Jurassic 5- The Rave, 7/24/014

Jurassic 5 reunited for their 20th anniversary show last week at the Rave and performed to a packed house bringing their "old school" hip hop stylings to fans new and old.  At one point in the show, the most well-know of the J5 emcees, Chali 2Na, addressed the crowd asking for a show of hands of how many people in attendance were age 25 and older, and how many were age 25 and younger. Coincidentally, it was almost an even split, showing how this group of four harmonizing emcees (Akil, Zaakir, Marc 7, and Chali 2Na)  backed by two virtuoso deejays (Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark) can move a crowd to head-bob and dance regardless of age.  For what it's worth, my concert companions and I were in the "way old school" crowd of 35 or older- although there were fans much older than us in attendance, proving the wide range of Jurassic 5's appeal.

J5- photo by Will Piper

Jurassic 5, despite some gray hairs and beards, rolled through a robust hour and forty minute set covering their four studio albums, solo work from Chali 2Na, and ep releases. The emcees barely took a break, nor did they pull any of the classic hip-hop hype filler ("throw your hands in the air, "everybody make some NOISE," etc.).  As with the previous J5 shows I've seen, "it's all about the beats and the lyrics." The show flowed well from track to track, and the emcees barely missed a beat.  The show was a wonderful retrospective of their sound and positive hip hop vibe, which has long drawn comparison to acts like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Pharcyde.

Jurassic 5 distinguished themselves from their peers with their rhyme sharing and harmonies which were as good as ever on tracks like "Concrete Schoolyard,""Quality Control," and "Freedom."  Other numbers like, "Jayou," "What's Golden," and "Jurass Finish First" were also noteworthy.

Jurassic 5 are master showmen and their smiles, interplay and flow were evident on just about all of their tracks.  They clearly enjoyed performing together and entertaining their audience at The Rave.

If I had to name a challenge for the show, it would have to be the mix.  While DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist are truly masters in their trade, rarely could you hear their beat matching over the emcees' vocals and basic bass and drum beats.  This is the most common gripe many concert goers, including myself, have with live hip hop, but there is a reason it gets brought up so much... it is hard to recreate the studio live.  That said, in my estimation, admittedly as someone who is not often drawn to hip hop music, Jurassic 5 delivered about as good of a set as one could ask for.