Power In Numbers

The power of positivity! Jurassic 5 has long been a hip hop favorite of mine. "Power in Numbers" and their debut, "Quality Control," are both standouts for their message, creativity, and collaborative effort. J5 features 4 rappers (and 2 DJs - which does not equal 5), all with unique voices that come together for choruses and harmonies. Chali 2na's deep flow is my favorite, but there isn't a weak voice in the group, and all deliver with incredibly creative writing and rhyming. With rap music generally way too caught up in objectification of women, violence, and drugs, the comparative positivity of Jurassic 5 is refreshing. They were not the only group cultivating their style and skill rather than trying to be edgy and hard - and they deserve acclaim alongside Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, De La Soul, and others. "Power in Numbers" is a throwback to the 80s with breaks, scratches, (lots of credit to DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist for shaping that sound), but it still feels (or felt?) fresh.

I freaking LOVE this album. I have since it came out in 2002. It's been a few years since I last listened to it and I'm kicking myself. This is easily one of my top 10 albums of all time. Smart, culturally relevant lyrics, powerful break beats, serious in-th-pocket swings... it's the whole package. This is what the best of hip-hop sounds like. There's nothing more that needs to be said. It's the best. Period.

This is the peak of the 90s rap group. Beats are fresh, samples are dope, and lyrics spit hot from the titular five members, each getting an appearance on each track. For a guy that says he prefers 90s rap more than today, I'm surprised I could never name drop this group and this album. But now I can... ;)

Like Prefab Sprout, this was another shocking album for me. I had never even heard of Jurassic 5 before this, but they delivered the first alternative hip-hop album I not only liked but loved. The lyricism and flow on each track are better than nearly any other classic-era rap artist I've heard. Definitely didn't like the final track though, just a bunch of ambient noise. Fav songs: Most of them but especially: what's golden, if your only knew, react

Great Album, didn't know I needed this in my life

This is so good!! I can’t believe I never heard this before. Wow.

Yoooo, every track is 🔥🔥🔥. Why have I never listened to this? It’s seriously incredible.

I don't like rap usually, I really enjoyed this.

Absolutely mad work of art. Some of the instrumentals and flows on here blew my mind. The finale rocks.

Classic underground hip hop, brings me back to high school, great all around

Very little alternative hip hop on this list has raised my pulse. This is another album I’ll forget about by tomorrow. Pours down the lugs easily, no hooks, refrains or peculiarities to arrest the journey out of my brain’s fundament.

Starts strong - love the break beats and general feel but unfortunately as an album it tapers quite early - by the time it hits its 56 mins of length it really feels overlong. It could have done with half its length removed and it would have been an excellent record

Gosh what a boring album

Meh

Didn't find that interesting.

They said they were not corny, but they were. This was a not good album. Other groups did this style much much better and were more cool doing it. Songs I did like: one of them, Hey

More relentlessly monotonous hip hop about the same boring subjects: humble brag, whine about "socially conscious" subjects, rinse and repeat Nothing original here. No thanks. Moving on to the next album.

2 words: aw ful. Cheyea! Come on. This is not music. No vocal or instrumental talent present.

Never heard of Jurassic 5.... really unimpressed, the first track was really annoying to listen to and it just got worse, what can I say, not my cup of tea. Would like to give a zero rating.

Awesome listen. Never heard of this group before. It has a nice flow to it, both rhythmically and vocally. A lot of the rapping sounds like a combination of shirtless guy from the C+C Music Factory video and Ice-T with a touch of the Humpty Hump guy. All of it works pretty well for me. This would probably be a good road trip album. Listened through a few times. Solid.

An absolute classic. Positive energy, great beats. Puts the likes of Kanyes childish tantrums to shame really.

Wowowowow. This was so amazing that I've already listened to two more of their albums. What a band! Such a nice mix of hop hop, soul, funk. If anything contains multitudes, this music does. I feel very lucky to know about them now. I wish this had an additional star to give extra special albums.

An extremely fresh sound - chill beats so far and a real sort of jazzy/funk overlay that gives mad summer vibes. The flutes in "If you only knew" give it a Jethro Tull meets hiphop sound. The snare hits in 'Break' is so tight and clean. High Fidelity has crazy good beats. It ends really strong as an album.

Fantastic album, loaded with great tracks. Back to back with Quality Control, Jurassic 5 had two monster albums that should have made them superstars.

What’s not to like. Looped samples, ensemble of MCs, punchy drums, and tasteful flourishes from the DJs. I mean, how many hip hop songs have a god damn flute?!

