Jazzy Five was a hip hop group founded in the mid-1970s.

History

The group was initially formed in

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

as the Jazzy Four by Charlie Choo, Master Bee, Master Ice, and MC Sundance, with

Jazzy Jay John Byas (born November 18, 1961), also known as The Original Jazzy Jay or DJ Jazzy Jay, is an American hip hop Turntablism, DJ and producer. Background Jazzy Jay was born into a Gullah family in coastal South Carolina. He moved with his famil ...

as the group's DJ. Prior to the group's formation, its members were associated with

Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is a retired American DJ, rapper, and record producer. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of ...

and the

Universal Zulu Nation The Universal Zulu Nation is an international hip hop culture, hip hop awareness group formed by electro (music), electro/hip hop artist Afrika Bambaataa. According to the website of the UZN, the Zulu Nation stands for "knowledge, wisdom, und ...

. After several line-up changes with the departure of MC Sundance and Charlie Choo, the recruitment of Mr. Freeze and Master Dee as their replacements, respectively, and the further addition of A.J. Les, the group became known as the Jazzy Five. “Jazzy Sensation (Bronx Version)” was recorded by Afrika Bambaataa and the Jazzy Five in 1981 as the first

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

single on

Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...

. The song was the only major hit for the Jazzy Five. The song was later remixed by

Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...

. After having performed regularly at parties in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, the group disbanded in the mid-1980s.

References

American hip-hop groups African-American musical groups Hip-hop groups from New York City Musical groups from the Bronx Rappers from the Bronx East Coast hip-hop groups American musical quintets Soundview, Bronx {{US-hiphop-bio-stub