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DJ JAZZY JEFF
The Return of the Magnificent
BBE, 2007
5.0/10, Average [scale]

The Return of the Magnificent

Great hip hop albums are eternal: Nas’ Illmatic, Biggie’s Ready to Die, and Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet. One of the most incredible thing about these albums is how they never sound dated. When they were released, all of them were groundbreaking in their own way, be it politics, general lyricism, or outlook. But even now, each stands as a colossal piece of work that can wear your stereo as well as the latest Swishahouse release.

Unfortunately for the overtly comical DJ Jazzy Jeff, this concept doesn’t work retroactively: His latest release The Return of the Magnificent sounds like an ’80s disc remastered with scattershot contemporary production.

The album’s opener, “Hip Hop,” sparks the trouble and the album never recovers. Jeff laments in a phone call, “My car is in the shop, so I got this rent-a-car and all it got is radio. So you know I’m gonna hate that,” after which he scans through some radio stations and the old-school plodding production kicks in. Building many of the track’s verses from former hip hop artists’ biggest hits (Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson” and Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”), the track sounds more like a sentimental desire to return to the past rather than a homage to greats of old.

The mimicking doesn’t stop there either. On “Jeff N Fess” - the production of which sounds like a Neville Brothers funk jam - Jeff relies on Rhymefest to supply the lyrical dosage. Aside from the emcee’s own disjointed and throwback flows sounding dated, his lines frequently reference other artists. He gives a shout out to T.I. and Outkast as well as sings “Oh I think they like me.” And even though this isn’t exactly the prevailing problem on the album, it just shows how Jeff has been studying and parroting hip hop rather than adding something new.

But arguably the most telling sign of The Return of the Magnificent’s unfortunately nostalgic feel are the frequent skits that reference Will Smith and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” He laments about a time he was asked if he actually was Jazzy Jeff from the show and where Will Smith was. Later, he’s pulled over by a police officer and tries to weasel his way out of a speeding ticket by describing how he used to get thrown out of the Banks’ house. I liked the show as much as anyone else, but you’d think he’d try and distance himself from it sooner or later.

The entire album isn’t completely expendable, but none of it is especially remarkable. If you’ve had a craving for more “Fresh Prince” outtakes, this is about the closest you’re going to come, but if you want something fresh (no pun intended) and new, stray away from The Return of the Magnificent. Chances are you’ve heard it before.

by Chris Gaerig