Song of the Day 7/30: DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, “Summertime”

Will Smith is back in the news because he released an apology video to Chris Rock on YouTube and Instagram, which seems to me like a PR move more than an apology, but whatever. I always preferred Smith back in his hip-hop days, when he and Jeff Townes put Philly on the rap map with light-hearted but clever rhymes and smooth grooves.

This 1991 tune became the duo’s highest charting single, reaching No. 4 on the Hot 100.

The song samples the groove and synth sound of “Summer Madness” by Kool & the Gang, who still aren’t in the Hall of Fame. The instrumental single from 1974 went to No. 35 on the Hot 100 and has had a long afterlife in hip-hop, film and video games, everything from the original “Rocky” to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.