This album ruled until the weird needless homophobia in One of Them. It was 5 stars until that song. Way to go 2002

Really great. Guy with the deep voice (Charli 2na I think?) steals the show, but they're all great and work well together. The last 5 tracks are pretty meh, but other than that it's great beats and great flows all around. Favorite track was "Thin Line".

A great look at the transition from classic hip hop to early 2000's style. Very solid.

Nothing special, not sure why it's on there

Alternate title: Paint By Numbers

Lyrically these guys aren’t bad but the album drags on. One guys voice is hard to listen to. Overall it’s pretty meh and probably won’t be played much. 5.3/10

Laidback hiphop, not my thing

Terrible

Tripe

Not for me

So surprised by this album. I was expecting shite indie rock, ala maroon 5. What I got was intelligent, fluid, hip hop

Wow! This may be the best hip hop album I've ever listened to. Fantastic from start to finish.

This was really amazing throughout the entire album. I really regret not knowing about this band before. They are going into my playlists and I may purchase some of their albums.

Smart asf

Damn this is SICK stuff. Great beats, the flow is amazing. This is what a hip-hop group at their peak really sounds like. It is definitely going on the list of planned purchases. Just... WOW.

Right from the start I found myself bopping up and down to this. What a sound these guys have! I like some of the complex rhythms on a lot of these tracks, “Break” in particular. Don’t mistake these guys for some corny ass group (I don’t know where that came from, but it popped in my head.) This list has introduced me to some great rap music that I’ve never heard and it’s refreshing to not get some lyrics that make me cringe (from the violent content) along with the great rap. It’s tough to pick a favorite song or songs because there were so many things I loved about this album. “Thin Line” made a great impression. I love the vocal line and the keyboard melody. To be fair though, there was something on just about every track that blew me away. This album is getting a five!

Unbelievable album. I ruddy love Jurassic 5

Hey wow, J5 in the 1,001! I'm surprised, but I do like their brand of MCing, so despite not having heard this before today, I'm looking forward to listening. Well, I'm about halfway through this album, and what I can say so far is that it is the absolute tits. The flows are every bit as good as J5's earlier work, the beats are every bit as good as their previous too. I like this a lot. A lot a lot.

I've never listened to J5 but I loved every single track on this album. This shit was awesome and a huge surprise because I'm not really into hip hop.

Hip hop

Very pleasantly surprised and delighted by what I heard!

Sometime around 2002 I saw Jurassic 5 at a music festival or something - maybe Voodoofest in New Orleans? They were really great, but it was one of those bands I saw that I meant to revisit. Today I realize that I never did do that. 20 years later, here we are. Wow what a great album! Felt good listening to this. Love the different voices. Great music and great rapping. So glad to have them brought back to my attention, because they are definitely worth it.

Awesome hip hop album. I like some of the reggae undertones and the message of the music is great

This was an important listen.

An album I love dearly - the most consistent of all Jurassic 5's albums. What's Golden, A Thin Line, and Sum of Us are the standout tracks for me but the quality control (see what I did there) is very high throughout the album. Chali 2na's flow as ever is what makes it, but the production and sampling is tip-top as well.

Five, for thin line alone. Funky album, great voices.

Never heard of this band I am ashamed to say but they are hugely talented!

Loved!

This is a bop. Great flows, great beats,just all round proper hip hop. There's a reason it's a classic and I'm dumb for not getting on board earlier.

Great from start to finish. All tracks highlight.

Solid album, listen to it several times over

LOVE IT

Groove for dayssssss

Dope

10/10

Was totally unaware of Jurassic 5 until an 20 minutes ago. Four songs in and already added to my library. THIS is the style Hip Hop/Rap I love, with spoken word audio samples liberally but perfectly inserted. Great beats, great lyrics. A Day at the Races - a smooth flowing river of words. This is a totally worthwhile album.

yup, yup, yup

fuckin awesome old school rap no complaints at all, just awesome 10/10

I'm surprised - this album was amazing! I was jamming from the very first song. I liked just about every song on the album. 5/5 stars.

