Power In Numbers

Fun album

good beats, good vibes, just no bangers

Genre: Hip Hop This was a very “hip hop” album. Sounded a bit like late 80s-early 90s, but it came out in 2002. Post 9/11 rap shouldn’t sound like Will Smith. It’s not bad, and there are a couple total bangers, but it’s overall just enjoyable. Doesn’t feel like it changed the form very much. 3/5

Really solid hip-hop album. There’s a great chemistry between the group, some fun beats, and great flows throughout. Enjoyed it.

Fun underground hip hop from the days of High School!

• 3/5 • Propulsive and creative, with a few catchy standout tracks (A Day at the Races, Thin Line, Sun of Us) • Love Cut Chemist’s beats and samples and Chali2na’s voice • Nearly a 4, but a bit monotonous by the end

Good grooves

Definitely had something going for it but never fully drew me in

I wasn't really sure what to expect, but this album is just kinda okay when it comes to being a "classic" rap album. The rhymes have not aged all that well, they seem incredibly gimmicky even if they sort of pay homage to rhyme-crafting and actually writing your own raps. Sometimes we oughta pay people or collaborate further. The beats are mostly okay as well, I heard like glimmers of potential with certain samples, and sometimes the beats are far better than the rhymes. Freedom, A Day at The Races, and What's Golden are all a bit more solid with the beats and the rhymes. Thin Line is pretty dope too. There's just something so goddamn gimmicky I can't seem to shake with a lot of flows on this album and vocal phrases. Lyrical spherical orange doorhinge kinda bars. There is some doomish like comic book samples and it does have that kind of pacing, just with much cornier bars. It's aiight.

Impeccable rapping and some fine lyricism. The beats never won me over and I didn’t find them to evolve enough throughout the record, so I actually had a hard time keeping focused all the way through - it didn’t help that it ends on 6,5 minutes of nothing important.

A nice enough sound. Quite corny. I prefer my hip-hop RAW.

Good album, a few great songs but some that I didnt really like.

Loved the beats

I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is a hip hop album, and yes there is rapping, but less than I would have expected. The instrumentation is quite varied and interesting to me. There are elements of other genres like jazz. I don't really care for rap in general, but this album had a lot for me to like.

It's OK - not really my thing. Not bad but just not something I'd re-listen to. Didn't complete the album.

Liked it, wouldn’t race to re-listen because it’s so lyrical but was very cool

Haven't heard Chali 2na since Reanimation from Linkin Park. Better than I expected.

A bit uneven but some really great stuff here and smooth flows.

3.5

Chill album at the start. Then things picked up. I preferred those songs that seemed to be better suited to be played live. "Break" and "A Day at the Races" as personal favorites. Per Spotify, "What's Golden" is the top track, and I can see it, but it doesn't click as well for me. Hip hop isn't my thing, but this is solid.

Good for the genre

enjoyable but nothing crazy

Pretty middle of the road hip hop record. Not bad

Good hip-hop album, not the biggest fan of hip-hop though. Cover rocks

One of the best hip hop albums I've ever heard - could be the best one. The instrumental was really good and the rap vocals didn't bother me. Fun.

Buen disco de hiphop chill y con buenas instrumentales

Really cool Hip Hop Album. Smooth old school rap to varied beats, although I would have liked it more if they had leaned further into the chill Lo-Fi vibe. 3.5/5

I feel like the instrumentation is solid. It's hard to sit through 17 rap songs all in one go. Maybe if I were in a different mood/ had a different temperament, I would enjoy it more. I feel like it is better, and the lines and rhymes less cringy/forced/clunky, than what I have heard before of this older style of hip hop. Maybe this is because it came out at a much later point than the others I am comparing it to, but Jurassic 5 seem to be masters of a craft no longer corny. They operate with the intelligence, subtlety and stylistic sense of artists in the solved late-stage scrubland of a genre that was out of its golden age and on its way out when this album was released. The Slim Shady LP coming out in 1999 puts Power in Numbers' 2002 release into context. Was it treading on new ground? Or was it already somewhat dated? Songs that jumped out to me were 'Freedom', 'If You Only Knew', 'Thin Line'. More thoughtful than most rap while never straying into kente kufi cringiness. Soulful and just generally solid. But it's also not my cup of tea. Maybe a later listen would be of benefit.

Not my favorite genre but was nice to listen to while running

3 star

3.5, couple really good songs

Enjoyed this. Refreshing to have a rap album that doesn’t stick to the regular tropes e.g violence and misogyny. The beats felt fresh and can see how this would have been an interesting album to come out in the 2000s as a contrast to other artists in the era. I didn’t feel like there was anything groundbreaking about the lyrics, but it was inoffensive and easy listening, which is pretty rare for the genre.

Quite enjoyed the vibes of this whilst driving but it sort of all merged into an amorphous hip-hop sound without really ever turning into anything more meaningful. To me it lacked the edge of a great hip-hop album and presented as a softer, family or maybe radio friendly hip-hop. Ok if you are into it but not one to remember.

