this is being used to stir up the Bad Boys 3 team. Here's the article that was in the link above, for those that don't feel like clicking the ink: ‘Bad Boys’ Spinoff TV Series Starring Gabrielle Union In the Works by Nellie Andreeva • tip October 25, 2017 5:00pm Sony EXCLUSIVE: The Bad Boys hit movie franchise is getting a spinoff TV series centered on the character played in the second film by Gabrielle Union. No one would comment but I hear the untitled project, which is currently being pitched to TV networks, already has garnered strong interest from multiple places and is expected to land a major commitment. It hails from the Bad Boys movies’ producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Doug Belgrad via his 2.0 Entertainment and Primary Wave Entertainment. Sony Pictures TV Studios, whose movie sibling is behind the feature franchise, is the studio. The untitled Bad Boys spinoff is being written by The Blacklist writers-producers Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier. Union’s Special Agent Sydney “Syd” Burnett, introduced in the sequel Bad Boys II, is the sister of Detective Lieutenant Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) who was romantically involved with Marcus’ partner, Detective Lieutenant Mike Lowrey (Will Smith). She is an undercover operative with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). You can watch a trailer for Bad Boys II below. Union just became available as BET announced that her popular series Being Mary Jane will end with next year a two-hour series finale movie. Sony Pictures I hear the idea for a Bad Boys offshoot centered around Union’s character came from Primary Wave Entertainment, which manages the actress, in the company’s first broadcast development season since it brought in former NBC Universal TV Entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin as President. He executive produces the project alongside Union’s manager Jeff Morrone. Also executive producing the potential series are Belgrad and Jerry Bruckheimer TV’s Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed. Belgrad worked on Bad Boys during his 25-year career as a Sony movie executive. He was the creative executive on the first movie, which established Lawrence and Smith as feature stars. As he segued into producing with the launch of 2.0 Entertainment last fall, one of the Sony features he set out to co-finance was the long-gestating Bad Boys 3. His film slate also includes Sony’s upcoming Peter Rabbit and the Elizabeth Banks-directed Charlie’s Angels reboot. Because it is based on existing Bruckheimer IP, the project does not fall under Jerry Bruckheimer TV’s overall deal at CBS TV Studios. Via that pact, Bruckheimer TV has set up three drama projects at CBS: Main Justice, a legal drama inspired by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder; Unthinkable, an FBI crime drama penned by MacGyver executive producer David Slack; and Whistleblower from NCIS: New Orleans executive producer/co-showrunner Chris Silber.

I'm pretty much agree with everything Jim said. I like the song for what it is. I'll play it from time to time. It's just not my preference of what I want to hear from him. The songs we've heard from recent years are good songs. He always brings great energy and the lyrics are fitting for what those songs were, but I'll be waiting for a Hip-Hop song. There's no reason to expect it to be a hit unless Will fronts the money to make it one. When I was talking to Carvin Haggins, he said how the days of people requesting songs on the radio is long gone. It's basically like paying for a commercial. Labels pay to have the songs played. The more they pay, the more play it gets. For an independent artist to break through, something very unique would have to happen, such as astronomical success on YouTube or social media.

I forgot all about this!

This is all waaaaaaaay off topic. FP dropped a solo single. This is a good thing. I suppose the question is what he's trying to achieve with it. Is he just putting it out into the world and that's it? It he actually trying to get a buzz with it to lead into an album? If so, where is the music video? Where are the TV performances? The Code Red sequel talk is tired. It's a dope album, but doesn't deserve a sequel...especially as a solo project. Code Red is a fan favorite, but commercially it didn't do that well. People outside of the JJ+FP fan base don't recall that album because it didn't have much commercial success. JJ+FP didn't tour with it and they did very few TV performances with it. "Boom! Shake The Room" got some video play, but "I'm Looking For The One (To Be With Me)" and "I Wanna Rock" got very little support. I used to watch MTV a lot back in the day and never saw the videos to the second and third singles. It wasn't until the JJ+FP Greatest Hits VHS came out in 1998 that I saw the entire videos. I had only seen a clip of "I Wanna Rock" on Beavis & Butthead. lol Dope album, but stop trying to bring it back to life in 2017. It's good that he dropped the song and shared his energy and the positive message. At the same time, the song isn't doing much for his career, other than letting us know he's not done with music. The song is getting some love and fans are supporting it. However, a lot of music fans are being critical because of the production, which you'll see if you read the comments on any article online. Let's support it and see what happens.

