Fresh Prince Gets Raw

Yep, updating this blog is a good couple of weeks overdue, but I’m hopefully now back in action and normal service will resume. My online persona had to take a back seat for a few weeks whilst the living and breathing me got on top of some real life business! You’ve got to keep life in check, or else it sneaks up on you with surprises. So, having conquered several family illnesses, completed a DIY project, started a new job and survived the festive period, I find myself in 2013.

I should probably start by wishing everyone a belated happy New Year, but I guess that by now you’ve quit the diet, started smoking again, cancelled the gym membership etc and things possibly aren’t looking so happy! Well the best fix for getting through the dismal month of January is…… to immerse yourself in hip hop.

It’s been a short while since I shared some vinyl, so I thought I’d kick the New Year off by sharing something that on face value might not seem that appealing, but read on and I think you might be surprised by an early example of record industry interference with the artists lyrical content.

Last year I discussed the classic single Girl's ain't nothing but trouble by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince as part of my Silver Anniversary Series.  However, I was discussing the original 1986 version, not the one that is more commonly found on various compilation CD's and their 1988 debut album.  The original version is much harder and contains stronger lyrics (well, stronger than what we have come to expect from Will Smith).

The frustrating thing for me at the time of writing was that I couldn't track down a copy of the original 12" to include with my post, like I'd done for most of my other reviews in the series.  Then recently, one of our readers kindly shared some insightful knowledge in the comments section saying that they thought the UK release on Champion Records was the same version as the one released on Word-Up Records, and the licencing note confirms this.  Hmm, interesting!

What makes this information even more interesting to me is that sitting in my own collection is a promo copy of the UK version, released on Champion Records.  I'd never considered it as being a potential copy of the original, and it's not a record that I frequently dig out and listen to (I can't imagine why), so I was unfamiliar with this version.  But upon checking it, sure enough it's the original version!!!

So it seemed only right to upload it for the nerds out there who appreciate the intricate differences between records and those who are curious about how hardcore Will Smith once was.  Warning - he doesn't drop any truly hardcore lines and it certainly isn't ignorant rap, but here's just one example of how the language and tone of the record changed:

1988 revised version: "she started grabbin' all over me, kissing and hugging.  So I shoved her away and said you better stop buggin."

1986 original version: "she started grabbin' all over me, kissing and hugging.  I punched her in the chin and said, 'you better stop buggin'."

For a more detailed breakdown of the differences between the two versions, refer to the previously recommended article by Werner Von Wallenrod here: http://wernervonwallenrod.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/dj-jazzy-jeff-fresh-prince-uncensored.html.

Thanks to the reader who took the time to leave the comment and for pointing me to my own record collection, lol.  It's crazy to think I spent time looking for something on the internet that I had sitting under my very nose (quite literally, this record was within 4 feet of my computer)!

Mike Check

Download full original 12" in 320kbps mp3 (20mb)
http://www.mediafire.com/?95wl9drd3wr640d

Silver Anniversary Series - DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince

For my latest instalment in the Silver Anniversary Series, I'm kind of passing the buck!  It's not that I don't want to do this instalment, it's that someone has pretty much done it already and I'm not one for reinventing the wheel or biting others work. 

Many people don't know that DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince were around as early as 1986, two years before their major releases on Jive Records, so I think it's important to cover them within this series, and when you've read this article you'll understand why a bubble gum pop act is being featured on this site (hint - it wasn't always like that!).

Now, Werner Von Wallenrod did an excellent narrative earlier this year on his blog about the 'original' version of DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince's Girl's ain't nothing but trouble.  I say 'original' because as Werner rightly points out in his review, the original 12" (released in 1986) existed two years before the more commonly known version and the differences are pretty significant and intriguing.

I'm not going to go into the differences here as Werner will give you the low down, but let's just say that once you've read his review you'll be wondering whether Jeff and Will could possibly have been a more credible group with much more underground success.  I'm not suggesting they would ever have been 'street', but they could have been something more akin to Biz Markie's style of credible comedy hip hop. 

Anyway, head over to Werner's review and see for yourself what I'm waffling on about.

http://wernervonwallenrod.blogspot.com/2011/01/dj-jazzy-jeff-fresh-prince-uncensored.html

Once I'd read Werner's review, it made me wonder about the other version of this single, Guy's ain't nothing but trouble.  Did this undergo the same revamp?  Unfortunately I can't find a copy to listen to, but if anyone else knows the answer then please let us know or leave a comment.
I also wanted to provide you with an audio clip of the original 12" so that you could hear the difference for yourself, but no matter how much I dig, I've not managed to dig up a copy (yet!).  If anyone knows of a blog that has this, please let me know and I'll add it here.

Mike Check.