Definitely something I've never heard anything like before. Very important and powerful concepts behind many of the songs with great driving beats. I really enjoyed this in songs like "Thin Line," the lyrics really struck me and showed to me their powerful use of lyricism throughout the album. I really liked their use of sound effects and spoken word as well, that brought the whole album together for me. At times, I did feel the album could have been 14-15 songs long (including interludes) instead of 17, as some of the songs felt a little similar or unnecessary. Overall, this definitely exposed me to a new genre that I'm excited I got to hear! 3.5/5 stars

I can’t get into the alt-rap. It’s not bad but no songs are gonna make the rotation.

i like a lot of the flow and attention to craft, but a good number of lyrics were corny af. this sort of trad hip-hop, if that's a thing, is kinda where i live in the hip-hop/rap world, so i can't totally hate on it even though i cringed hard several times. Chali 2na rules.

Throwback rap. Smooth and easy to digest.

Cool samples, impressive flow cadences, and the varied group dynamic (trading verses) made this an enjoyable listen. Favorite track: Thin Line

Darn. This list has been absolutely strong-arming me with hip hop albums of late. First it was the second Public Enemy album, which I appreciated despite thinking it was a little too much. Then it was the Frenchy album by MC Solaar, which I heralded as my "favourite hip hop album" with it's subdued, downtempo sound. Finally(?), I have arrived at the J5. I have a bit of a history with this five-presenting sextet. I have historically been feared and revered as the ultimate destroyer of hip hop (their name, not mine). My scathing criticisms have brought the mightiest of rap figureheads to their knees. However, in my most judgmental of opinions lies the teeny-tiniest, closed-parenthesis admission that "Improvise" by Jurassic 5 is "pretty good, though". Despite this blasphemous admission of there being such a thing as "good hip hop" I have never actually thought of checking out their discography. How fortuitous that I have finally been given the excuse to check them out. I'd describe the vocalist quintet as a gimmick, though it works a little too well for it to carry that connotation. The way that these vocalists mesh and segue into one another is silky smooth and very impressive. Even more unlikely is that all 4 of the rappers are adept at singing, which allows for some intricate songwriting choices and strong vocal harmonies. When this works, it's very impressive. "If You Only Knew", "Thin Line" and "Sum Of Us" are the best examples of this thanks to some good lyrics and punchy instrumentals. There are weak points. I can't say that the instrumental closer "Acetate Prophets" did much for me, even if the song itself is competent and features some good samples/turntabling at the end. This album is also way too long. I had checked out by around the mid-point. It's competent from both a songwriting and musical perspective, though I never felt like these guys were venturing outside of their comfort zone. This ultimately made the hour-long runtime feel like an immense slog.

I assume this is the only Jurassic 5 album on here, and I get why. It's a fun, throwback record full of posse cuts, and it has a very high peak with "What's Golden" and "Thin Line" at the midpoint of the album. I'm not sure it's better than the J5 LP, or Quality Control. What I am sure of, though, is that it's very rare for a guest MC to body an entire rap group and every other guest on the album the way Kool Keith does on "DDT" If nothing else, I'm glad everyone gets to experience that.

American Hip-hop? Not exactly a favorite genre, but melodious and I got a bit surprised that I enjoyed part of it. "What's Golden" is the most played song on this album, and is catchy. Not an LP to I'm gonna buy to my collection.

This is my second pass through this album as it was early in my list before we created the group. I think it's "fine". I was more harsh reading my prior review. I'll lift it from 2 to 3. I still think there are better in the genre and they were not bringing much new in this album.

Fun listen during a lift but not quite my style. Old school hip hop takes some easing into

Enjoyed this one. Reminded me of linkin park

Delicate and good blunt songwriting. Midlake as backing band might be the shining stars.

Very fun listen. Good vibes.

Decent but samey

Solid 7/10

Good hip hop album some great bars and catchy hooks tails off a bit at the end

Not my typical genre

Enjoyable, but not really my type of music. The variety on the release kept anything from being stale, seems to be a nice cross-section of sounds from the time.

I was delighted when this came up and eas a fan back on the day. Relistening was very enjoyable but this felt very light and sweet without much depth. I loved the beats and the vibe, but it doesnt carry much weight.

I think I've listened to this album three times now, but I keep forgetting to rate it, and then I forget what I planned on rating it. For 3 listens, it gets 3 stars.

More fun to listen to but lyrics were impenetrable.

Good production on this. Certainly a refreshing hip hop album compared with the likes of your average gangster rap record. Yes, so this is certainly something different, which I appreciate. However, I don't think the rapping itself was particularly good. Nor was the content of the lyrics especially interesting. I would've preferred this more if it was an instrumental hip hop album. More instrumentals, less words would've made this a better album.

Calm hiphop album about the strength in numbers. To me it felt like their message was whether it be the police or government, we as people are more powerful together. 7.5/10.

Surprisingly good, honestly. Love the flow of most tracks, even if sometimes it can get a bit tacky, unnecessary, or just plain bad. Still, a good experience overall. ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

i dont wanna listen to another conscious hip hop/jazz rap album anymore i'd rather not be woke because i am unable to be sympathetic. 3/5

Actually quite liked this. Good bass and classic rap. Liked the shared vocals. Was a bit samey and went on for too long however.

A pleasant surprise! This album (and group) are exactly what I was hoping for when I started this project - I had heard the name but couldn't have even told you what genre these guys were. Judging by the year I would have guessed some kind of electronic/dance/house thing. But this is a straight-up hip-hop group and they are great.

Nice groove, funky beats, actually pleasant style, but otherwise a bit too 'normal' album. It's okay for a background music, because there are no sharp edges at all, nothing stands out. Quite forgettable.

