This past Saturday during South by Southwest in Austin, TX, DJ Jazzy Jeff rocked a massive crowd at the Red Bull Thre3Style Showcase with a virtuoso display of turntable artistry. Blending rap, reggae, R&B, and classic jazz and blues cuts, Jeff showed all aspects of hip-hop during his mind-blowing set, which featured live recreations of samples used on classic records by Jay-Z and Biggie. (Jazzy is also an accomplished producer in his own right, and watching him work his Serato Dicer, you can see why.)
“I just wanted to play a little different from everybody else,” the magnificent yet modest mixmaster told Complex just after stepping off the stage. “It’s my fourth time coming here. SXSW brings together a melting pot of people. That's who you love to play for—people who love all kinds of music.” That diversity is nothing new for Jeff, who made his name alongside the Fresh Prince back in the 1980s in Philadelphia. “When you carried your crates of records, you carry records of all genres. You carry reggae, you carry funk records, you carry hip-hop records, you carry R&B classics. And I just never stopped. This is something that I started off doing for fun. I never thought that I would be doing it this long, and it turned into a job. So that's the way I look at it. I'm blessed to be able do something I really love.” Peep the videos above and below and behold a true master at work.
