Before the hop-scotch rhymes, twerk music and Southern rap movement, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince initiated a new era of hip hop with their 1988 groundbreaking album He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.

The album featured the hit “Parent’s Just Don’t Understand,” which landed on the R&B Hit list on April 16, 1988, peaking at No. 10 on the R&B charts and No. 12 on the pop charts. The single would become one of three Top 10 hits for the rappers.

“Parents Just Don’t Understand” undoubtedly gave Jeffrey Townes and Will Smith their household names, mainly due to the music video which featured Smith and Townes trying to get around parents' rules and do things that most teens in America also dreamed of.

The song was so successful it won the Philadelphia duo the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance at the 31st Grammy Awards in 1989.  

Follow Dominique Zonyeé on Twitter: @DominiqueZonyee.

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(Photo: Ron Wolfson /Landov)