Staying Fresh

STAYING FRESH

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Parents Just Don't Understand

The "Parents Just Don't Understand" music video was directed by Scott Kalvert and released in 1988 by Sony BMG, later known as Sony Music Entertainment.

The song and video tells two stories of the Fresh Prince not getting along with his parents in his youth. First he goes clothes shopping with his family but his mother only buys him clothes that are inexpensive and look 20 years out of style. He also tells a story of when his parents go out of town and he takes the family car for a joy ride (without a license), picks up a fine-lookin' young lady, and gets pulled over and caught by the police. The girl ended up being a runaway which added to his trouble. When his parents found out they were furious and the young prince was left to their unreasonable punishment because parents just don't understand.

The video mostly takes place in either a white room covered in PG graffiti or in a black background location where only the actors and a few props are visible. The video makes use of comically large props and cartoonish outfits for his family.

The Prince faces the camera and speaks to the audience for much of the video, telling us the story so we can feel the intense emotional trauma he's being subjected to throughout his childhood. It frequently cuts to various different shots showing things like his parents chasing him around the room yelling, Jazzy Jeff workin' his magic on the turntables, or just the Fresh Prince getting jiggy with it in another new and colorful outfit. The camera appears to be handheld because it's always a little shaky and almost always moving.
This video is obviously very silly and fun in tone and all the things I just mentioned go along with that lighthearted tone. His music is usually very fun and family-friendly, even if it is a bit rebellious, and this video embodies that perfectly.

Will Smith - Gettin' Jiggy Wit It

"Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" was directed by Hype Williams and released in 1998 by Colmbia Records.

This video doesn't tell a story as much as it showcases colorful locations at Vegas hotels, colorful outfits ranging from incredible blue tracksuits to a floral suit that I would do anything to obtain, and of course, Will's dance moves. This song teaches you how to get jiggy with it, a lesson we could all use every now and then, and who better to teach us than Will Smith.

This video has a much larger scale and budget than the songs of his early Fresh Prince days. He's an adult now, and this video doesn't have the same silliness, but it is just as fun. In 1998 Will wasn't just a safe rapper for kids to listen to, he was a movie star known for "Men in Black" and "Independence Day", and this video feels much more like that. Expensive clothes, fancy locations, surrounded by women.
The camera is always moving, and so is almost everybody in the video. The song is about dancing so that is showcased throughout. Will looks into the camera when he is rapping as he did in "Parents Just Don't Understand", but in this one he's not telling us a story as much as he is telling us how he likes to have a good time. The camera is often low and pointed up at our star, perhaps to make "Big Willie" seem even taller and larger than life like these locations or perhaps to just better display his fly new looks. A fish eye lens is used at several points in the video and I've never really liked those but music videos sure seem to like them so maybe I'm just missing something. Maybe that shows off the backgrounds better or maybe it draws focus to the center of the action (Will).
I didn't talk about his Egyptian outfit but I think it is my duty to share it.

Will Smith - Freakin' It

The music video for "Freakin It" was directed by Paul Hunter and released in 2000 by Columbia Records. The song was on the album "Willenium" which is a great title.

The video opens with a welcome to Philadelphia sign which sets the stage for this video to celebrate Will's hometown, which we are all aware of thanks to his tv show theme song. The song is a celebration of his success and is filled with him bragging but the video is about his city and his fans as much as it is about him. He leaves his house on a cold Philly morning and immediately starts accumulating people following him as he travels the city, visiting many famous landmarks like the Rocky steps and the LOVE statue. He goes to a 76ers basketball game and interacts with people and gets the crowd to sing the "Yeah yeah"s of the song's hook.

This video highlights the city a ton with lots of transitions using footage of the streets or from above the city. The locations are ones people recognize without having ever been there. The video has his usual rapping at the camera, but there seems to be much less shots of just him and more of him with other people or just of other people. The thing that really sets his video apart from the last one is the people. They aren't a bunch of dancers or attractive twenty-something party goers, they are people, not actors, of all ages who live in Will's home town. He spends a huge chunk of the video on a playground with a ton of kids (I'm pretty sure one of them is Jaden at about age 2). In his lyrics he brags about his money and success (he has the history to back it up at this point) like many rappers enjoy doing, but with a pretty sick line he sates "All you rappers yellin' bout who you put in a hearse, Do me a favor write one verse without a curse" and in the next scene he's at a playground with children, setting himself apart from most rappers by being more of a super cool dad character rather than a gangster.

He has his normal amount of costume changes, mostly winter clothes due to the climate. My favorite is the all white one he wears at the ice skating rink.

"Every time I shoot I score, so many awards I could start a Grammy chess board."