DJ Jazzy Jeff Is Still Alive!

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DJ Jazzy Jeff Is Still Alive!
by Nick Law - January 13, 2009

I was in New York City not too long ago when I was invited to a charity benefit at the Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Having never been to this museum before, I was anxious to go and see the various exhibits. Besides, I could have a few drinks at the same time as donating to charity. It was pretty much a win-win situation.

The deal only got sweeter when I learned that DJ Jazzy Jeff was going to be spinning records that night! Growing up a huge fan of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I was overjoyed at the fact that Jazz, the kid who got thrown out of the Banks family residence by Uncle Phil on a weekly basis, would be only a stone’s throw away for the entire night. What did he look like at this point? Did he still have a following? Were a lot of people really going to show up to listen to DJ Jazzy Jeff? I started to wonder.

I learned right off the bat that I had no idea what I was in for. By the time I had made my way through the mile long coat check and drink lines and into the planetarium where DJ Jazzy Jeff was about to be introduced, I decided that most, if not all of Manhattan had turned out for this performance.

The MC brought the guest of honor out to a thunderous applause. The sound was immediately followed by Cheryl Lynn’s “Got to be Real” once DJ Jazzy Jeff took the stage and the mix he had created for the evening never once let up for the hour and a half set that he played.

I couldn’t get a great look at the man himself due to the fact that the closest I could get was about 200 feet away from the stage, but from what I could tell he was wearing glasses and a sweater. Other than that, he didn’t look an age past 30. Could I have been seeing this right? Did I somehow walk through a time portal once I stepped into the museum? Was it 2008 or 1992? The man who was once the butt of so many jokes once Will Smith achieved his enormous fame, still has a fame all his own.

There must have been over 3,000 people at this event and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Most of us were about the same age, so no doubt feeling especially nostalgic that evening, not only for the music being played, but for the man playing it as well.

After getting my picture snapped with the Retro Kids, I decided to head back down to my favorite pool hall in the Village and sip $2 PBRs with some friends. The whole time I was there, I just wanted to see Will, Jazz and Uncle Phil walk through the door and hustle some lowlifes in a game of 8 ball like in that one episode. It broke my heart when I realized around 4AM that they weren’t coming…

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