DJ Jazzy Jeff is the latest to give his two cents on the infamous Will Smith/Chris Rock slap. The DJ is a former collaborator of Smith’s—the two acted and rapped together for the TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. And now, he has come to Smith’s defense.
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On Closed Sessions Legend Conversation, the DJ told the audience present, “Don’t get it twisted that [the slap] was something [Smith] was proud of. It was a lapse in judgment.”
“I think the thing that I’ve realized is I don’t know too many people that have had the least amount of lapse of judgment than him,” he continued. “I can name 50 times that he should’ve smacked the shit out of somebody and he didn’t. For him to have a lapse in judgment, he’s human. And I think a lot of the criticism comes from the people who don’t think people like that are human.”
Jeff spent several seasons of Fresh Prince with Smith, and the duo produced several gold and platinum-selling songs as DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. In fact, the pair won the first-ever rap Grammy Award for “Parents Just Don’t Understand” in 1989. They would later win another Grammy for the song “Summertime.”
In addition to Jeff’s statement, several artists have voiced both their support and condemnation of Smith’s actions. Smith himself issued an apology for his actions and was later banned from the Oscars for 10 years by the Academy Awards.
Watch DJ Jazzy Jeff’s statement below.
Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
