(Note – Video links may contain NSFW images and audio)
In all fairness, there's a decent chance you've heard of the Jurassic 5. However, I'd wager down to my last Satoshi that you're likely woefully under-informed about the truly prolific nature of these impressarios. Regardless of the genre you want to label the Jurassic 5 with - rap, hip-hop, post-modern barber-shop A-cappella, etc. - I think they're the absolute best in it. That's my bias.
Jurassic 5 formed in 1993 in Los Angeles, ultimately breaking up in 2007 before reforming in 2013 for some limited touring dates. Members Akil, Zaakir, Marc 7, DJ Nu-Mark, Chali 2na, and Cut Chemist continue to produce and release their own work on the side, sometimes partly in collaboration with other members. Though only 4 emcees contribute their voices on their tracks, the "5" is said to represent the combined harmony of their voices
Jurassic 5 never got the wide recognition they deserved, relative to their huge body of high quality work. Two of their albums reached #15 on the Billboard 200, but no higher. In my experience, they saw extremely limited radio play and are not at all well-known. I'd say they were The Mars Volta (/shameless self-promotion) of hip-hop, if they weren't 20 years earlier!
It's daunting to construct and attempt to sort-for-quality a Jurassic 5 playlist, given they take up over a full page in my iTunes.
Here's a selection of my top tracks, which unsurprisingly, DO contain EXPLICIT LANGUAGE:
The Influence - It all started here for me. An upbeat track with a clean solo verse for each of our vocalists.
Verbal Gunfight - Love the flow of the lyrics and the Western imagery on this track. "I use my rhymes like a glock automatic."
Remember His Name - A sleeper favorite of mine that I believe really shows what makes this group different. They can make garbled phone salutations into music. Can you guess who "he" is before the final line?
Future Sound - One of the final songs from Jurassic 5's final album, you can really hear how modernized their beats and production have become by this time. It really makes me wish they could have continued this evolution into another album around 2008, so we wouldn't have spent that year listening to 13 weeks of "Womanizer" in the top 10. (Didn't she once cop to "playing with hearts"? "Oops.")
High Fidelity - If you like this track, look for the remix as well. The loop is simpler in it.
Great Expectations - Another personal favorite from what I consider the group's heyday.
Concrete Schoolyard – "...fire to the Hindenburg" analogies have achieved peak acceptability.
Without A Doubt - An example of a slower, simpler beat that emphasizes the verse.
Improvise – Another track with an emphasis on lyrical flow and a streamlined beat.
Action Satisfaction - The best satisfaction-based song since Elvis.
Jayou – Also known as (Snap, Crackle, Pop). Kellogg's did not immediately respond to comment regarding the "constipation of nerds".
The Game – This track sees a lot of voice sampling and a thorough basketball analogy maintained throughout.
Quality Control - The eponymous track from their second album.
Long Road To Glory - The beat here is highly discordant, arguably even a cacophony, but it works!
L.A.U.S.D. - Requisite commentary on H&H (Hollywood and Haters).
World Of Entertainment - Also know as "WoE is Me". "A rapper is a kid who's tryin' to be the shit. An entertainer ain't tryin' cause he already is."
I Am Sombebody - This whole song is impressively based on a sub-5s repeating beat loop.
Sum Of Us - Can you recall a speedier xylophone intro? (Disclaimer: I know almost nothing about xylophones.)
Work It Out - A fan favorite collaboration with Dave Matthews.
Thin Line – Best known for featuring Nelly Furtado, this is an interesting duet about the tensions of physical attraction in friendship.
Unified Rebellion - Jurassic 5's first single in in 1995
If you enjoyed these tracks, take a look at the artists solo work as well! Here's one interesting track I found from Marc 7 which deserves more traction than it got:
Time - Marc 7
If you have a band you'd like me to cover, let me know in the comments!
All credit under fair use to Jurassic 5 and the appropriate labels.