3.5? Maaaybe 4?

The name of the group and the cover art definitely don’t do justice to what this album is. This is the first J5 album I have ever listened to and I think it was a great place to start. Great beats/loops, great cadence, and each artist has their own style of rapping that works well with each other. Seems like a really cool group. I enjoyed this album a lot. Had a lot of head bangers. Reading a little more about them and the year this album was released made me realize this type of rapping style was very different than what was coming out in the late 90s early 00s. That being said I can completely see how they have influenced rap culture since this release. It sounds familiar to the rap/hip-hop I know and grew up with. The ones that really stood out for me were “If You Only Knew” (gives me Boondocks vibes with the jazzy flute), “React” (groovy jazzy beat), “Thin Line” (surprise Nelly Furtado feature, always proud to see a Canadian feature), “One of Them”, and “Hey”. I am definitely going to have this album in my future rotation so I can listen to the lyrics more deeply. But based off the vibe and energy alone it’s a pretty solid album.

Yeh it’s a nice different vibe of rap, but mainly listened to it without paying attention.

Power In Numbers is a solid, often impressive display of what Jurassic 5 do best: tight group chemistry, feel-good beats, and a throwback to hip hop’s golden age without sounding stuck in the past. The flows are smooth, the lyricism is clean and clever, and the production, especially from DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist, gives it real polish. Tracks like What's Golden, A Day at the Races, and Freedom hit hard and stand tall among their best work, mixing sharp rhymes with seriously fun energy. But as a full album, it doesn’t always maintain that momentum. Some of the midsection blends together a little too neatly, and while it’s consistently listenable, it lacks the bold standouts or surprises that could’ve elevated it even more. Still, there’s a lot to enjoy here, and Jurassic 5’s chemistry and skill carry it well. It’s clever, smooth, and easy to like even if it doesn’t quite hit classic status.

Solid indy hip hop

Kom skemmtilega á óvart. Ólíkt öðru rappi. Alls konar tónlistarstefnur notaður og flottur hljóðfæraleikur. 3,5

Pretty great

Thought this was decent, but maybe lacking in standout moments

Podia ser uns 10 minutos mais curto. A produção é boa, às vezes um pouco repetitiva. As melhores músicas são as com variações na percussão. Os rappers sao bons, mas não prestei muita atenção nas letras.

Solid rap album from a great time for the genre

Rating: 3.5/5 | Favorite Track: A Day At the Races --- This is such a fun album with smart lyrics throughout. The second half of the album isn’t as consistently amazing as the first half, but that won’t stop me from returning to this album in the future.

Funky, groovy, great bars. I haven't listened to Jurassic 5 much but they give me almost the same bounce as early Tribe. Loved the beats on this and there's a lot of play in the intros/interludes/transitions that help carry the themes of the record through. Good listen!

Un grupo que no conocía, este es su tercer y penúltimo álbum, pero que suena muy bien. Buenos samples, no manidos ni estridentes, y buenas rimas. Tal vez The Roots fueran los que estaban por encima de ellos y les robaran protagonismo. El disco se escucha sin problemas y algún tema como A day at the races consigue despegar. Thin Line con Nelly Furtado es otro de los mejores temas. Una correcta mezcla de rap, funk, soul, pop, folk, reggae, blues, rock y música electrónica, que en directo parece ser que aún funcionaba mejor. Sin embargo, más de 20 añoes después no ha tenido mucha influencia y uno se cuestiona su presencia en el listado de los 1001 discos...

High Fidelity is my favourite. I also like Hey, it sounds familiar. Not too interesting to me overall, but I enjoyed reading the comments under the songs on youtube.

50 /50 album some good some rubbish would listen again though

It's an album by an artists I tought I did not know, but there's a Nelly Furtado collab and lead single's (What's Golden) keyboard was used in my nationwide network of music for some jingles in the 2010's. Like the ending cut says in a sample: "Que viva la musica" but this project might be a tad too long 6/10

7/10 Very interesting artifact from the 2000s when Hip Hop was at a weird transition point, while it’s not the absolute best from this era in my opinion I still have a lot of respect for it as a neat piece of history with quality production and solid (albeit dated) rapping. im a spiritual lyrical miracle individual

I like. Sometimes corny ("who's that guy again?... DEATH") but mostly jazzy and soulful early 2000s hip-hop.

Cool beats in places, start better than end?

Ok funky

Went into this album only knowing What’s Golden but loved the album start to finish and am regretting not checking them out sooner. Great production and lyricism. I love the boom bap style with a ton of record scratching and sampling.

Cool beats.

Cool. Not bad. Another regular hip hop album, nothing too impressive.

it's alright but it just sounds like every generic hip hop album.

Meh

Cool feel but didn't blow me away or anything

One of the more enjoyable hiphop records on this list so far. Cool laid-back beats and good flow. 3.5 stars

This is the first Jurassic 5 album I've listened to in full. I'm normally not super high on West Coast Hip-Hop, but this is pretty good. I'm not crazy about them as rappers, but I think the production work from DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist is really cool. "A Day at the Races", "What's Golden" and "Thin Line" are the big standouts for me. 3.5 Stars.

I enjoyed this quite a bit. I liked the vibe and the flow. It’s the best hip hop album I’ve heard from this list so far.

This wasn't that bad but it's not something I'd ever listen to again.

Nice album with a lot of different sounds.

