''He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper'' (also known as ''I'm the Rapper, He's the DJ'' due to the way the title is printed) is the second studio album by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

duo

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince were an American hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consisting of the rapper and actor Will Smith (the Fresh Prince) and the turntablist Jeff Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff). Active from 1986 to 1994 an ...

. It was the first

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

, and was the eighth rap album to become a

platinum album Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. The album was certified

triple platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) on February 1, 1995, and is the duo's most successful album. In 1998, the album was selected as one of ''

The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...

'' magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums.

Singles

The album's first single, "Brand New Funk", was only released promotionally and, thus, failed to achieve any commercial success. However, the album's second single, "

Parents Just Don't Understand "Parents Just Don't Understand" is the second single from American duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's second studio album, '' He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper'' (1988). In the song, the Fresh Prince details his problems with his parents, whom he f ...

", won the first-ever

Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality Rapping, rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after ...

at the

31st Annual Grammy Awards The 31st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 22, 1989, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. This also the first Grammy Awards Ceremony with a separate rap section. Album ...

and reached number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Although the album's third single, " Nightmare on My Street", which reached number 15 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, was considered for inclusion in the movie '' A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master'', the producers of the film decided against its inclusion. As a result, later vinyl pressings of the album contain a disclaimer sticker that says, " his songis not part of the soundtrack...and is not authorized, licensed, or affiliated with the ''Nightmare on Elm Street'' films."

Track listings

Original vinyl and cassette release

While released as a double album, Sides C and D were labeled as "Bonus Scratch Album."

Original CD release

On the original CD, "A Nightmare on My Street", "As We Go", "D.J. on the Wheels", and the final four songs appeared in edited form, and "Another Special Announcement" was omitted. A German edition omitted "Jazzy's in the House" and "Human Video Game" instead. On September 8, 2017, the full vinyl version was finally issued as a double CD set that was released by Real Gone Music under license from

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

with bonus tracks.

Samples and interpolations

;"A Nightmare on My Street" * Theme from ''

A Nightmare on Elm Street ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American Supernatural horror film, supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise), ''A ...

'' by

Charles Bernstein Charles Bernstein may refer to: * Charles Bernstein (composer) (born 1943), American composer of film and television scores * Charles Bernstein (poet) (born 1950), American poet, essayist, editor, and literary scholar {{hndis, Bernstein, Cha ...

;"Here We Go Again" * " Westchester Lady" by Bob James ;"Brand New Funk" * " Bouncy Lady" by

Pleasure Pleasure is experience that feels good, that involves the enjoyment of something. It contrasts with pain or suffering, which are forms of feeling bad. It is closely related to value, desire and action: humans and other conscious animals find ...

* " Funky President (People It's Bad)" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

* " I Can't Live Without My Radio" by

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, alongside fellow new school hip ho ...

* "(Fallin' Like) Dominoes" by

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

;"As We Go" * " Impeach the President" by the Honey Drippers ;"Parents Just Don't Understand" * "Won't You Be My Friend" by

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English-American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who rose to prominence as a member of the rock bands the Herd and Humble Pie. Later in his career, Frampton found significant success as a s ...

;"Pump Up the Bass" * "

Funky Drummer "Funky Drummer" is a song by James Brown recorded in 1969 and released as a single in 1970. Its drum break, Musical improvisation, improvised by Clyde Stubblefield, is one of the most frequently sampling (music), sampled music recordings. Recor ...

" by

;"Let's Get Busy, Baby" * " Sir Duke" by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

;"Time To Chill" * "

Breezin' ''Breezin is the fifteenth studio album by jazz/soul guitarist and vocalist George Benson. It is his debut on Warner Bros. Records. It not only was a ''Billboard'' Jazz Albums chart-topper but also went to number 1 on the Pop and R&B chart ...

" by

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

;"He's the D.J., I'm the Rapper" * " Jungle Love" by

Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1966. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles ...

;"Live at Union Square (November 1986)" * " Got to Be Real" by

Cheryl Lynn Cheryl Lynn (born Lynda Cheryl Smith; March 11, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is best known for her songs during the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, including the 1978 R&B/disco song " Got to Be Real" from her albu ...

* "

Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

" by

Incredible Bongo Band The Incredible Bongo Band, also known as Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band, was a project started in 1972 by Michael Viner, a record artist manager and executive at MGM Records, producer, MGM Records executive and Curb Records founder Mike Cu ...

* "Dance to the Drummer's Beat" by Herman Kelly and Life

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1988 albums DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince albums Jive Records albums