| J5’s first release came in 1995 with the single
"Unified Rebelution" on the Blunt Recordings / TVT Records label. The single was
widely appreciated, and, two years later, the group’s talent was again brought to the
fore upon the release of their self-titled 5 EP. The group secured their position at the
head of the late 90s new wave of underground rap and presented a welcome dissent from
standard hip hop sounds. Most impressively, the EP served as a rallying cry, placing them
firmly alongside artists like The Roots, Black Star, Company Flow and De La Soul. The
anthematic "Concrete Schoolyard", which defined J5’s manifesto, even
managed to crack the UK Top 40 charts, peaking at number 35 in late 1998. The group
proceeded to release a self-titled album under the Pan label in 1999, which served merely
to add on a few new tracks to the listing from the EP. Jurassic 5
appeared to be going from strength to strength with their release of an album in 2000,
Quality Control. The album, released under the Interscope label, is funky, alive, true to
hip hop’s elemental essence and also a blatant display of the MCs abilities to flex a
variety of different styles, all the while backed up with the inventive, original beats of
J5’s DJ tag team.
The group rose to the challenge of following up on the success of
Quality Control with the release of their sophomore album, Power in Numbers, in late 2002.
The engaging, empowering lyrics of the four MCs once again combined with the inventive
soundscapes of Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist to give fans a funky and warm listening experience.
J5 reaffirm their position as evangelists for the pleasure principle inherent in the
genesis of hip-hop, but at the same time, the group delves into darker
domains, offering up a scathing indictment of the gangsta culture that they themselves
provided such a refreshing antidote to when it first appeared. The album boasts
appearances from classic lyricists Percee P and Big Daddy Kane, whilst Nelly Furtado makes
an unlikely appearance on the pseudo-pop track "Thin Line". Juju of the Beatnuts
is also behind the production of several tracks, backing up from working with friends of
J5, Dilated Peoples. As Marc 7 proclaimed, "Every time out, J5 doesn't
disappoint."
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