DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince

A Philadelphia house party

Jeffrey Allen Townes was born on January 22, 1965, and built a reputation as a DJ at Philadelphia school and block parties. Along with DJ Spinbad and DJ Cash Money he is credited with popularizing the transformer scratch. Willard Carroll Smith II was born on September 25, 1968, grew up in West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood and attended Overbrook High School. In 1985 Townes was introduced to Smith at a house party, where Smith filled in for Townes' missing hype man. The beatboxer Ready Rock C performed with them as a live member without an official credit.

Word Up to Jive

Their first single, “Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble,” came out on Word Up Records in 1986, and the duo moved to Jive Records. The debut album “Rock the House” (1987) sold about 300,000 copies. “He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper,” released on March 29, 1988, was the first double album in hip hop. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum. “Parents Just Don't Understand” reached No. 12 on the Hot 100 and won the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989, and “A Nightmare on My Street” reached No. 15.

Summertime and television

“And in This Corner...” (1989) was certified gold. “Homebase” (1991) went platinum on the strength of “Summertime,” which reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 and won the duo a second Grammy. “Code Red” (1993) was certified gold. Smith went on to star in the sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” where Townes played the recurring character Jazz. In all, the duo sold more than 5.5 million albums in the United States.

Later paths

The duo officially split in 1994, though they have performed together occasionally since. Smith went on to a major film career. Townes set up the production company A Touch of Jazz in Philadelphia to develop R&B and soul artists and released the solo album “The Magnificent” in 2002. Townes has recalled that after winning his first Grammy he had just $500 in the bank, a sign of how little early rap success could pay. Their clean, story-driven records gave Philadelphia its first national rap stars.