Het werd eens tijd voor een act uit de vruchtbare West Coast alternative hip hop scene. Samen met de Hieroglyphics, Souls of Mischief en The Pharcyde is Jurassic 5 misschien wel het bekendste collectief met zijn wortels in de underground van de Californische rapwereld. ''Power In Numbers'' zegt precies waar het op staat, de kracht zit hem echt in de groepsdynamiek. Met twee verschillende producers is er echt een weelderigheid aan beats, en met een scala aan emcees is het geen moment saai. Het houdt het tempo extreem hoog, ondanks dat het album bijna een uur inneemt. Echter ben ik niet echt expliciet fan van één van de MC's, en voelt het allemaal iets houteriger aan dan het ongekende gevoel voor timing en flow van tijds- en regiogenoten The Pharcyde en Hieroglyphics. Iets meer externe hulp op dat gebied was geen overbodige luxe geweest. We vinden wel wat collabs in het middenstuk, wat ook by far de sterkste fase van de plaat oplevert. Van de eerste sublieme featuring van legende Big Daddy Kane op 'A Day At The Races', via de sterke storyrap in 'Remember His Name' en hun grote hit 'What's Golden', naar de pop hop 'Thin Line' met het (altijd) catchy gastoptreden van Nelly Furtado.. Dat rijtje geeft wel aan hoe divers de groep kan zijn. De rest tikt dat hoge niveau niet aan, maar echt fillers bevat het album ook niet. Ik heb nu echt wel honger naar meer rap uit dit straatje. 7,5/10 Highlights: A Day At The Races Remember His Name What's Golden

Alle west-coast hip hop platen die ik de afgelopen twee jaar voor me uit heb geschoven haal ik vandaag even in. Deze gangster schuifelt op maandagochtend in zijn joggingsbroek met een kopje koffie door het huis met Mark 7even, Chali 2na, Zaakir, Akil, Ice Cube en Ice T in zijn oren. Diezelfde monday-morning-gangster is positief verras door Power in Numbers. Nu-Mark en Cut Chemist zorgen met hun beats voor een heerlijke flow in het albums. Het is geen schreeuwplaat (je weet het ondertussen: houd ik niet van) en de afwisseling van de rappers maakt het lekker divers. De tracks zijn best lean. Geen keiharde beats of chaotische samples maar juist ook meer invloeden uit andere genres. Thin Line vind ik goud. Door de collab met Nelly Furtado en het gebruik van het gitaarlijntje uit Les Fleurs. 7/10 Highlights Thin Line

Decent fun, although definitely could've been 4-5 tracks shorter.

Nicht schlecht, aber viel zu lang.

Es un rap más melódico con segundas voces, coros, arreglitos más lindos. Algunos temas muy agradables.

Feel like it's good but not for me

This album didn’t grab me like I thought it would. Perhaps this was an album that I would actually need to sit down with the lyrics and review or do some more research into, but I thought that it was fine to listen to for a plane ride. Hopefully I could revisit in the future and better understand

Pretty good! Didn’t blow me away but was better than a lot of this style of rap that’s on the list.

I wish I knew the percentage of millennials that were introduced to Jurassic 5 while playing ATV Off-Road Fury 2, I’m betting it’s well over 60%. Chill beats, decent flow, socially conscious lyrics, and a song that’s engrained into my brain. Could see myself giving this a four, but I think a three is the better rating.

This album feels like it was out of place for 2002. In the same year that Nelly released "Hot In Herre" and Eminem released "Lose Yourself", we get a hip hop group that feels like their from the late 80's/early 90's. It's almost as if they took zero influence from the previous decade of rap and just made what they wanted. It was pretty good. It's definitely not my genre, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I felt really cool when I was listening to this while walking the halls at work.

I listened to this album on a Sunday morning, and I liked it. The beats were solid. It had good flow. There was definitely some repetitiveness though. After a whole album, I was definitely done with it.

Listened to it this morning. There are ups and downs. The downs just being the repetitiveness, but considering it's 2002 rap, that's pretty typical. I recognize "A Day At The Races" from Tony Hawk's Underground (one of my favourite games as a kid). For the most part, I liked the flow from the MCs. I don't mind the album,

Very enjoyable!

this album is very consistent and the guys all have really solid flow! i saw chali2na one time at hillside and got into these guys after... this album is very solid! not worldbreaking but good!!

Kinda goofy, but fun nonetheless.

3 star, revisit

Coffee shop hip hop

Surprised myself with my feet moving and my hand banging with the beat ! A bit eclectic but globally pleasant to listen. Would probably not revisit though

Enjoyable but lacking variation. Thin Line is the highlight track.

Solid, conscious hip-hop. Not that they were the first to do it but as a teenager when this album came out, it seemed to re-spark the popularity of conscious hip-hop among my peers. It's a solid album all the way through. Some tracks stand out more, some of them run together. Overall I like it.

Alright

Some solid underground hip hop beats and bars

I was 40 years old when this album came out. A white guy. I can't imagine I was any kind of intended audience for this. But listening to it now has been a lot of fun.

Funky grooves, articulate flow. I think to get more out of this album I’d have to listen to it again, good sign.

Better than I expected. Never really like What’s Golden. I think I didn’t really like Charli 2na’s voice but on some of these tracks, he’s great.

It was good. But there weren't really any standout tracks that stuck with me.