Is it me or are sample-heavy albums like this difficult to produce and release? Perhaps I'm out of touch but they do seem unique. 3 Feet High and Rising, the '89 De La Soul album, is virtually unattainable today due to all the rules and hight costs of licensing the samples it contained. Power In Numbers likely wasn't cheap, but they really make the album special. Great licks, snappy beats and great sample grabs from artists like Minnie Ripperton and David Axelrod. This album really wouldn't exist without them. Regardless, this albums roots are in the old skool and there's plenty of range in the ummm six(?) voices. Each is unique and brings a special flavor to the album, which leads me to this... I've always wondered what the Verbal Herman Munster looks like. I get the Munsters and The Adams Family mixed up, is he the dad that resembles Frankenstein or the kid with the super tall widows peak? The dad, right? Doesn't matter, I didn't listen to this album much when it was released, and was happy to have been able to spend some good time with it here.

Fantastic pick

Great

5. Perfect 90s hip hop album. Nothing to add. Artist that I didn't know I knew.

This reminds me of dancing in kitchens at uni so much. Top tracks remain A Day At The Races and High Fidelity

LOVED THIS

10

Really interesting album. Great lyricism, good flow from one song to the next, and varied sampling create a great, cohesive piece

See this is where I get aggravated. I liked this - funky, modern, catchy genre hoping rap. All great things. But it’s not a 4 star record and crushes a lot of the stuff that I’ve been giving threes to. This is 3.5. You know what, fuck it. 4 stars!!!!

What a pleasant surprise, and I thought I heard about all the good hip-hop artists. Haven't heard of this group before, but boy did they leave a good impression right from the get go. This might not be the best rap you ever heard, but it's sort of well made old school rap, like sophisticated 90s rap. The beats are just so smooth, clear, well made and produced. They create a perfect easy going atmosphere for the vocals. The rapping style is in line with the beats, it's just so smooth, all of the guys blend well together and changes are really well done. What's also interesting is that the album has a really positive note most of the time, which is not typical of the genre. One negative thing I can mention is that this isn't the best rapping you've ever heard, nor are these the best beats, but the album just has such a nice flow and vibe that it is up there in terms of enjoyment. Great and fun album, it's going to the favorites.

Delicious hip hop comfort food. Like a big bowl of chicken soup - very fulfilling, if in a predictable and unchallenging way. And sometimes that's just what you need. I am permanently attached to it because it came out at a time when I needed a musical hug like this and I was lucky enough to buy it on a whim, sight unseen, or hearing unlistened, I guess. Highly skilled rapping over some funky old school beats and tight group work offer an alternate reality, as if NWA and Dre never happened and The Funky Four were the only band that ever mattered. What's Golden is golden. If that song doesn't get you moving then I can't help you, and if you didn't get a chance to focus on it the first time through, do yourself a favor and give it a close listen before you move on. And the freestyle from the legendary Kool Keith on DDT is a real treat.

Power in Numbers I listened to this A LOT when it came out, especially as I loved What’s Golden, a superb track, aJ5 classic. This and just after was the period where they seemed to be playing at every festival I went to, I think I must have seen them 5 or 6 times. Despite it being a very good album, I do think it’s a bit odd that this was chosen for the list ahead of Quality Control, which for my money is their strongest album start to finish, as this one does drag a little over the last 15 minutes or so. It has all the elements that make J5 great though, jazzy organ, flute and horn samples, Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark’ beats and scratching, catchy hooks, the interplay of Akil, Zaakir, Marc 7 and 2na (love 2na’s baritone delivery) and smart, thoughtful lyrics reflecting a range of themes and messages. Freedom, If You Only Knew and Break is a great run, If You Only Knew’s flute sample is extremely catchy and that little guitar sample on Break is superb. The bass on A Day at the Races really makes the track, a great groove. What’s Golden still sounds great, satisfyingly catchy and I love the ‘pop music’ breakdown and the verbal Herman Munster. Thin Line is also a great track, the string sample is great, sombre and downbeat, reflecting the lyrics. It does get a bit patchy after this, it’s never porr, and delivery wise it never lets up, but it does start to feel a few tracks too long and a little unfocused. High Fidelity’s flute and horns are great though, Hey is an excellently low key track and Acetate Prophets is a superb exercise in turntablism. Its a great listen, and I’m tempted to go for a 5 just as its the sole representative of J5 on the list, but it is for me a rung below Quality Control so I’ll go with a solidly high 4. 🦖🦖🦖🦖 Playlist submission: What’s Golden

