Jurassic 5

Three years ago a relatively unknown rapping quartet took the Boston Orpheum stage and opened for the sophomore tour of female rocker, Fiona Apple. This enthusiastic group, backed by two DJs, methodically began introducing themselves with a series of soulful raps. Struck by the extraordinaryordinary opening act and the unexpected genre, Fiona fans eased gently back into their seats before they began to adjust and succumb to the rapturous flow and synchronized song of an inspired group who called themselves Jurassic 5.

Formed in 1993, Jurassic 5, better known as J5, was a result of the marriage of two small L.A. rap groups named Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee. The six current members are Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir, Marc 7, DJ Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark. 4 years later, they released their independent album, which, helped the group garner a good deal of critical acclaim. But it wasn’t until Quality Control, their 2000 album, that they found themselves in amidst of a hip hop world that was gasping for a breath of fresh air and talent – an element J5 provided and hip hop had not.

For the last 5 years, the state of hip hop has undeniably become the corporate monster it once promised never to be. In its Renaissance, it was heralded as the most raw genre of music – untainted by the growing chase of a pop market and unphased by those rappers who tempted to do so. Despite the success of the MC Hammer’s and Vanilla Ice’s, the hip hop audience clearly knew what was the fundamental appeal of the music – the lyrics, the message, and the flow.

And the people would come back, this time they followed the footsteps and words of the respective princes of the West and the East – Tupac and Biggie – both of which were heralded and then martyred for their unerring honesty to depict the harsh realities of life, friendships and death. Little did the people know, the aftermath of their deaths would bring upon the pop stylings of P. Diddy, Master P, Jay-Z and shock value king Eminem: all of whom, given their immense talent, simply have not had anything intelligent to say. Especially Eminem, an artist with undeniably great flow, who simply tells everyone he hates them, but always finds a melodically “pop”-ular way to accomplish it. Now that everyone on TRL knows he’s mad, what more can he possibly have to say? From listening to the pathetic sounds of his sophmoric third album, nothing.

Not to say everything over the last few years have been bad, there have been highlights in the hip hop world in the form of notable artists like Mos Def, D’Angelo and Talib Kweli, and notable albums like Bag Lady by Erykah Badu, Things Fall Apart by the Roots and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill.

If this is the time which hip hop will heed to a wake up call, J5’s new album Power In Numbers should be the resounding 8:00 a.m. church bells.

Having spent 18 months to produce this album, the work and effort definitely shows. The rhymes are keyed in perfect sync with each grooving beat and the transition from one voice to the next is sinuous. J5’s weakness has never come from their ability to flow, so obviously that was not going to be a problem on any album. Rather, Quality Control and their self titled 1997 album suffered from the lack of polish and clean execution.

Power In Numbers is an evolutionary step for J5 in that they are aware of their strengths and focused on their abilities. Their two DJ’s Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark have gone further than ever before in finding age old samples and infusing them with smooth underlying, funk-laced beats – beats that do not penetrate the strengths of the rap and rhythm, but rather complement the simplicity and quality of the sound.

The rap and the style is innovative, but the sound itself is very reminiscent of throwback old-school verse, making this album both refreshingly original and unbelievably classic. Words of which have not been associated to a hip hop album in a while. All in all, J5 executes everything with a great deal of soul and reflection.

It is exactly that reflection that shines above everything in the end. In their third track, “If You Only Knew,” J5 expresses the exact sentiments of the hip hop state and their music by rapping, “Never think just for shits and giggles, do we spit syllables and riddles for bits and kibbles so chicks can wiggle and shake, cuz this image is fake…but do believe we try to take rap back to its primitive state.” On top of providing an earful on the misguided artists of rap, J5 is also able to convey their musical intentions on the same track by adding in harmonized unison, “If you only knew, the trials and tribulations we’ve been through / if you only knew, we’re real people, homey, just like you / we’re humble, but don’t confuse us with some corny ass group / what we do is try to give you something you ain’t used to: / soul music, something we can all relate to.”

This album is going to end up as the strongest rap album of the year and quite possibly one of the best in the last 5 years. All of which bodes well for hip hop. With the emergence of J5’s new album, an optimist might even say hip hop has only hit a snag and the crap will eventually dissipate, leading to a true, golden era on the horizon. On the other hand, it seems too easy and sad to say hip hop has already died with its legends and this, as a ghetto fabulous Lester Bangs might have put it, “is the death rattle of hip hop.”