Not bad. A bit uneven for my tastes; enjoyed some, disliked others. 3.5*

Hip-hop isn't normally a genre I gravite towards, but this is pretty chill so far. 8 tracks in, getting bored. Not much happening, it's fine but boring.9 tracks to go though 🙄 They had a nelly furtado feature, which has reminded me to listen to Loose Finally, the last track.... Overall it's just fine, nothing that I hate but nothing that stands out either. Very middle of the road. The flow is pretty good though, I'll give them that.

That's not my taste in music - But ok

Enjoyed it.

Really enjoyed this…

it's good, but for all the hip-hop that came out during this time, i've heard better.

really great group record with some unique writing. Overall positive lyrics are nice but contributes to the lengthy feeling.

Concrete Schoolyard. The only thing wrong with this album is that it doesn’t come close to that four minutes of aural perfection.

Considering wider genre good salples

I need a beat! A BEAT!

Repeated jazz licks makes for a hypnotic listen at times, but the swapping between vocalists makes the whole feel a little bit like a boy-band

All over a high quality rap album. Flows well and despite its length, I don’t tire of it until the last two tracks. Lacks real highlights, though, so it's a strong 3-star album

New to me group. I liked it. Funky. Long album and sustained the groove the whole time. High 3+.

The album was technically sound. I feel like Jurassic 5 followed a strict formula that gives the album a generic taste. Compared to a loaf of bread, it would be a standard off-the-shelf brand.

Приличный хип-хоп начала нулевых. Норм биты. Мне эта музыка ближе, чем весь респектабельный хип-хоп девяностых от признанных мастеров жанра. Лучшая песня - Thin Line.

conscious, fresh, creative, excellent loops and layering production is fresh swears not excessive: doesn't get in the way of the message powerful message chorus's creative --> If you only knew concsious --> one of them --> arrested development Creative and lyrically punchy. Power in numbers has an excelllent jazzy a groovy feel whilst maintaining a positove message. The conscious lyrics are great and the production is excellent, what I also like is that the swears aren't excessive or in the way of the message the record has. I thoroughly enjoyed the creativeness in the sampling and the groovy textures used making the record very danceable in a sense. The album does feel sloghtly inconsistent as the first half seems to have more punch than the latter half and the closer wasn't in my opinion a very strong ender. Favorite song: if you only knew. Overall score: 7.3/10

I don't know. It's one of those bands that are important, but it also feels like they wrote it so people will think its important. In a way people are vegan so they can say they are vegan to anyone that will listen. They have a really good flow, the lyrics themself are kinda meh. Well produced, it just seems like I'm listening to broccoli.

Sounds woefully wholesome these days.

Some fresh rhymes

thought it was some 00's rock/punk but it turned out to be some kinda old school rap it's good for its genre but it's not my cup of tea so I can't rate it too high

When I opened this album in Spotify, I got a notification that it was released 23 years ago on this day and got some balloons flying up, but only managed to pop one. The songs are that kind of rap where there isn't too much melody and instead they just talk, which I am not a huge fan of, but it's overall not too bad, it could definitely be worse. The one song that I somewhat enjoyed was What's Golden, but it seems that this is their most popular song, as it has 5-6 times more listens than most of the songs.

Rad

Power in the message and the legacy.

Haven't heard of them before (I'm not too knowledgeable when it comes to hip hop) so I had no expectations for this one. I was pleasantly surprised! Really good instrumentals and the rap had a nice flow (will read the lyrics later, my non-native ears are bad at understanding rap in English). It was fun to hear Nelly Furtado on one song too. My only complaint is that the album is a bit too long, it could've been 5 songs shorter. 3/5

Yknow I wasn’t expecting it to actually hit so hard. Big fan for my first album and so many bangers. I’m actually starting to get into rap a bit more and these guys definitely help. A lot of funky vibes and really interesting lyrics.

whyd my dumbass think this was the jurassic park soundtrack just not really my style but im sure the album is well produced so itll be getting a 3

enjoyed this while working--nice variety and this felt driven by the music as much, if not more than, the lyrics, which seems rare in my limited hip hop experience.

Not bad at all. As good as it gets for this genre? A low 3

Not so bad! Hier mache ich einmal eine Ausnahme!

not that great. music in evolution

This was a really good, solid, chill collection of songs. No real standouts except maybe the Nelly Furtado feature, but enjoyable to listen to. I’m just glad I got a hip-hop album finally. It was a pleasant departure from the primarily classic rock I’ve been getting, and although classic rock is typically my favorite genre, I enjoy a nice variety. Overall, pretty pleased with this album, although I would have liked at least one standout track.

Liked the feeling of this as a whole but more as background music. none of the songs are something I would listen to individually.

Meh 2.5 stars

Not great but definitely a fun listen to grove through part of the work day with.

Opener i liked the beat and lyrics. I didn't pay too much attention to it overall but it was good background music. I think I should revisit and give it another listen. 3.5

Decent enough

Fun old school sounding style hiphop. 3.5/5

My favorite type of hip hop is the stuff that samples a lot of old funk and jazz tracks, and this album has some pretty good beats. However, I didn't really like their flows or rapping in general. It was just a little too cheesy, and the guy with a deep voice sounds like a cartoon character in a very distracting way. I was also ready for this album to end by Track 10, there just isn't enough variation to keep me interested. Low 3.