To my dissapointment, this album does not feature the sounds of 5 dinosours from the jurassic age. No but seriously, this is one vibey mix of Conscious Hip Hop lyrics, warm and Jazzy sampling and uplifting performances. It may not be one of the strongest or most groundbreaking releases in said genres and styles but it's nontheless a nice listen that deserves more attention than it's getting. The album starts with the intro: 'This Is' which is a mix of Jazz bass, a radio speaker and some more Jazz in that order before neatly sayin "this is freedom" which then transitions into the next track. I think it's a quite lovely introduction to the album and its sound and even though it isn't an intro that will stick with you, it's fairly enjoyable. 'Freedom' then really gets the album started with some chopped sounding vocals that repeat the songs hook before turning to the first verses from the MCs. The different voices of them give a nice mix of difference within these verses. It's a chilled but very meaningful song with both beat and performance which has some nice energy to it but doesn't go to crazy with what it does. I think this is incredible right of the bat. The beat is catchy, the rapping is nice and it's just very pleasant to listen to. The Jazz aspects make an even bigger appearence on 'If You Only Knew' with a very nice beat that features simple piano as well as some flute. It works really well but I personally think that the chorus just kind of ruins the ideas that it brings together. It feels corny and forced. If it was just bar after bar on the beat: Wow! But with these breaks for a chorus that isn't needed, it all feels weakened. It's still good but not as great as the previous track. The following 'Break' puts on a much more energetic beat that sees the group perform faster raps, sometimes even together. But I think that again, it breaks the flow that would've been needed on a song like this. The attempt of making more Pop accessible Hip Hop tunes just ultimately hurts the original ideas that should've been performed bar after bar and without much of a chorus. It's not a bad song but I am really uninterested in what it does. It feels basic and average. The interlude 'React' which seems to sample from television and feels very much like something MF DOOM would do. It's not a bad beat but it feels out of place. Still, it's an okay listen. 'A Day at the Races' not only brings on the best and most consistent rapping thus far but also one of the best executed Jazz Rap beats with a higher energy. It's incredibly groovy and perfromed on point for the entire track. This is how they should've made every song on the album. I think I'm not leaning myself to far out of the window but this is a perfect song. Absolutely incredible! Although 'Remember His Name' takes some time to get started, once it does it continues a really consistent and lengthy flow with some well written verses. The additional vocals and effects also add to the meaning as well as the entertainment. It isn't as crazy as its predecessor but it's still really great. The most iconic track, 'What's Golden', follows with a groovy beat and well put on verses. It's just catchy from the first second and the chorus is also really fitting for once. The trumpets that sometimes appear, the flow and just general rapping and the great chorus: if this had a bit more to it in terms of lyricism, this would've been perfect. 'Thin Line' then starts with a really well made beat that slowly builds tension until the rapping starts and again, the rapping is absolutely on point and even the chorus works with the song. It's executed perfectly at every aspect of the track including the added synths as well as the effects that add more depth into the song which also ties into the verses. Perfect song. On 'After School Special' there's a little boy (or girl, not sure) talking about they want to be on the album which actually happens at the end which is pretty cute. The full song is really nice with a good beat and some great deliveries. It's a great song but it feels a bit more low-key in comparison. The turntable sampling on 'High Fidelity' is pretty interesting and does somehow work as a semi-hook. The song is pretty good but it would've needed a bit more work in terms of concept because it sometimes doesn't really feel like it's tied together perfectly. But even though there is some work needed, it's still a pretty good song this way. I get what they tried to do on 'Sum of Us' but I just feel like the flow of the rapping has been done so often that it feels just very basic and even uninteresting. I don't think that it's bad but the track just doesn't do it for me. It feels just way too formulaic and simple as it sounds like something that could've been done a decade earlier. The next short interlude 'DDT' mainly rhymes without a beat with a lot of background noise. It's cool but a little too long and also doesn't really fit. 'One of Them' has a much slower and more eerie beat that just isn't really good to begin with but the rapping makes you expect something else from the beat. The two parts feel like they were recorded at different times and just thrown together. It does not work together. The result is very irritating and annoying. On one hand I want to experience the beat at its fullest potential and want a different rapping, on the other hand is the rapping pretty decent and would work much better on another beat. In the end it's a weird listen and not the good weird. It's slightly bad. While 'Hey' is sonically more fitting, I think that it still isn't good. For one, the beat feels off on its own. I don't know what they produced here but it just sounds bad. Secondly is the addition of R&B vocals a little too much to be quirky or anything. And lastly, the rapping really sucks. Is often really basic and doesn't work at all with the beat. Each part works together but they don't work on their own and the result is even worse. This is (sadly) another bad track but for once, really bad. Luckily, 'I Am Somebody' returns to more quality and working Hip Hop. The beat isn't fully fleshed out, yes, but the rapping is really good and the vibes are there. I'm really enjoying it for the most part which is much enough for a good song. Even the chorus works and adds some additional grooves. I also really like how they switch between verses by switching within words, it's a really neat detail. The closing track 'Acetate Prophets' is also the albums lengthiest track with over 6 minutes of runtime. It's got a really energetic and fast paced beat that mainly focuses on the rhythm section and just adds some turntable scratches as well as other recordings from people, african vocalists, etc. For the most of the time it's just an instrumental which is pretty cool and right when it gets a little bit too reptetitive it breaks and does a beat switch to a more percussion based beat that again repeats with some additions. It switches between D&B, African, South-Asian and other inspirations but ultimately it does loose some of its concept and starts to feel more and mroe tiring after a while. Overall, there is a lot to get out of but also so much that it might be too much. favourites: A Day at the Races, Thin Line, Freedom, What's Golden least favourites: Hey, One of Them Rating: light 7 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

