Name: Homebase
Brand: Jive (USA)
SKU: 25866
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

Performer Notes

Full performer name: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince: Will Smith (rap vocals); J. Townes (scratches).
Additional personnel: Jazz Fresh, El-Sid (rap vocals); Jason Golley (trumpet); LaVette, Hula, K. Fingers, J. Bright, Jean Norris, Rene Neuville, Dawn Murphy (background vocals).
Producers: J. Townes, C. King, Hula, Fingers.
Recorded at Battery Studios and Soundtrack Studios, New York; The Warehouse and J.E.M. Sound Recording Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Personnel: Jason C. Golley (trumpet); J. Bright, Jean Norris, K. Fingers (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: DJ Jazzy Jeff; DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince; Geoff Hunt; Jeff Townes.
Audio Remixers: C.J. King; Jammin' John Moyer.
Recording information: Battery Studios; J.E.M. Sound Recordings Inc., Philadelphia, PA; Soundtrack Studios, NY; The Warehouse-J.E.M. Sound Recording Inc, Philedelphia,.
Photographer: Michael Benabib.
After the disappointingly uneven And in This Corner..., DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince restarted their commercial momentum with Homebase, which fitted Will Smith's rhymes with up-to-date, radio-friendly production and a much richer overall sound. For the first time, the album's key single wasn't a comic narrative: "Summertime" was a warm, breezy reminiscence about growing up in Philadelphia and attending barbecues where the whole community showed up to see and be seen. It had all the good vibes of a typical Fresh Prince number, but it was clearly a more mature effort, and that's Homebase in a nutshell. The smoothed-out R&B background of "Summertime" provides a template for the record's poppier moments, and there's a thumping new club influence on the dancefloor cuts. Lyrically, when he's not trying to move your butt, Smith paints himself as more of a ladies' man, in keeping with his new young-adult persona. If he's still more innocent than LL Cool J, he's throwing out all his best lines on the single "Ring My Bell" and trying to play the field on "A Dog Is a Dog." And there are a few story songs, like "Who Stole the DJ" and "You Saw My Blinker," that benefit from the fresher-sounding beats. While it doesn't have the youthful, old-school charm of He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, Homebase is a successful reinvention that laid the groundwork for Smith's multimedia stardom as an adult. ~ Steve Huey

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (9/19/91) - 3 Stars - Good - "...their sublime `Summertime' is the biggest surprise in hip-hop this year...(it) exploded out of nowhere and proved that the duo shouldn't be counted out...the album does mark a notable growth for Jeff and the Prince..."

Entertainment Weekly (7/26/91) - Rating: B-

Q (9/91) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...steers clear of misogyny, violence and garden furniture, and in the process hits the button almost every time..."

Album: Homebase
#	Song Title	Time
1)	I'm All That
2)	Summertime
3)	Things That U Do, The
4)	This Boy Is Smooth
5)	Ring My Bell
6)	Dog Is a Dog, A
7)	Caught in the Middle (Love & Life)
8)	Trapped on the Dance Floor
9)	Who Stole the D.J.
10)	You Saw My Blinker
11)	Dumb Dancin'
12)	Summertime (Reprise)
13)	Ring My Bell - (Remix, hidden track)

Album: Homebase
#	Song Title	Time
1)	I'm All That
2)	Summertime
3)	Things That U Do, The
4)	This Boy Is Smooth
5)	Ring My Bell
6)	Dog Is a Dog, A
7)	Caught in the Middle (Love & Life)
8)	Trapped on the Dance Floor
9)	Who Stole the D.J.
10)	You Saw My Blinker
11)	Dumb Dancin'
12)	Summertime (Reprise)
13)	Ring My Bell - (Remix, hidden track)