Pretty good and upbeat. Reminds me of early 2000s-ish rap with some Crystal Method vibes mixed in. 3/5

decent

An alright album, not my usual style but I liked Sum Of Us.

This feels so weird being released 10 years after the golden age of alternative hip-hop, but before MF Doom became a big deal. It's like prog-rock that came out between 1974 and 1978, 90s hair metal or 1980-1982 disco, a logical evolution of what came before, but weird because this kind of music in this context has been completely overshadowed by revolution. Another way I can put it is it's like a pure extract of the hip-hop side of the Gorillaz self-titled album removed from all other influences. The Avalanches and J Dilla may have set my standards for sampling too high. The first half is a great homage to the late 80s/early 90s, and this extends to the rap flows being really samey. Complaint removed, Thin Line is delightfully 2002 and One of Them gives me whiplash. This album is getting decently eclectic in the second half. I kind of consider it a hallmark of this genre, so I don't know why the first half is so samey. Weirdly enough, becoming more eclectic makes it sound much more of its time. It's weird I Am Somebody and Hey have so few listens when they're so good. CD runtimes are a curse. I don't listen to rap lyrics close enough though, so it's possible they're less well written, but musically it's great stuff. Seriously, more of this album needed to have Acetate Prophet's energy, this track is so good. A strangely two-sided album, the first half solid no-nonsense MC Solaar-esque alt rap, the second an engaging 2000s updating of the genre's eclecticism. Both have their merits, both are fairly good. I wouldn't say this really deserves a spot in the 1001 though.

This is pretty good. Probably wouldn’t seek it out again. But I like the groove and probably wouldn’t seek not turn it off.

Great beats, classic hip hop. Not enough variation to sustain the run time.

I never listened to this album. I did, however, listen to about 80% of it over and over and over again in the form of individual kazaa downloads of varying quality. So I have fond memories of some of this stuff, while the arrangement, and some songs, are completely new. Anyway, jazzy hip hop? I'm in. fun album. Not necessarily an all-timer in the gotta-hear-it-before-you-die vein, especially since, well, it drags, but it's a great sound and easy to put on.

Production was definitely the highlight for me. Punchy beats throughout that were easy to bop my head to. Lyrically, I thought it was kind of corny. Flows were strong and they worked off each other well, but it was just missing something to make it interesting. I also can’t get over how wacky the deep voice dude sounds. Had a few songs that I’ll return to, but mostly just felt like a dollar store De La Soul.

Космическое радио, рэгби и ар-эн-би, рэп, поставить на задний фон прикольно, внимательного прослушивания не заслуживает

cool rap album, never heard of this group before

some songs were very good, but most of it was pretty homogenous

Cool album but too long. Nice usage of flutes in track 3.

Starts off strong but levels out midway through. Nice album overall, but nothing special.

Think this must've felt quite old school in 2002? Doesn't feel like it's moved forward that much from the 90s stuff, but that's not necessarily a bad thing - it's definitely avoided most of the overproduction that came with the music of that era, it's clean and pretty fresh. It's a surprisingly smooth listen; probably would've benefitted from a bit more oomph and in your face in places. Does start to get a bit samey towards the end, don't think it needed to be almost an hour long. 3/5.

Pretty good

рэп кал

Mixed bag, love the "Lord Have Mercy"esque MC but at times crawled.

okay

Classic early 2000's hip hop with great rhymes and an awesome set of artists.

Not bad. I can appreciate the old-school hip hop style. Seems interestingly out of place for 2002. Heavy on soul and funk samples. Nelly Furtado jumpscare on Thin Line. And nice Minnie Riperton sample. When it's all said and done, it's probably not something I'm going to come back to, but it's not bad. Fav tracks: If You Only Knew, Thin Line

It's okay

I remember the hip hop nerds in college being really into this band. Golden was the only song i knew going it. This album wasn't a bad listen, maybe a little long.

Yeah, funky hip-hop, a bit jazzy, I like it.

A solid album from a classic group, and not much more to be said other than that

Some good lyrical miracle posse rapping. Highlights are One Of Them, which is more vicious than most tracks on here, followed immediately by Hey, which just has an incredibly pleasing instrumental.

Enjoyed this one a lot. Proper old skool style hip hop. Will listen to this again.

Don't listen to hiphop often, enjoyed this more than I expected

Solid

Old school east coast style. It’s okay

Conscious hip hop, pretty pretty groovy.

adok majd még neki esélyt, mert nem volt rossz, de nem nagyon éreztem ezt most

Definitely has a 90's feel to the flow, but with a little different beats. Really fun, I like the little accents in the beats that are like keys/flute type of pitch, although I will say the drum machine is pretty samey throughout. Overall, I could listen to this anytime it's pretty great

Seems cool, didn't listen to the whole thing but impressive at times

Fun but a bit too long overall, also some of the rapping aged pretty awkwardly but most of it and the production are generally pretty fun. Wish it was more conscise more than anything.

Still sounds fresh

I enjoyed this more than I was expecting to but probably 3-4 songs too long

I remember when Jurassic 5's previous album, Quality Control, came out. I was very impressed. And pleased -- this is more like the rap I like. More like old school (Run DMC, LL Cool J) and not so much like the stuff Jay Z and most modern rappers do. I would give that album 4 stars. This one isn't as good, in my opinion. Still good, but not as good. But still, 3.5 stars, though I'm rounding down since 4 stars should be uncommon.

