 |
JURASSIC 5
Quality Control (Interscope)
Reviewed by Jason Thornberry
Consisting of four MCs and two DJs, Jurassic 5 confuses the masses of asses who like their hip-hop in bite-size, unchallenging pieces. These are anything but sound-bites for fans with Attention Deficit Disorder. Leave that to Kid Rock, who really oughta be jumping on the New Metal bandwagon, since he so strongly bears resemblance to a stoner, dude. Coming from the same open-mic café jams that were the breeding ground for Pharcyde, J5 were the result of two crews that morphed into one in 1993. This is their real debut, coming cold on the heels of the Jurassic 5 EP released in 1997. The speedy sales of their mini-LP proved that people were searching for something new, yet the flavor within the short release proved very palatable to those who still like bits of the Old School. Quality Control is the sensible continuation of that preview taste of what this Los Angeles group had in store, kicking the new and old styles at the same time: "been Too Legit to Quit before the Hammer pants."
An understated, subtle and deft touch at the turn-tables, the DJs (Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist) lay down crisp new beats, along-side stuff culled from old Bebop and Swing records, to disorient the listener, and succeed in keeping the sound from becoming predictable. No single style monopolizes Quality Control. Like the line-up (completed by rappers Chali 2na, Akil, Mark 7even, and Zaakir), the record is a mish-mash, a potpourri of different flavors and styles, all coalescing into one when the cd ends with the Buddy-Rich-on-crack maelstrom of Swing Set.
Apparently Jurassic 5 is the band to truly experience live. I saw EPMD a few years back, and they sucked. Nothing but crotch-grabbin' and empty bragging. Snore. It really under-whelmed and disappointed me, and made me think that maybe rap should be performed only in the studio. With skads of touring time under their belts, and people screaming at me about how utterly enthralling J5 is live, I just might have to check them out.
Jurassic 5 don't have time to rub slow circles on Jada Pinkett's belly for People Magazine's photographers, or appear in moronic sit-coms. They're too busy living what they write. It seems like a good life.
© 2000 - Jason Thornberry