A once-in-a-lifetime party: DJ Jazzy Jeff will spin hip-hop classics for 50 old-school emcees in Atlantic City

DJ Jazzy Jeff Townes is hype.

He’s a couple of weeks away from Mixtape Live, an old-school rap concert where he will spin classics for 50 of hip-hop’s greatest emcees at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on June 17.

“Sounds dope,” I said to Townes, half of the iconic Grammy-winning rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, his excitement as palpable as a tight beat. We are chatting on a three-way Zoom with Charlie “Mack” Alston, a longtime Philly party promoter, manager, industry insider, and one of Townes’ oldest friends. He is producing the concert.

“But who will be there?” I asked.

“Who will not be there?” Townes asked.

And on cue, Alston starts to spit names like an emcee spits rhymes: The Sugarhill Gang, the Treacherous Three, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Angie Stone, Onyx, CL Smooth, Peter Gunz, J.J. Fad, Roxanne Shante, Kurtis Blow, Cold Crush Brothers, MC Shan, EPMD, Kwame, and Treach.

“And that’s just a slice,” Mack said.

These acts are the foundation of hip-hop, reaching the height of their popularity in the late ‘80s and ‘90s. Most of the artists claim New York as home, but the West Coast — Yo-Yo is scheduled to perform — will be in the house, too. Several performers including Schoolly D, Tuff Crew, Da Youngstas, and of course, Townes — hail from Philly.

“You are going to wish you could tape this,” Alston said. “This is the soundtrack of our lives.”

“Make sure you go to the bathroom before the show starts,” Townes jumped in. “Once the music starts the hits will be dropping fast and furious.”

Word.

Before music was wildly distributed on streaming services, DJs used mixers and turntables to make highly stylized tapes with original beats, remixed versions of classic songs, and rhymes from new artists. They sold these mixed tapes in street kiosks and out the backs of their trunks in mall parking lots and after the clubs let out. Philly is known for having some of the world’s best DJs who made the hottest mixed tapes. Mixtape Live pays homage to that part of hip-hop history.

Alston created Mixtape Live to celebrate Black Music Month, Juneteenth, and hip-hop’s 50th birthday. Hip-hop’s official birthday is Aug. 11 and marks the day DJ Kool Herc introduced the breakbeat to dance floors at his sister’s back-to-school block party. The breakbeat is the foundation of rap music, and the hip-hop generation has been celebrating its birthday all year with parties, concerts, and museum exhibits.

Townes immediately agreed to DJ the concert. New York radio pioneer Kool DJ Red Alert will join Townes on the wheels of steel at Boardwalk Hall for some sets as well. Mack tapped Doug E. Fresh, the beloved original Human Beat Box, to help curate the artists and set the list. The three tapped into their collection of hip-hop contacts and were able to get the legends on board.

Local radio DJs Lady B, of Classix 107.9, and Patty Jackson and Mimi Brown, both of 105.3 WDAS — who played a pivotal role in introducing hip-hop to Philadelphia in the early days — will host the evening’s festivities.

“It’s very important that we tell the story of hip-hop through the performances of these dynamic emcees,” Alston said. “We are making history.”

Tickets are $55-$75 and available on Ticketmaster at https://www.ticketmaster.com/50th-anniversary-of-hip-hop-mix-atlantic-city-new-jersey-06-17-2023/event/02005E7DCF91485A and at www.ppshows.com