I appreciated the style and flow of the tracks, 90s hip hop has something real that just can't be replicated today. I also really like this period of anti-gangster rap that doesn't rely on mysogeny and violence. Unfortunately most of the songs sounded way too similar, with similar themes and at times similar lyrics, after an hour it all just blended together.

Gear: Aür Audio Aurora Artwork: 🖐️✌️✊ Produktion: 👌🤌👍 Musik: 🤙👏🫳 Wertung: ✌️✌️✌️/5

Hip hop is not generally my thing but this was good. I've seen other reviews complaining about the similar sounds and beats, and while true to some extent, it is far above the 1 star ratings they give it.

Best prima hiphop. Maar verder niet heel bijzonder.

Good

pretty good. It's kind of a soulful, "conscious rap" type flow. The beats are more interesting than the lyrics, which are kind of standard, I think, but there's a lot of real creativity in the music.

Prototypical early 2000s alt-rap Highlights: "Freedom" (boom bap music, MCs have interesting voices), "If You Only Knew" (jazzy flute), "A Day at the Races" (late 80s/early 90s flow, Big Daddy Kane guests), "High Fidelity" (uptempo quirky music) Notable: "One of Them" (trying on gangsta...it's an awkward fit)

Meh…I like acts like Mos Def and Lauren Hill and Nas more if I’m listening to this genre. The backing tracks including flute were beautiful though

Nice sound very mellow! Hadn’t heard of this band before so nice to pick up a new band- album a bit long

When they say conscious rap this is what will come into my head forever. Kinda sick. Kinda not aging well. They said don’t call us corny but….

Clearly well made, but not of interest to me - a kind of easy listening jazz come rap

More of a Jurassic 3 for me

This was a pleasant surprise for me.

Kinda corny

3.5 pretty good, cool jazzy beats

cohesive but distinctive, refreshing. vibes music favorite track: A Day At The Races

Annyira nem volt rossz, pedig a hip-hop nem az én világom. Nagyon vacilláltam 3 és 4 csillag közt. Inkább 3, mert bár volt 1-2 jó alap, összességében nem hiszem, hogy magamtól újrahallgatnám ezt a lemezt. De ki tudja...

Könnte man gut weghören, aber nicht hundertprozentig meine Musik.

love J5 , and this is a quite good one, with a comforting old school feel . Their first and best album is awesome , so i’ll dig out that record! 3.5

I remember when these guys came out, it’s mid-level hip-hop - but far better than most other rap of the time.

We like this one quite a bit

Enjoyed listening but didn’t really grab me. Not bothered about hearing again.

Not my genre but liked it despite myself!

So I’m realizing that hip hop just isn’t really my thing. I’ve heard some excellent hip hop that I really enjoyed but, as a whole, it’s not really connecting. This is another album where I’d be hard pressed to say that it’s bad or even short of excellent. But it’s also not for me. Then again, if any of these songs came on spontaneously, I wouldn’t complain either.

Softer rap than I expected but I liked the musical aspects of the presentation.

Very quiet album to listen to in the background. Some jazzy instrumentals that relax you a lot and something that surprised me were the good lyrics. You will find that it is a very well written project despite having 14 verses per track. What is my problem with the album? I feel like it's a straight line, it has its little curves both up and down but, it stays straight for most of the album and doesn't surprise you at any point. I'm not saying it's bad to be consistent, but this project is very monotonous.

This is my kind of hip hop. Creative, artistic, and not trying to be super hard or narcissistic. Good vibes all around.

Enjoyable early 2000's hip hop with a relaxed vibe. Good in the background but no songs stood out particularly.

Empieza muy bien y hacia la mitad del disco uno encuentra al menos dos temas que suben el promedio. Bangers, como dicen los gringos. Al poco rato termina aburriéndome, pero creo que ese es mi propio problema con el rap

I've listened to Quality Control plenty, and solo stuff from members of this group, but don't think I've heard this album at all. Starting strong with a funky beat and Chali 2na's unmistakable deep voice in "Freedom". Dope flutes Nelly Furtado appears "One of Them" feels out of place on here. Too aggressive. First one I've wanted to skip. Album is losing some steam in the second half Closing it out with a fun classic 90s DJ instrumental track - love it. A fun album I would listen to again. 3.5/5 but prob rounding down

Expected to hate this but I really liked the backing. Very laid back and funky. The rapping is ok as well.

I really really like this kind of jazz influenced hip-hop. Smarter, more positive, more diverse themes, still has a lot of toughness and rage. Standouts: Thin Line, DDT, One Of Them, Acetate Prophets - especially Acetate Prophets.

Jeg forventede lidt mere, fordi jeg ofte har hørt Jurassic 5 nævnt i samme åndedrag som De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest osv., men synes ikke at rapperne her var vildt memorable. Vildt gode beats dog. Et af de bedste covers vi har haft

I've not heard of Jurassic 5 until now. It's a good hip hop album altogether. “Thin Line”, featuring Nelly Furtado, is the best track.

Was new to me and I was pleasantly surprised (I made it through the entire album). Really enjoyed “Thin Line” with Nelly Furtado vocals.

