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“My job is to make people have a good time,� he says. “My job is to make people dance at a time that people have kind of forgotten about dancing.�

He aims to remind folks of how good it feels to move their bodies when he hits Atomic By Jamo for a special DJ performance on July 18. Jeff says fans should expect to hear a smorgasbord of music representing different genres, periods and grooves. He describes himself as a “servant of the people,� intending to create a memorable moment that guests leave knowing they’ve experienced something special.

Most of all, he wants the crowd to move their feet to the beat as it pulsates through the venue floor.

“I can scratch, I can mix, I can do everything under the sun,� he says. “When I see the floor is packed, and everybody’s dancing, having a good time and singing their favorite song, that is the ultimate respect that a DJ can get.�

After support sets from ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½-based turntablist DJ Mahf, and artists Rockwell Knuckles and Davie Napalm, Jeff is teleporting guests back to a simpler time where hip-hop anthems and summertime heat went hand in hand.

The Philadelphia native, born Jeffrey Allen Townes, has always had the keys to getting the people moving during the summertime. He rose to fame in the 1980s, alongside Will Smith, as one-half of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Together, the pair broke records. They were the third rap act to go platinum, won the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance and sold over 5.5 million albums.

Hit records like “Summertime� and “Parents Just Don’t Understand� became generational anthems, adding a clean side to the hip-hop genre’s fiery beginnings. Recently, the iconic duo performed before a crowd of 80,000 at London’s Wembley Stadium in June.

“Hip-hop is at the center of it all,� he says.

His name holds weight as a producer just as much as a disc jockey. Jeff created tracks for artists like MC Lyte, Jill Scott and Kenny Lattimore.

Philadelphia will host six 2026 FIFA World Cup Matches, including the July Fourth match on the 250th anniversary of the United States, and DJ Jazzy Jeff was selected to produce the sonic ID.

The special identifier sound will be used in commercials and marketing materials promoting the World Cup. Describing soccer as “the world’s biggest sport,� DJ Jazzy Jeff had limited insight into the culture of the World Cup. However, he imagined the matches and highlights in his head as he created, aiming to encompass a sound that represented inclusivity and togetherness.

“The little bit of knowledge I had allowed me to go in and do something completely different than what anybody else would do,� he says.

With the sonic ID, Jeff reinforces his role as a trailblazer across industries.

But it’s nothing new to the multi-platinum-selling DJ.

He grew up during a time when people were only familiar with radio disc jockeys. So, long before he reached mainstream success, Jeff was just the guy who showed up at house parties with crates full of records. People showed up with hopes of discovering new emcees and songs as he weaved track after track. Large crowds would encircle break dancers to watch them contort and bend their bodies to hip-hop melodies. Graffiti artists tagging the buildings outside were considered urban Picassos in West Philly.

Times are different now. But Jeff recognizes cycles, knowing that everything from the past will eventually make its way back around.

“It’s going to be that breakthrough record or that breakthrough show that’s going to bring everybody back out, and the cycle is going to repeat itself,� he says.

Like hip-hop has evolved, so has Jeff. Years of DJing led him into the production space, as he realized that DJing was essentially “producing on the fly.�

As a child, he listened to his parents’ and older siblings’ records, slowly learning how to identify the different instruments and tempo patterns. Once he started DJing, he’d take 10 records, layer them, fiddling with the time and syncing until he produced a new, remixed creation.

His skills as a turntablist have taken him all over the world. International touring revealed rap’s worldwide reach. He saw Tupac posters hanging in Africa and performed at a music festival in Vietnam on the same land his brother fought on during the Vietnam War. No matter what he’s done or accomplished, hip-hop has remained at the core.

“The places that hip hop has taken me are mind-blowing, and still taking me,� he says.

His evolution as a creative now includes a combination of new- and old-school techniques. He still uses an analog board and tape recorder to produce and has an obsession with making records that have the warmth and richness of classic vinyl. However, a self-proclaimed tech-junkie, DJ Jazzy Jeff also incorporates computer software and artificial intelligence into his creative and organizational processes.

When it comes to A.I., Jeff says he recognizes it for what it is — a tool.

“I don’t know any creatives that want a tool to do it for them,� he says. “Those aren’t real creatives.�

With decades of music legacy behind him, Jeff says he doesn’t think too much about past accomplishments because he’s still making fresh strides in the industry. He feels blessed to be more tapped into global music than ever before, living a life that allows him to do what he loves every day.

However, achieving fame and international acclaim weren’t in his original plan. He only wanted to get the people to dance.

“When you’re making history, you never know when you’re doing it,� he says. “You only know afterwards.