DJ Hero is getting another shot of old school flavor with the addition of DJ Jazzy Jeff, best known for his work with Will Smith when he was known as The Fresh Prince, joining the game’s lineup of all-star turntablists.
Forget about innovators of the form like DJ Shadow or pioneers like Grandmaster Flash. DJ Hero‘s lineup of DJs just got a taste of the true freshness with the addition of DJ Jazzy Jeff, best known for his work in the late 80s and early 90s as part of hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (that’s what Will Smith called himself before he called himself Will Smith).
Jeff, who you might remember better for his turn as Jazz on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in case your tastes skewed more toward sitcoms than parent-friendly rap back in the day, produced all of the duo’s hits, from “Parents Just Don’t Understand” to “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble,” while pioneering some new techniques at the turntables.
It doesn’t sound like any of his hits will be involved in his part in DJ Hero, however. In addition to being a playable character, Jeff will contribute two “exclusive mixes” to the playlist for DJ Hero that pay homage to the golden age of pop music that was the 80s: a mash-up of two stone cold classics in Tears for Fears’ “Shout” and Eric B. and Rakim’s “Eric B. Is President” and another mixing LL Cool J’s “Rock the Bells” with The Aranbee Pop Symphony Orchestra’s cover of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony.”
Jeff seems extraordinarily enthusiastic about being part of a videogame, saying that “to be a character someone can pick up the controller and select you and play is probably the biggest thing to happen to me in my career.” Being a character in a game is pretty cool, sure, but don’t sell yourself short, Jeff. You were on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
