DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

Hip Hop Group

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince crossed rap music with mainstream pop in the late ’80s, thanks to Will Smith’s PG-rated, good-humored raps. Despite hip hop purists’ dismissal of the group as lightweight fluff, their debut album, Rock the House, went gold and the single “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble” became a MTV staple. The duo’s double LP album, He’s the D.J., I’m the Rapper, sold 2.5 million copies and the single “Parents Just Don’t Understand” went on to earn rap’s first Grammy Award. In 1991, the group’s album Homebase featured the hit “Summertime.”