JAZZY JOYCE

Original press kit biography

Sweet T and Jazzy Joyce, pp. 13-14. Transcribed from the circa 1987 Idol Makers press kit. The wording reflects the time it was written.

"IT'S MY BEAT" is the debut release from these two talented young ladies. Toi Jackson and Joyce Spencer are their names, and they will tell you all about themselves.

Sweet T ...

"My name is Toi Crystal Jackson a/k/a The Lady Sweet T. I was born in Queens on August 5, 1964. I am 22 years old and Leo is the sign. I was in the Eleventh grade in Bayside High School when I decided I wanted to be an M.C.. so at lunchtime you could always find me with the fellows banging beats on the tables and rhyming. In 1983 I met Davey D.M.X. who asked me to be a part of his group. As a studio Artist my partner Ionie and I could be heard on "One for the Treble" and "The D.M.X. Will Rock". I traveled with Davey D.M.X. until the end of 1984 when the group broke up. Shortly after that I joined the "Glamour Girls" and did the answer to "Oh! Veronica" (Original by the Bad Boys) released on Pop Art late 1985.

While hanging out in Latin Quarters, I met Hurby Luv Bug who already knew of me and was interested in working with me. We got together went into the studio and did the record. Hanging out at the Latin Quarters, Yes Again, I met Jazzy Joyce, and I thought a female D.J., thats dope, and here we are."

Jazzy Joyce

"My name is Joyce Lynn Spencer and I was born on June 20, 1967. My cousin D.J. Chovie Chove (Anthony Carter) inspired me to become a D.J. and taught me the basics. In March of 1981 I got my own set.

In 1983 I participated in the New Music Seminar and won a battle with Wanda Dee. I did background vocals on "Play that Beat" by G.L.O.B.E. and Whiz Kid. In August 1984 I was a featured D.J. at a club in the Village called the "Earth's Edge". After that I asked to be the D.J. for the Sweet Trio, a group formed by Whiz Kid. In April 1985 I performed at the Shaw Theater in London, England with Afrika Bambaataa, Red Alert, Lisa Lee, and Ikey "C". We also performed at the Hippodrame and made two videos while we where there. In May of 1985 "Nonstop" by the "Sweet Trio" was released. I stayed with them until October of 1986. Now I'm with Sweet T."

The reception to the record "It's My Beat" has been great. It was originally released on "Mr. Magic's Rap Attack, Volume II" but soon after that records release, it was apparent that Sweet T and Jazzy Joyce would be off on their own. The single was released at the end of December and has developed a strong position in the underground and is destined to break radio any day, if it has not already.

"It's My Beat" crosses over

Her collaboration with Sweet Tee, "It's My Beat," reached the UK Official Singles Chart in 1987. The original kit describes the single's strong underground reception; the chart entry shows that it also crossed into an international market.

Records and turntable legacy

Jazzy Joyce's turntable work continued beyond her records with Sweet Tee. She later worked with Digable Planets on "The 9th Wonder," a collaboration documented by the NAMM oral history archive.

NAMM recorded an oral history interview with Joyce in 2012, preserving her account of her career and the New York hip-hop scene. The archive also recognizes her place among the few women who competed in the New Music Seminar DJ battles.

Radio and teaching

Joyce spent 15 years DJing on New York's Hot 97. She also taught at Scratch DJ Academy and played summer park events with Tools of War. She described those parts of her career in a 2014 interview.

Filmography