DJ Jazzy Jeff has reflected on Hip Hop turning 50 in a fond way, sharing incomparable memories with his former partner-in-crime, Will Smith.
On Thursday (November 9), the pioneering DJ took to Instagram to share a photo of himself with the Fresh Prince and other Hip Hop luminaries — including Chuck D and Uncle Luke — backstage at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, CA, following their Grammy Salute Hip Hop 50 performance on Wednesday night (November 8).
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“We DID a thing last night…A celebration that I’ll never forget…friends of almost 40 years got together to celebrate 50 years of this THING called Hip Hop,” he captioned his post. “I can’t wait for y’all to see it and hopefully feel alil bit of what I felt. Need time to process…this year has been truly special…and it AINT OVER!!! #jjfp4life #HH50”
Will Smith followed up Jeff’s post with a video of his own, featuring the pair wearing the same fits they wore at the 1990 Grammys. “Last night was Perfection! Happy Birthday, Hip Hop,” he wrote in the caption.
Check out the two posts below:
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith were part of the Grammy Salute special, which was taped on Wednesday, and will air on December 10 starting at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
A laundry list of rappers who contributed to the tribute spanning all different eras of Hip Hop’s 50 years. Some of the names include: Gunna, Jeezy, GloRilla, 2 Chainz, Latto, Jermaine Dupri, DJ Quik, E-40, LL COOL J, T.I. and more.
The rest of the lineup includes: Arrested Development, Big Daddy Kane, Black Sheep, Cypress Hill, Digable Planets, Juvenile, Luniz, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté, Spinderella, Three 6 Mafia, Too $hort, Warren G, YG, Black Thought, Bun B, Common, De La Soul, J.J. Fad, Talib Kweli, The Lady Of Rage, MC Sha-Rock, Monie Love, The Pharcyde, Queen Latifah, Questlove, Rakim, Remy Ma, Uncle Luke and Yo-Yo.
The tribute will serve as one of Will Smith’s first major public appearances since his infamous Chris Rock slap at the 2022 Academy Awards last March. Smith has since been banned by The Academy from attending its events for a decade for his actions.
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DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith made Grammy history as “Parents Just Don’t Understand” became the first rap song to win a Grammy trophy in 1989, but weren’t invited to perform at the ceremony. However, the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” collaborators became the first rappers to perform at the award show a year later in 1990.
According to Questlove, Will Smith was actually supposed to appear in the Hip Hop 50 tribute at the Grammy Awards in February, but dropped out at the last minute.
