D.J. Jazzy Jeff is set to take the stage once again with the Fresh Prince, aka Will Smith. The award-winning duo, who collaborated on hits like “Summertime” and also starred alongside one another in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, are set to join a star-studded guest lineup celebrating the world of hip hop when A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop airs on CBS and Paramount+ on Dec. 10.
The event, marking one of Smith’s first major public events since he was banned from the Oscars for his infamous Chris Rock slap, is set to “showcase and celebrate the genre’s profound history and monumental cultural impact around the world,” according to the Recording Academy. A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop was filmed at YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California back on Nov. 8, with both the pioneering DJ and Smith marking the occasion on social media.
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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. 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,” DJ Jazzy Jeff wrote on Instagram alongside a gallery of images of himself and Smith, who on his own account wrote, “Last night was Perfection! Happy Birthday, Hip Hop.”
According to the posts, the pair wore the same outfits they wore at the 1990 Grammys, when they became the first hip-hop act to perform on the Grammys when they took the stage to perform “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson.” At the time, per Billboard, Smith told the audience, “We’d like to dedicate this performance to all the rappers last year that stood with us and helped us to earn the right to be on this stage tonight.” Just a year prior, the duo made history when their pop hit “Parents Just Don’t Understand” became the first hip-hop recording to win a Grammy (best rap performance). Before the 1988 awards, the show didn’t have a dedicated category for rap or hip-hop, with the first being presented Feb. 22, 1989.
D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince are part of a star-studded lineup for A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop. Other performers include Arrested Development, Big Daddy Kane, Black Sheep, Cypress Hill, Digable Planets, DJ Quik, E-40, GloRilla, Gunna, Jeezy, Juvenile, Latto, Luniz, MC Lyte, Roxanne Shanté, Spinderella, Three 6 Mafia, T.I., Too $hort, 2 Chainz, Warren G, YG, Black Thought, Bun B, Common, De La Soul, Jermaine Dupri, J.J. Fad, Talib Kweli, The Lady Of Rage, LL COOL J, MC Sha-Rock, Monie Love, The Pharcyde, Queen Latifah, Questlove, Rakim, Remy Ma, Uncle Luke, and Yo-Yo. A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop will air Dec. 10 at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