Thanks for sharing this. I didn't know he had a new song. I don't like the song that much though. His vocals are good, but the beat is trash, the rapper adds nothing to the song, and the auto tune is unnecessary. FERGIE - Lifes Goes On Double Dutchess (2016/2017)

I don't feel like I've seen this interview posted before, so here it is... http://www.phillyvoice.com/interview-hard-touring-hip-hop-pioneer-dj-jazzy-jeff/ July 13, 2016 Interview with hard-touring hip-hop pioneer DJ Jazzy Jeff By Patrick Rapa PhillyVoice Contributor DJ Jazzy Jeff is busier than ever, and he’s probably not surprised that you’re surprised to hear that. The West Philly-born DJ who, along with Will Smith (then the Fresh Prince), won the first-ever hip-hop Grammy in 1989, plays a lot of gigs overseas these days, mostly in Europe and Asia, where DJ culture is better appreciated. You can follow his adventures in his YouTube web series "Vinyl Destination," a video travelogue following him, young Philly MC Dayne Jordan and DJ Ferno as they tour the world rocking clubs and eating airport Big Macs. But choosy hip-hoppers choose Jeff, including The Roots, who snuck him and Smith into June’s Picnic for a surprise performance of “Summertime,” and Dr. Dre, who enlisted him to do all the scratching for “Straight Outta Compton.” Along with Lady Gaga and Lenny Kravitz, DJ Jazzy Jeff will be performing at the “Camden Rising” show at the BB&T Center in Camden during the Democratic National Convention. PhillyVoice is the official media sponsor for that event, so I got to chat with the man earlier this week: I’ve been watching your 'Vinyl Destination' videos, and you’re always on the road. Yeah, you definitely can’t complain about working. And especially working globally is great. Do you feel that international audiences get you? They know more than the United States audience. Absolutely. Traveling like that gives you a really good perspective of how things are. And especially realizing that people take the music and people take the culture a lot more serious outside the United States. The culture like hip-hop culture? Just music in general. Just music. The arts in general. They have a tendency to get it. And it’s funny because you can tell, there are a lot of artists that people over here don’t know what they’re doing or where they’re at, and you bump into them walking on the street in London or Germany somewhere. A lot of times, I think — especially when it comes to art — people go where they’re appreciated. Someone asked you recently on Twitter to name the city with the toughest crowd to please and you said, ‘Philly, all day.’ I was wondering why that is? This is just something that I’ve noticed from the beginning. It’s almost like you have to do good here. You have to do something. You cannot come to Philadelphia and get away with things. I’ve seen artists get away with a lot of stuff coming from Philly. That has been instilled in me since growing up and doing house parties in Philadelphia. People often talk about how great Philly DJs are and how great Philly artists are and it’s because having to perform in front of a tough crowd gets you sharp. It really gets you sharp. And I think, back in the early days, some of the demands that Philadelphia put on Will [Smith] and I served us very well going to New York. It was kind of like, ‘This isn’t tough.’ Being at the Wynne Ballroom in Philadelphia where everyone just stands and expects you to be great at all times, I think that was something I definitely owe a big portion of my longevity to — getting [my] teeth cut in the Philadelphia area. I was wondering about the early days. You won a Grammy in 1989. Did you already know hip-hop wasn’t going anywhere? Yes. Well, you know what it was, it didn’t have feet yet. We were very protective. We boycotted the Grammys that we won in ’89 because they chose not to televise it. A big portion of that was, we were unsure about the longevity of hip-hop. It was just starting to pique into the mainstream, it was just starting to get some recognition. To be a part of a genre of music that you could tell that there were other genres of music that kind of turned their nose down to it, like it wasn’t legitimate, or it wasn’t credible, there was a group of us that fought for the credibility of the art form. So when you have early-on DJs like Rick Dees, who was a very popular DJ, basically say 'hip-hop is over' or 'hip-hop is dead,' that was a crushing blow to us. … Fast forward to now, it’s probably one of the biggest-selling art forms out. And there are credibility issues. But definitely back in ’89, it was kind of like, 'Oh my God, I’m hoping this isn’t going to be like one of those fads.' It’s funny to think about it, that anyone would be worried about it, just because now it’s so much a part of the culture. Yeah. It was definitely shaky ground back then. You weren’t really comfortable and confident telling people you were a hip-hop artist, if that was even the terminology back then. Because this was an art form that you were fairly new to, and a lot of the public was fairly new to it. You just were trying to make sure that people took it seriously. Along those lines, you helped make DJ culture what it is. Are you amazed it’s still around all these years later? Yeah. I wouldn’t have expected that. I definitely wouldn’t have expected working more now than I ever had in my life. … Will came to visit; I have a residency in Dubai, and he came two New Years ago. 