DJ ALISHA RECORD REVISIT: D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince - He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper

Hey! Its been two weeks, and I'm excited to do another Record Revisit for you! If you're new to Radio 1190's newish blog, this is where I re-review an album from my record collection each Friday that I haven't listened to in years. How do I choose the record? Well you vote on which one I review! Oh and I don't let myself use google for band info. n' stuff, I just review based on my memories of the record.

So you had a choice of albums by Papa M, The Busy Signals and D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince... and you chose the one album I was hoping you'd choose! YAY... so here goes.

VITAL STATS:
Artist: D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince

Album: He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper
Label: Zomba (Jive)

Year: 1988

...first of all a quick note of excitement-

Dear Memory Lane,

I am so excited to listen to this and journey back to 4th grade when two songs in particular from this album were in my mind the best songs ever!

Your Friend,

DJ Alisha (and yes I know I will never be as good of a DJ as Jazzy Jeff)

Upon the record's release, the first single I heard from this record was "Parents Just Don't Understand" on the radio and it was instantly my favorite song! Then after getting the tape, I discovered a song about Freddy Krueger on there, then "Nightmare on My Street" was my favorite! I remember listening to this tape A LOT, but also just fast-forwarding and rewinding to get to those two songs. I also watched a lot of MTV enjoying the video for "Parents Just Don't Understand," and there was always a rumor that "Nightmare on My Street" was supposed to debut late at night on MTV, but I never saw it. I don't even know if it exists.

Okay, now that I'm done getting all diary on you, let's LISTEN!

Yay, the album starts off with "Nightmare on My Street" and I can recite about 97% of the song still. I really like cartoony/comedic rap like this, especially about Freddy! I've always wanted to interview Will Smith and ask him about this song and what he thinks of it today. I mean who doesn't love lyrics like "He wears the same hat and sweater every single day/ And even if its hot outside he wears it anyway." The album then goes into another song "Here We Go Again" which is a pretty strong song too. The Fresh Prince has a great voice, but Jazzy Jeff is the true star on this track... I love the beats! Another notable track is "He's the D.J., I'm the Rapper." This song shows what great chemistry these two have.

There's definitely some hit and miss songs as I continue to listen to this record. It falls short for me as an adult, but when this came out I couldn't think of a more fun record to listen to.

Some interesting things looking at the liner notes... Will "The Fresh Prince" Smith only thanks "God, my family and friends!" on the record as opposed to D.J. Jazzy Jeff thanking just about everyone he knows by name. And also The Fresh Prince is nicknamed "Nutty as a Fruitcake" which makes me think the rumors of him liking boys a little bit may be true. Its okay FP, I don't judge and you are like the biggest star in the world so you can laugh all the way to the bank if this is your little secret. Everyone knows that you do love your wife and kiddos even if you are "nuttier than a fruitcake" in that way that some folks in Hollywood gossip about you. I met you in person a few months ago, you are very nice and handsome.

One last thing about the liner notes, if you're looking to bulk up your collection of classic hip-hop, use the liner notes as a directory of artists because they shout out to everyone from Grandmaster Caz to Public Enemy and even 2 Live Crew in the "We Would Like to Acknowledge" part.

All in all fun record, but I'll stick to my favorite singles-

Thanks for reading and now here's your chance to vote on what I listen to next week:

1)New Order - Republic

2)David Bowie - Love You Till Tuesday

3)Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

HOW TO VOTE... COMMENT BELOW AND VOTE FOR NEXT WEEK'S RECORD REVISIT!

Peace out,