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This Is Indeed Summertime
Man, can you believe it's been 20 years since Will Smith wondered how the smell from a grill could spark up nostalgia? Me neither. And how about those crazy clothes people are wearing in that video?! They're actually pretty close to coming back in and not looking so strange anymore. This song won the Grammy award for "best rap single" in 1991. And despite everything that has happened since, it does actually still sound pretty great.
There's a fun Q&A with Jazzy Jeff at the Village Voice (here) on the song, why Will Smith seems to be doing a hilariously slavish Rakim imitation, and etc. It was never my favorite, really, but I'm struck in watching/listening by just how NICE it is. Can't really be mad at that.
Oh. Thanks. That is good. Yeah, back when it came out, I used to not let myself like the song because: "Hey, the Fresh Prince is biting Rakim's style!" (I always had to admit that the way Jeff flipped the Kool and the Gang sample was excellent, though.) As time wears on, though, I can't help it. The whole thing is great. But I do wish Will Smith would just stop parking his dressing-room trailers that are bigger than my entire apartment on city streets…
@Dave Bry Hey Dave. Funny enough, Jeff didn't even produce that one. 2 guys from Chicago flipped that Kool and the Gang sample and Jeff just mixed and added some flourishes. Still a classic though.
That's right. Duh. I'd just read that in the interview. That was interesting to learn, because for a long time, my defense of Jeff as a producer (I do think he's very good!) was always based on, "Come on, you have to admit that beat for 'Summertime' …"
@David Roth HA. Well, he'll be immortalized for doing the beat to Bart Simpson's "Deep, Deep Trouble" off Simpsons Sing the Blues. Anything else is just gravy.
Will Smith joined the Church of Scientology because they promised him he could do the split screen effect for real once he reached "Clear".
Lol that's funny