'What are you doing for New Year’s?' 'I’m in Dubai.' So he and Jada [Pinkett Smith] flew down. And I was scheduled to play at 12:30 and we were on the balcony looking at the beach where I was playing, and there were 18,000 people. And we were toasting right after New Year’s and we were looking down and you heard the DJ ask everyone, 'Are you ready for Jazzy Jeff?' And 18,000 people roared, and he just shot me a look. It was kind of a look like, 'Wait a minute. All of those people are there for you?' There was a point in time that Will and I didn’t perform in front of 18,000 people, so to just watch… And I knew what that look was, it was of amazement that this is where it’s at now, that you basically are in charge of making thousands of people have a good time through music. So you and Will Smith got back together at The Roots Picnic. What was that like? That was great. It was funny because I never really paid attention, but he looked at me and said, 'This is the very first time that we’ve performed "Summertime" in the summer in Philadelphia.' And I was like, 'Wow… Something’s very wrong with that.' Something is very wrong with that. So many times we were scheduled to make surprise appearances and things have come up, and it was really cool to have that moment. He came out on stage basically on his daughter’s show. There was a whole lot of emotion tied to all of that. I remember when Willow [Smith] was born, and Willow was on stage at The Roots Picnic, and we came out and did 'Summertime.' That was a little deep. I saw online that there were rumors of a tour. Is that still something you guys are thinking about? Yeah, it’s just scheduling now. He really wants to do it and it’s just working out the schedule. I was excited that he made the announcement because that lets me know that he’s very much closer to making this happen. I joke with him all the time and tell him that I’m pretty much out on tour, I’m just waiting for him to meet me. “I joke with [Will Smith] all the time and tell him that I’m pretty much out on tour, I’m just waiting for him to meet me.” — DJ Jazzy Jeff That’s what it looks like in those 'Vinyl Destination' videos. It just seems like you’re always on the road in interesting places. You never stopped touring. No. And we bumped into each other. … It’s really funny that I was touring Asia in January and my last date was in Malaysia. I landed in the airport and got a text message, and it was like, 'Hey, are you in Malaysia?' And I’m like, 'How random is this?' He was like, 'I just landed. I’m in the lounge.' And it was like, how in the hell did we bump into each other in Malaysia? He was over there doing something and found out that I was going to be there, and we went to dinner and just hung out. It was another one of those moments where he was like, 'We have to do something. This is too much of a sign.' That’s really cool. And it’s cool that you guys are friends. You’ve both had lots of success and it hasn’t changed your friendship that much. Oh, not at all, not at all. Not even a little bit. Let’s talk about Dayne Jordan, the young MC you tour a lot with these days. It seems like he’s in boot camp with the master. How’s he coming along? Yep. He’s great. It’s really great to just have someone from Philly who's from a different time and a different generation and brings a different kind of energy. From the first time that we linked up, you could tell that it was something different. It was a really big desire to want more or to see more outside of Philadelphia. Once we got linked more so in the studio, I would let him and [DJ] Ferno basically use the studio to record. I would go to the studio every once in a while and show them some stuff, and we ended up recording something that, when I listened to it, I realized just how good it was. And that was the first spark of me realizing that he had something. And then it was a natural progression. We started working on music together and working on more stuff and just putting stuff out. I credit a lot of me staying in tune to Dayne, because he was very adamant. I’m very open to listening to ideas and pay attention to the way the landscape changes. Because it’s very different from 1989 to how it