Page 23 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

23
O neday inJanuary1984,Willwent toaneighborhood
block party. The DJ working the turntable was
seventeen-year-old Jeff Townes. Although Jeff had
grown up near Will, the two had never met before.
Townes had earned a reputation as one of the best DJs in
Philadelphia. He had set up a studio of sorts in his parents’
basement. There he spent his leisure time experimenting
with his portable four-track recorders. He tried a variety of
different ideas, such as scratching two records at the same
time and back spinning.
After working for a while as a DJ doing party gigs, Townes
took a job at a local rap radio station. Jeff did not grow up
He’s the DJ,
I’m the Rapper
Chapter 3