DJ Jazzy Jeff Defends Will Smith Oscars Slap

screenrant.com:

Actor and musician DJ Jazzy Jeff has defended Will Smith’s slapping of Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars ceremony. A collaborator and close friend of Smith, the famed hip hop DJ — whose real name is Jeff Townes — spent 10 years recording and touring as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The duo’s act helped to bring hip hop to the mainstream and the two later starred in the hit NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air together.

Though Townes’ role as Jazz on The Fresh Prince was a relatively small one, his inclusion in the series proved Smith’s loyalty to his friend. The Jazz character became part of several key ongoing jokes in the program that audiences loved. In later years, as Smith moved on to even bigger and better things, Townes stayed focused on his music, continuing to release albums and mixtapes as well as touring. The duo reunited as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince several times after they’d officially called it quits, even releasing a 2019 single called «Yo Home To Bel Air.» After so many years as friends, it’s not hard to understand why Townes would have something to say about the controversy surrounding Smith’s Chris Rock slap.

Related: What Will Smith's Oscars Ban Means: Can He Still Win Another Oscar?

By this point, the entire world seems well aware of Smith slapping Rock during the Oscar ceremony. The incident occurred after Rock told a joke at Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense and ever since then, a constant stream of opinions has arrived from celebrities and journalists alike. But while most of those opinions haven’t come from many people who are actually close to Smith, Townes has now spoken out on the issue. As per ComicBook, Townes explained that he felt Smith’s reaction was “a lapse in judgment”:

«I think