is now. It’s different on how you present the music, it’s different on how you make the music. It’s different because we have direct access to your fan base, that you can kind of keep them informed on what you’re doing. So when the time came, I started taking him to a few shows, and then it was like, 'I’m going to throw him in the deep end.' I took him on the tour and he was incredible. His energy was incredible. He was very eager to learn and he’s a very personable person. After the show, he shakes hands, he talks to people. Before the show, he shakes hands and talks to people. Sometimes I can’t do that because it creates too much of an issue. But him having that level of interaction, people really appreciate it. It’s been great. It’s really been great. It’s cool that at a young age, at a young point in his career, he’s getting to see the world. And I think that’s important. That changes a lot of perspective. Sometimes we make music just from our surroundings. Some people make music just from the perspective of North Philadelphia. And your music changes when you realize that there’s someone in North Africa digging your music, as well as North Dakota. When you start to go out and you start to see… I watched him change, not only musically, as his scope has become more broad, I watched him change as a human, having friends in Tokyo. Having a friend that every time we land in Tokyo, he meets us and he takes us around. When you have those relationships with people all over the world, you realize just how big and how small the world is. “Some people make music just from the perspective of North Philadelphia. And your music changes when you realize that there’s someone in North Africa digging your music, as well as North Dakota.” — DJ Jazzy Jeff So you’re playing a Democratic National Convention show in the Philly area with Lady Gaga and Lenny Kravitz. Do you feel political? Do you ever talk about politics? I don’t. Not necessarily openly in public. And then sometimes I’m politically confused, which I’m sure so many people are, especially this year, and just trying to get a handle on it. I don’t ever think when it comes down to politics that there is 100 percent a right answer and 100 percent a wrong answer. You just try to have the best answer when it comes down to the individual. Is it fair to say that you’ve been more of a Democrat than a Republican in your life? Yeah, I think that’s fair to say. It’s weird. My wife and I have these conversations a lot, just talking about that. I think there’s a bit of a Democrat and a bit of a Republican in a lot of us. Sometimes more than not. I think I’m one of those people. … I don’t like the fact that the political process is deliberately confusing, instead of 'What are the issues? What do we need to change and how can we change it?' Why is it the red side and the blue side? Why can’t it just be one side and figure out what needs to be changed and let’s change it. Have you watched any of the recent footage that’s come out of the police brutality and police shootings? Oh, absolutely. It’s very hard to get away from. And it’s even harder to understand it, having international friends. This is one of the first times that we look really bad. We look really, really bad to the rest of the world. Like, really bad. I’ve got friends all over the globe. I’ve sat down and had conversations with some of my friends. I’ve had a conversation with my friends in Australia, and I asked questions. 'How do you guys really view Americans?' And for the first 10 minutes, it was a very political dialogue. And then it almost got to the point that they forgot I was there and started really telling the truth. And you just kind of sat there with your mouth open because there wasn’t anything that they were saying that you can deny. It was like, 'Wow, this is exactly how you guys view us. You view us as greedy, that we’re arrogant…' We’re like, aw man, this is not good. Especially in light of what’s going on now, I don’t know if we’ve ever looked worse. I think that it’s time that we stop pointing our finger at everybody else and maybe clean up our side of the street. I hadn’t even thought about it from an international perspective. Yeah. I was just in Canada over the weekend, and it was really one of those times that you almost felt like there were so many people who wanted to give you a hug. And we all talked about it. Like, 'Are you feeling this very weird energy?' People are shaking their head like, 'Do you guys want to come move up here?' It’s like, wait, we were supposed to be the great nation that everyone is supposed to be inspired to be like and everybody wants to come here. It’s not like that at the moment. There’s that image going around from 'The Fresh Prince' from a grim bit of humor about your character Jazz not wanting to put his hands down in front of