Jeff began to blast the results from the dinner-tent DJ booth.
Afterward, he takes a seat next tothe LoxMCStyles P, who just stopped by for the night.
To me, that sounds like thats a good [song].
DJ Jazzy JeffJeff Stewart/Courtesy of Serato
With that, he sends them off to enjoy a good, old-fashioned house party by the pool.
They scream their thanks to him.
Jeff didnt set out to create this ritual.
He invited them to spend a few days at his house.
It started to become really emotional.
I didnt realize that people had anxieties, Jazzy Jeff says.
Hip-hop can be very me-me-me, I-I-I, and the Playlist community is We, she says.
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I said, Why?
He said, Theres a personal level of respect that people have when you invite them to your home.
There are no managers, teams, or uninvited guests allowed.
The retreat rosters expanded from 36 to 100 DJs, instrumentalists, songwriters, and singers.
Everyone is hand selected by Jeff and past attendees, who give referrals.
The result is a grown-up, hip-hop sleepover unlike anything theyve ever experienced, guests tell me.
When people go to other events, its a come-up.
No one in here is out for themselves.
When we leave here, the other magic happens we actually connect.
Now its like, youre in a room withhimmaking music, she tells me.
Res had just taken up DJing, calling herself an embryo.
Earlier, a more experienced DJ,Popo, from Atlanta, taught her how to scratch.
You had to re-record it?
Taylor Swift did it, she says matter-of-factly.
Im about to start crying, I hear a woman behind me say.
Even Jeff still seems astonished to be in the presence of one of hip-hops founding innovators.
In turn, Flash boils down his inventions to their motivations.
I didnt want your guitar part, I didnt want your fucking keyboard part.
I wanted the drummer with minor accompaniment.
The conversation took a more personal turn as Jeff asked Flash about how his mother shaped him.
The younger DJ had just lost his own, who was always in his corner.
I watched Jeffs son, the DJCory Townes, become emotional.
Weve been here before, where weve had tragedies in our culture.
Whether youre on the radio or in the club or on Twitch, keep playing the music.
I dont want to go into whatever it is because its all alleged.
We dont know what the outcome is going to be with it, he hedged.
Its scary to watch.
How do you break somebody now?
Joe hadnt met most people at the retreat before, but they had connected online.
I found Joe Davis on Instagram.
When Joe Davis walked in, it was 50 people who said, I know you!
Thats how you do it.
It wasnt Joe Daviss hit record.
Joe Davis is showing everybody on social media what [he does] with [his] talent.
He was grateful to be here, sharing their passion in the real world.
