Jurassic 5
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Jurassic 5 is a five-piece hip hop crew that was formed in 1993 at the Los Angeles, California, venue Good Life. Rappers Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir aka Soup, Mark 7even, and turntable maestros DJ Nu-Mark and DJ Cut Chemist came together from two separate crews, the Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee. Cut Chemist has since left the group.
History
The group debuted for TVT Records in 1995 with a single "Unified Rebelution". Their acclaimed position in the 1990s alternative hip hop movement, alongside artists including Company Flow, Black Star and Kool Keith, was confirmed when the Jurassic 5 EP was released in December 1997.The EP was later repackaged with additional tracks and released in December 1998 as the band's full-length debut album, entitled Jurassic 5 LP.
The tracks harked back to the old school attitude of New York's Native Tongues Posse, the seminal late 1980s coalition of artists who reaffirmed rap's social agenda, which included De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest. This was evident on the song "Concrete Schoolyard" ("Let's take it back to the concrete streets/Original beats from real live MCs"), and the album even provided the troupe with a surprise UK Top 40 single when it reached number 35 in November 1998. The other stand-out track, "Jayou", was built around a hypnotic flute loop from Pleasure Web's "Music Man Part 1".
In 1999, Jurassic 5 signed to Interscope Records, who re-released the Jurassic 5 EP. This was followed by their second album (their first on a major label), Quality Control.
In 2002, they released their third album, Power In Numbers, which was followed by touring with the newly-revived Lollapalooza festival in the summer of 2003.
In 2006, Jurassic 5 toured without Cut Chemist, who left the group to pursue a solo career [link]. The remaining 5 members have recorded and are set to release their 4th album Feedback on July 25, 2006.
Collaborations
- 1996 - Nu Mark appeared on two tracks with Floetry.
- 1998 - Cut Chemist and Chali 2na recorded as part of the Latin funk/hip-hop crew Ozomatli on their self-titled debut album.
- 1998 - Cut Chemist collaborated with Shortkut from Invisibl Skratch Piklz on Live at Future Primitive Sound Session.
- 1998 - Nu Mark made a guest appearance alongside Perry Farrell and DVDA on the track "Hot Lava" from the South Park album, Chef Aid.
- 1999 - Cut Chemist collaborated with DJ Shadow on the album Brainfreeze.
- 1999 - Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark collaborated with Incubus on the track "Battlestar Scralatchtica" from the album Make Yourself.
- 2001 - Cut Chemist collaborated with DJ Shadow on the album Product Placement.
- 2001 - Cut Chemist appeared on the second Ozomatli album, Embrace The Chaos.
- 2001 - Jurassic 5 collaborated on the track "Lunchtime" and Akil also appeared on the track "Jaw Jabbin'" on Click Tha Supah Latin's album, Square Won.
- 2002 - Akil, Chali 2na and Marc 7even, alongside Rakaa Iriscience (from Dilated Peoples) appeared on the Supernatural track "Work It Out".
- 2002 - Chali 2na appeared on "4000 Miles" by Blackalicious on the album Blazing Arrow. Also on that album, Cut Chemist produced "Chemical Calisthenics".
- 2002 - Chali 2na collaborated with Linkin Park on the album Reanimation for the song "Frgt/10"
- 2003 - Akil & Chali 2na appeared together on the DJ Format track "We Know Something You Don't Know" from his album, Music For The Mature B-Boy.
- 2003 - Akil & Chali 2na appeared on the remix of Soulive's track "Doin' Something".
- 2004 - Cut Chemist collaborated with DJ Shadow on the album Product Placement on Tour.
- 2004 - Cut Chemist and Chali 2na appeared on the third Ozomatli album, Street Signs.
- 2005 - Akil & Chali 2na appeared on DJ Format's "The Place" from the album If You Can't Join 'em... Beat 'em.
- 2005 - Zaakir paired up with Young Einstein from Ugly Duckling for the track "Have And Have Nots" from the compilation album, Impeach The Precedent (2005).
- 2002 to 2005 - Both Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark have appeared live on stage on several occasions with DJ Shadow. They performed the track "Pushin' Buttons" in 2002 which was released on the limited edition version of Shadow's The Private Press album and the pair can be seen joining him on his most recent DVD release, In Tune and On Time from 2005.
- Chali 2na has made a number of guest appearances on other artists' records, including Roots Manuva and members of Pharcyde. See the full list of Chali 2na's collaborations.
- 2006 - Jurassic 5 teamed with members of the Dave Matthews Band on the track "Work It Out" for their new album. Dave Matthews sings the chorus and members of the 5 rap the verses.
Musical style
Jurassic 5 is known for:- A no-frills ethos musical approach that evokes old school hip hop.
- Tag-team delivery, with the four MCs trading off lyrics (finishing one another's sentences, speaking words one after the other, and so on) and harmonizing on choruses to the point where they have been likened to a hip-hop barbershop quartet
- Primarily positive and inventive lyrics, interspersed with self-promotion and social commentary.
- Touring outside of hip-hop circles, including the 2003 Lollapalooza, the 2000 Warped Tour and festivals such as Bonnaroo and Reading.
Near-death experience
In 2000, while heading to Nashville, Tennessee as a stop on the Warped Tour, the members of Jurassic 5 were involved in a tour bus accident when the driver fell asleep at the wheel and sent the vehicle into a six-foot ditch. Chali 2na and two of his colleagues were hospitalized, with 2na sustaining the gravest injuries. His skull was fractured, requiring a metal plate be implanted in his head. 2na has stated that survival of this near-death experience has made him more conscious of his religion.Discography
- Jurassic 5 (01 December 1998, Pan Records)
- Quality Control (20 June 2000, Interscope Records)
- Power In Numbers (8 October 2002, Interscope Records)
- Jurassick! (Freestyles and Rarities) (date unknown, Interscope Records)
- Pre-Historik Rarities (2003)
- Feedback (due for release 25 July 2006, Interscope Records)
Sound clip
[Jurassic 5's "Jurass Finish First"] from 2000's Quality Control - featuring heavy use of alliteration, rhyme, word-plays and assonance.External links
- [Official Jurassic 5 site]
- [Official Interscope Records site]
- [Jurassic 5 Lyrics]
- [DJ Nu-Mark Profile at The Career Cookbook]
- [Marc 7 Profile at The Career Cookbook]
- *[Related Artist Dilated Peoples Homepage]
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