a police officer. It’s hard to believe that all these years later it’s still relevant. It’s sad. I have a lot of friends who are police officers and I firmly know: All police aren’t bad. Not at all. I just think it’s a situation that when you have bad ones and nothing happens to the bad ones — that becomes an issue. You get lumped into this crowd or this group. You know, not all Americans are bad. Not all people in North Korea are bad. Sometimes you get lumped in with the masses. Everybody turns a deaf eye or a deaf ear to a situation; that’s not right. Let’s move on to something lighter. I didn’t know that you did all the scratching for 'Straight Outta Compton.' That’s amazing. Yes, that was great. I got a text message and I didn’t know who it was. They were like, 'Dr. Dre is trying to get in touch with you,' and I just blew it off thinking that it was a joke. Then I got a text message from Dre’s assistant. 'How’re you doing? I’m such and such, Dr. Dre’s assistant, and he’s trying to get in touch with you.' And I thought it was a more elaborate joke. Then I got a text from an old manager in L.A. He hit me and was like, 'You know Dre’s trying to get in touch with you.' I was like, oh s---, I guess this is real. And 10 minutes later, he called. It was cool because we had seen each other a couple of years ago; we bumped into each other in Hong Kong. He was over promoting Beats by Dre, and I was over doing a show. We hung out and he actually came to the show and stayed the whole time. And we talked about the Beats deal and I was just like, 'Congratulations,' and we kind of laughed, had a little private moment because this is all predicated on hip-hop. And it goes back to the story that I was talking about in the beginning, how in 1989, we were so busy fighting for legitimacy in the art form that we didn’t know if it was going to be there, and here this guy just became one of the first hip-hop billionaires. But it all goes back to, 'Wow, this is crazy.' Because it was just two turntables and a mixer and records that started all of this. “In 1989, we were so busy fighting for legitimacy in the art form that we didn’t know if it was going to be there, and here this guy just became one of the first hip-hop billionaires.” — DJ Jazzy Jeff But he said he finally officially signed on to the movie and it took him a long time because it was his life story and he wanted everything to be authentic. He was like, 'I need someone who was there to be able to do all the DJ work in the movie.' I was really extremely honored that he picked me. And he was very adamant about that. And it was a lot of fun. We talked on the phone a couple of times and cleared the music, and I was like, 'OK, let me go and do it.' And I was glad that they didn’t make me come out to L.A. and do it. I was able to do it in the studio and send it back and they would send me the clips. I was like, 'OK, this is where this needs to go,' and I’d do it and send it back. It was definitely surreal going to the screening of the movie and hearing it. It was such a great movie. And also realizing that you kind of played a part in it. That was really great. I’ve enjoyed your annual summer mixes with Mick Boogie. I just put them on and let them play while I work and walk around. I have a file that I haven’t been able to find a place that can host it, but I have one file of all of the mixes lined up back to back that I give to my friends. You have a barbecue, it is eight and a half hours of consistent summertime music. And I just haven’t been able to find a place that I can host it. I joke with people, ‘Listen, if you don’t have a DJ for your barbecue, I’ve got you covered.’

It's kind of frightening that their may not be any classic Hip-Hop songs in is recent arsenal. Classic Hip-Hop isn't marketable at all. These songs make it look like he's trying to stay relevant to a radio crowd. I don't think that's a wise move. Even the non-Hip-Hop fans want to hear him on Hip-Hop tracks. Nobody is saying "Yes, Will Smith finally did an EDM inspired track." I support experimenting, but the though of abandonment scares me.

I'm familiar with the story of how Will took "Men In Black " to them. It was funny that they then had to work with Columbia to put "Men In Black" and "Just Cruisin'" on JJ+FP's "Greatest Hits" album. Those singles helped bring the package together (along with Yo! Home To Bel-Air, Lovely Daze, and the Megamix). It makes you wonder what Big Willie Style would have looked like on Jive. Jive had only started dabbling in pop music, so they were still primarily a Hip-Hop and R&B label. Would we have gotten "Big Willie Style" or would we have gotten a JJ+FP album?

I get the impression that if he released a single, he has an album well into formation. I actually rather have this track just being a bonus track to an all Hip-Hop album.