''Da Jammies'' is an

animated musical television series Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

that first aired on August 31, 2015, on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. It was created by Aulsondro "Novelist" Hamilton and William "Dolla" Chapman II. The series covers various issues that affect children with an overarching theme of "unity" and "doing it together". Ralph Farquhar is the executive producer. It is directed by Tyree Dillihay and Ron Myrick. Featured guest stars include

Darius McCrary Darius Creston McCrary (born May 1, 1976) is an American actor, singer and producer. McCrary is known for his role as Edward "Eddie" Winslow, the oldest child of Carl and Harriette Winslow on the ABC/CBS television sitcom ''Family Matters'', wh ...

, Alisa Reyes, Dani Nicolet,

Kurtis Blow Kurtis Walker (born August 9, 1959), known professionally by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapping , rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Walker is the first commercially successful rapper and the first to sign with a major rec ...

, Buddy Lewis, Emcee N.I.C.E., William "Dolla" Chapman II aka D.B.I., Tiny Lister Jr.,

Kel Mitchell Kel Johari Rice Mitchell (born August 25, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, rapper, singer, and TV host. He was an original cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series '' All That'' for its first five seasons (1994–1999), where he ...

and

James Avery James La Rue Avery (November 27, 1945 – December 31, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Philip Banks in ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', Judge Michael Conover on ''L.A. Law'', Steve Yeager in '' The Brady Bunch M ...

Premise

''Da Jammies'' centers around a group of friends who attend a performing arts school where they struggle to balance real-life issues with their dreams of stardom. Co-leader Dolla (William "Dolla" Chapman II) is a quick-tempered, rapping dancer who believes that Da Jammies do not practice enough. The other co-leader, Novelist ( Aulsondro "Novelist" Hamilton), plays a "peacekeeping" role and always has a solution to help the crew succeed. The other members are Momo ( Alisa Reyes), a poet with a bubbly personality; LaLa ( Dani Nicolet), a singing diva; and Seven (Anderson Johnson Jr.), a "soulful crooner" who always tries to be helpful. Their nemesis is another group called the Battlebrats, whose leaders Mike Fresh (

) and Smalls (Shane Tsurugi) constantly seek ways to outdo Da Jammies and usually fail. In each episode, the show addresses issues that affect young people, such as homelessness, bullying, self-awareness, body image, and friendship.

Cast and characters

Principal cast

Secondary cast

Einny (voiced by Shane Tsurugi) - Resident Genius Einny is not only the resident genius with an IQ of 300, but he is the king of gadgets. He chose to forego college, telling his mother and father he knows he's smart but that he wants to grow up like a normal kid. He befriended Da Jammies and started inventing things like rockets, time-traveling machines, and space ships. * Principal Cransberry (voiced by

) The Musical Has Been Cransberry is an extremely short, money-hungry principal who exploits the students' talents for his own benefit. A former R&B singer who never made it past his first record, he knows the kids can make money, and does all he can to profit off them. This includes taking a portion of all proceeds that Da Jammies and others make while performing at the school. * Klondell (voiced by Buddy Lewis) All World Security Guard Klondell is a security guard at the school and the local mall. He acts as a resident uncle to the students but sees the kids as beyond stupid with their reliance on gadgets and technology. He wants things to be as they used to be.

Da Jammies Nemesis

The Battlebrats

* Mike Fresh (voiced by

) Non-talented hothead Mike Fresh comes from an affluent family that allows him to get whatever he wants. He wants to rap but is not good at it, and is jealous of Dolla. He does whatever he pleases. Part of his everyday routine is coming up with ways to sabotage Dolla; which includes Da Jammies. * Smalls (voiced by Shane Tsurugi) The Rapping Japanese Smalls is equally spoiled by his affluent family. He loves to rap sometimes in Japanese and English. His dad is a well-to-do music executive who doesn't know his son is amazing. Mike Fresh and Smalls are best friends who constantly endanger themselves.

Additional characters

* Covington -

. This role marks Avery's final television appearance, with the actor dying two years prior to the series' completion. As a result, the entire series was dedicated to his memory. * Big Horace - Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, Jr. This role would mark Lister's final television appearance prior to his death in 2022. * Shamus - Marcus T. Paulk * Kurtis Flow -

* Crazy Craze - James "JJ" Lewis * Lady Lark -

Rebecca Shoichet Rebecca Shoichet ( ) is a Canadian voice actress who has voiced in English dubs of Japanese anime and other shows for Ocean Productions in Vancouver, having moved there from Victoria in 2000. She took over Saffron Henderson's role of Sota Hig ...

* Angelique -

Kyla Pratt Kyla Alissa Pratt (born September 16, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for providing the voice of Penny Proud in the first Disney Channel animated series, ''The Proud Family'', and portraying Breanna Latrice Barnes in UPN's ''One on ...

* Love Man -

Rodney Perry Rodney Perry (born September 15, 1970) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He is most known for serving as co-host on Black Entertainment Television, BET's late night talk show ''The Mo'Nique Show'' where he provided laughs alongside actre ...

* The Magician -

Dorien Wilson Dorien Leon Wilson (born July 5, 1963) is an American actor known for his role as Professor Stanley Oglevee on the UPN sitcom ''The Parkers'' (the spin-off series of ''Moesha''), which ran from 1999 to 2004, his recurring role as Terrence Winning ...

* 8's Mother -

Kym Whitley Kym Whitley (born July 21, 1962) is an American comedian, actress and podcaster. She is known for her roles on television sitcoms, such as ''My Brother and Me'', '' Sparks'', ''Animal Practice'', ''The Boondocks'', ''Young & Hungry'', ''The Park ...

* Substitute Teacher - May May Ali * Little Horace - Jamal McCants * Irish / Jamaican / Pretty Girl - Malia Dawkins * LaLa's Mother - Rena Andrews * Nurse Kelly - Riccarda Lacey * Novelist's Mother - Sophia Santi * Big Daddy Candy Cane - Ulysses Braxton * Motor City J – Taylor Boggan

Casting

Eileen Mack Knight was in charge of casting for ''Da Jammies''.

Episodes

Broadcast

As of 2016, ''Da Jammies'' was streaming in 14 countries on

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, Canada, India, Ireland,

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, UK and USA. As of 2021, ''Da Jammies'' was no longer available on Netflix.

Reception

''Da Jammies'' received mixed but favorable reviews upon its debut. ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' magazine called it "Fame" meets "Josie and The Pussycats".

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. After airing locally on WCIU-TV in Chicago, Illinois, for a year, it aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featu ...

deemed it a "First of its kind 3D animated series that combines hip-hop music, dance and fashion". The show received 3 out of 5 stars on

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jammies, Da 2015 American animated television series debuts 2015 American television series endings 2010s American animated comedy television series 2010s American black cartoons 2010s American children's comedy television series 2010s American musical comedy television series 2015 Canadian television series debuts 2015 Canadian television series endings 2010s Canadian animated comedy television series 2010s Canadian children's television series 2010s Canadian black cartoons American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated musical television series American computer-animated television series Canadian children's animated comedy television series Canadian children's animated musical television series Canadian computer-animated television series American English-language television shows Hip-hop television Netflix children's programming Animated television series set in California Animated television series about children Animated television series about families