What an absolute joyful surprise. And a Kool Keith cameo to boot. Best commute I've had in weeks.

the strain of hip hop that was in some way Intentionally Contrasting Itself With Gangsta Rap is a whole Messy Thing that i am the last person to ask about, but i appreciate that this record leaves it implicit with a minimum of arrested development-style preaching (and a lot more political maturity from what i caught!). i think what helps is that there is still a lot of lived-in experiences here, just less mythology and more Common People Trying To Navigate The World Of Antiblack Capitalism. years later its easier to see the merits of both...and speaking of aging well musically this is pretty awesome. a lot of boom bap foundations and the sounds chosen to be above the percussion can be rly immediately atmospheric considering how sparse they are. theres even an instrumental closing track just to flex the smoothness and tightness in full focus. rly effortless and buttery and entertaining listen. plus a hip hop album of the cd age thats less then an hour is always nice FHJKFHSJKSFHJKS

This is actually some of the best rap I have heard. Real lyrics. Some nice music hooks.

I hope the have Tony Hawk’s Underground in Italy

Ta guapo, pero nada del otro mundo

Have loved J5 since I saw them at the Warped Tour in 2000. A truly excellent hip-hop group that I feel never really got the accolades they deserve. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to their records, more than happy to revisit this one again.

Solid hip hop but one of them annoys me. Instrumentals are great

Strong beats and a steady stream of solid cuts. Shows some passion and thoughtfulness re soical issues without being preachy or presumptuous.

Wonderful! This sounds to me like a well balanced record, taking cues from the old-school rap while still being firmly planted in the current time, making it sound fresh and new still twenty years after. A classic without the shadow of a doubt. Play it loud and with a lot of bass.

Power album in terms of voice and sound. Feels very performative. As if they were reveal on stage behind a red curtain. They work with great unity to deliver a singular sound. Very upbeat instrumental music that screams out confidence. A proud experience is felt listening to this album.

I have a soft spot for Jurassic 5 as I really enjoyed them when I was in high school. "What's Golden" was one of their songs that I listened to a lot. Some of their stuff sounds a little silly to me now, but their hooks and samples are undeniably catchy, and the varied voices of the rappers helps keep it interesting. I remember "Thin Line" now too.

The flows on this are mean and clean. The production by Cut Chemist is really stellar and I loved all the sample. I love Charlie 2na on this record and this has that classic Jurassic vibe in it. Favorite song: A Day at the Races Least favorite song: After School Special

Stærk start, fede flows, rart nok at alt tap ikke skal handle om at skyde hinanden

It’s an alright rap album,literally nothing memorable about it all.

It's not my least favorite of all hiphop albums I've heard from this list. But it's not my favorite either. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I'm grateful for the exposure because I would have never listened organically to these guys.

En tand for lang og rappen var ikke så meget mig (kan bedre lide når det handler om at de skyder hinanden jo), men generelt fede beats!

Washed over me - good background music, nothing distinctive. T o o l o o o o n g

Didn’t resonate with me like other albums.

????

So while I'm not a big hip-hop/rap guy, I usually like stuff that is "funky" a little more musical. I expected to enjoy this album, thinking it would be maybe similar to early 2000s Outkast, but I found that I couldn't get into very much. It seemed kind of low energy.

the worst parts of A Tribe Called Quest, magnified, for an hour. noticeably annoying generic backbeats and weak lyricism, just feels low effort overall

Not for me

First Listen. Nothing for me.