
MC Jazzy Jeff was an American rapper from the Funky Four Plus One who was active from 1979 to 2002.
Funky Four Plus One (also known as Funky 4 + 1) was the first Hip-Hop/Rap group from The Bronx, New York, United States to receive a recording deal. They were notable for having a female MC, and were the first rap group to perform live on a national television broadcast. Jazzy Jeff from Funky Four Plus One is not the same artist as DJ Jazzy Jeff from DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. When Jazzy Jeff was setting up a solo career after the (3rd) Funky 4 split up around 1983 he sued Jive Records (who had subsequently signed DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince) and he won a lawsuit over the rights to the name "Jazzy Jeff"
Formed in 1977, the group was the first hip hop group to have a female MC, Sha Rock. Their most significant hit was the nine-minute "That's the Joint," which was sampled by the Beastie Boys on the song "Shake Your Rump." "That's the Joint" was sampled from A Taste of Honey's "Rescue Me". Their other notable recordings included the almost sixteen-minute "Rappin' and Rockin' The House", and Jazzy Jeff's recording of "King Heroin", from which a beat was sampled for use in the theme of the "The Apprentice" which taken from the O'Jays' "Money". The group never recorded a full studio album.
They were the first hip hop group to appear on a national television show, Saturday Night Live, in a season six episode hosted by Blondie's Deborah Harry (some have mistakenly reported that Run-DMC was the first rap group to appear on SNL - in fact, Run-DMC were first rappers to perform on MTV some years later).
The original members were The Voice of K.K. aka K.K. Rockwell (Kevin Smith), Keith Keith (Keith Caesar), Sha Rock (Sharon Green), Rahiem (Guy Todd Williams). Rahiem later left the group to join Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five. Sha Rock temporarily left as well, and they were replaced by Lil' Rodney C! and Jazzy Jeff, who became the 'New' Funky Four and with the return of Sha Rock who became the Plus One More.

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