The internet resurrected an '80s-era gem just in time for Halloween. Unbeknownst to well, everyone, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith recorded a tribute music video to the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise in 1988. It doesn't age particularly well, but it's an entertaining watch nonetheless. Let's be honest, any new glimpse of the Fresh Prince in his prime is a beautiful thing.
"Nightmare on My Street" was intended to be a single for He's The DJ I'm The Rapper, the duo's second studio album. But it didn't go as planned; New Line Cinema stepped in and made a huge deal about the video, deciding not to authorize it in conjunction with A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. New Line had already decided months prior on "Are You Ready for Freddy?" from The Fat Boys instead.
Jazzy Jeff spoke on the ordeal during an interview with The Boombox earlier this year:
"Well, you know what's crazy? No one's ever seen that video; we got sued for 'Nightmare.' We put out 'Parents Just Don't Understand' and that really blew up and the next song we were coming out with was 'Nightmare,' and before 'Nightmare' came out, we got sued by New Line Cinema," he said.
Jazzy Jeff even mentioned that the video could still be out there:
"Like to this day, I don't know… I had a copy of the video and I had an old girlfriend that taped soap operas over it. Will had a copy of the video and gave it to his dad and his dad lost it, but I don't know anyone who has that video," he said. "That video is not online, that video is… like, it may be twenty people in the world that seen that video."
The music video did air on MTV a handful of times, but New Line took the lawsuit seriously to an absurd degree (read the full court document) and ordered all copies destroyed:
"Testimony established that the songs promoted by the two videos are in direct competition in the rap music market. Certainly, with two competing videos in the music marketplace, each video will get less promotional time on MTV."
"The work does not appear to make a critical comment or statement about Nightmare I reflecting a unique perspective," the court wrote. "In fact, the video does not appear even to be making fun of the movies themselves. Rather, the video serves solely an entertainment and promotional function for Zomba's song."
The identity of the uploader who uncovered this buried classic Oct. 22 is unknown, and only goes by "Nancy Thompson" on YouTube. 30 years later …
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