DJ Jazzy Jeff is still kinda magnificent

All I Know [feat. CL Smooth]
DJ Jazzy Jeff
The Return of the Magnificent
Rapster : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

Jeff n' Fess [feat. Rhymefest]
DJ Jazzy Jeff
The Return of the Magnificent
Rapster : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

Practice [feat. J Live]
DJ Jazzy Jeff
The Return of the Magnificent
Rapster : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

[Ed. note: This should have appeared last week. Of late, I've definitely not been an early adopter here in the whipcrack-quick blog world.]

So yeah, I was probably among the sneering majority who heard of Jazzy Jeff's new LP [outside of the Hip-Hop Forever series] and were more than a little skeptical. Images of Fresh Prince and other dated shit rush through the mind's eye, and lost in all that is the fact that deep down, despite his almost-cartoonish exterior back in the day, he was/still is a fine, fine producer.

Honestly, I don't know why. It's easy to dismiss him a little because of his time in the shadows, not to mention the fact that it's hard to think about Jazzy Jeff without imagining Will Smith's fade and the rotund authority of Mr. Banks. Or this.

But, when it comes down to it, let bygones be bygones. The dude traded in his short shorts and dollar sunglasses a long time ago, and ultimately, he knows how to make that summer sound, the right balance that lesser producers lose sleep pursuing. However, the moments of brilliance and addictive music are outweighed by a general unevenness, a lack of consistency, and the feeling that it's not that magnificent after all.

Yeah, I get it, he's on a long car ride with just the radio to keep him company, so what does that translate to? A buncha different sounds, a buncha different production approaches, a buncha different feels in his samples/beats [but not really], a buncha different guests with a buncha different vocal/lyrical styles.

And yet, it all feels kinda blurry, and this scattershot approach comes off more as a nice idea and not as a well-executed album. From start to finish, there is so much effort put in to making everything unique and interesting in its own way, but it all ultimately fades into the background, something you'd put on while talking and not actually trying to listen. There's little on here that I would pull up and beg my friends to sit and digest. His skill for beat-making and production is still on point, and there are some good tunes, [some of which I'll feed ya] but for long period of this LP, I was silently grooving while waiting for the next track to kick in.

[I did love the use of AI's infamous "Practice" tirade while still with the Sixers... but at the same time, is JJ trying to equate himself with AI? "We're not talking about the game I kill myself for... we're talking about practice"]

Jazzy Jeff never had any problems networking, and the roster he corrals for this LP is fucking impressive. Old and new, well-traveled and raw; JJ's Rolodex and studio has sufficient space for all. He gives every guest a chance to shine, but did he give 'em all the right beats to showcase their skills? Wouldn't Jean Grae have found more rumpus room with the skittery flow of "Let me Hear U Clap"? [Don't get me wrong though: Pos killed that sound and did it just as well] Why is Twone Gabz given so much time to meander through almost 14 minutes of uninteresting, smooth background noise? Method Man does his homework and doesn't disappoint on "Hold It Down", but why not challenge him a little more and give him something he ain't as familiar with?

There are some stand-outs to my ear, it must be noted:

- All I Know [feat. CL Smooth]
New-era Miami Vice-esque dark beats are understated enough to let CL soar. I always loved his style, so maybe my love of this derives from somewhere in those fawning eyes and idolatry, but it's quality music.

-Jeff n' Fess [feat. Rhymefest]
I just stepped out of the time machine into something I want to listen to. Rhyme's flow is crystal-cut in definition, and the track is plain fucking fun. Scratch-happy breakbeats and from-the-block grooves are perfect, so hats off for this one.

-Practice [feat. J Live]
This is the one I keep coming back to. The AI sample is not gratuitous by any stretch, and J Live is the perfect foil for JJ's bass-heavy selection.

It's worth noting that in the many reviews I've seen for this LP, everyone's picking different songs as standouts and flameouts respectively, which speaks volumes about his pick n' mix approach to putting together an album. [See Fishscale for notes on how to do it better] Why such divisiveness? Because it lacks a little focus, and instead has a little of everything for everyone and leaving hungry consumers still searching for a satisfying, full meal.

Jazzy Jeff has returned to the scene, and his efforts are certainly not unwelcome or without merit. He still has his mojo, and he still has more than enough friends to help fulfill the vision, but in a year of hopefully strong hip-hop albums, I have to wonder if it's got the staying power to remain near the top of the '07 class.

[Oh, and as one human being to another, I have to offer: cut out the fucking phonecall skits and shit or at least keep them separate from the tunes. I get it, yr in a car driving south. Leave it at that and say no more.]