Pretty funky. Not hugely my thing

This is a real old-head hip-hop album. I listened to J5 a bunch in high school because one of my friends liked them a lot. I listened to this album twice, but the first time I was barely listening in a car. The album is straight bars with some pretty simple but funky production. If you like hot lyrics, this is a great album. I like a little more musical production, so this didn't quite pull me in that much. It's good, but runs a little long. No complaints and definitely enjoy it. 6/10

Ok

Du bon hip-hop, mais à part LE gros single de l'album, j'ai déjà de la misère à me rappeler comment ça sonnait. C'était bon, mais pas particulièrement mémorable, unique ou groundbreaking. 7/10

No. 223/1001 This Is NR Freedom 4/5 If You Only Knew 3/5 Break 3/5 React NR A Day At The Races 4/5 Remember His Name 3/5 What's Golden 4/5 Thin Line 3/5 After School Special 3/5 High Fidelity 4/5 Sum of Us 3/5 DDT NR One Of Them 3/5 Hey 4/5 I Am Somebody 4/5 Acetate Prophets 1/5 Average: 3,29 Fun, old-school hip-hop record. Lacked some diversity to be better.

Buen hip-hop.

i dont usually listen to rap but this is groovy i like it all of the songs kinda blend together but they are good i love the beats my favorite song: if you only knew

this is has me bopping my head back and forth like that vibing cat

I enjoyed it! Good Songs Good Lyrics but the Jurassic 5 has 6 Members... but a good album will listen to few songs for sure in the future

nice album, pretty chill, but not my style of rap 3/5

Favourite Song: Freedom

I have listened to Jurassic 5 a little bit but probably never a whole album. I liked the album in general but it really didn't have any real standout songs, beats or rhymes. Probably won't be returning to it over other similar(ish) artists --

I've heard this album categorized as alternative hip-hop several times. No chance, it's positively retro. And pining for an era much better left in the 80s.

A decent album, even for someone who's not a fan of a genre like me. I did enjoy the first half a lot more, though; I found it to be a lot more interesting musically than the back of the album. 3.5 stars

Liked the beats on this, doesn't hit that next level of hip-hop IMO, but still think it's fine. Really can't get into Chali 2na's voice - you know the one - just sounds like he's putting on a character.

bit mid

Pretty neat

perfectly fine

Not bad, not great.

Not a genre (hip hop / rap) I know too much about and I generally don’t find it interesting or alluring and even sometimes find it irritating. This is very listenable and has some good production and inventive use of samples. It’s in no way irritating or jarring. It could be hip hop 101 for all I know though. 3.5/5

3.5. This is more my style of hip hop

Really good, just a bit too long.

Not really into it

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

As someone who does not enjoy hip hop, this was surprisingly good.

Pretty okish

Power in Numbers by Jurassic 5 delivers a blend of classic hip-hop and innovative sounds but falls short of making a strong impact. The group's synergy is evident, yet the album feels predictable and lacks depth. The individual styles of each member are present, but their voices don't always mesh cohesively. While the balance between insightful lyrics and entertaining beats is maintained, neither stands out significantly. Interludes and skits add some personality but don't enhance the overall experience. Despite its well-crafted production, Power in Numbers leaves the listener wanting more in terms of originality and impact. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 2 STAND OUT TRACK - Thin Line

Ok

J5 are that perfect fusion of intelligence and hip hop. Probably prefer Quality Control but this is still a high 3

Honestly not a bad album, I quite liked how it flowed. However, it feels like a pretty average product of its time.

Could be made by AI...By which In mean, you know exactly what to expect from J5. Good but...same old J5.

Surprisingly not bad. Didn’t know what to expect though going in!

I enjoyed this a lot. The album was a very good classic rap album. However, it loses a couple points for me because of the time it was released. At this point in time, rap was doing so much more than just classic beats and mediocre flows with great poetry. If this was released 10 years earlier it’s a 4 or maybe 5

very interesting rap album but didn’t blow me away to make me super wanna revisit

I am somewhat familiar with Jurassic 5 but they fell off my radar in the late 2000's. I think a lot of people forget about them so this was a fun revisit. I have "Thin Line" in a playlist so it comes up sometimes and is always good. "If you Only Knew" and a couple other good ones on this album but not sure I'd put it on. Chali 2na's voice brought me back and I like their sound overall. Good use of breakbeats and incorporation of other instruments but some of it sounds too 90's for me. Still pretty enjoyable and a solid listen.

It's a decent hip hop album. Pretty basic beats and some good flow from the team. I dug A Day At The Races and a couple others. Decent listen but not anything that's going to stick with me though I'm way more likely to throw something like this on over many other forms of rap/hip-hop I've heard. 2.81 stars

Hip hop for people who don’t like hip hop. It’s a nice sound, pleasant, musical, and lyrically there isn’t any drugging or misogyny or crime. And yet, well, it’s just not particularly biting, is it? It calls to mind the optimistic days of the first W administration, when all of us good-hearted folks knew truth from hypocrisy, and thought this feeling would last…only to learn that hypocrisy will usually win out, as it’s much more entertaining.

Wirklich recht melodisches Hip-Hop-Album.

Groovy rhythm and the tracks are well produced. Somewhat enjoyable, but a little generic and too long.

Enjoyed

Some good tunes

Enjoyed more than I expected. Headbobbing beats and smart lines.

Oh yeah...I remember them! Crisp smooth and clean beats with a propulsive high energy feel. The delivery is similar: precise and clever with some quick turns of phrase and conscious content. Continuing the Native Tongues/backpack rap tradition, but it's kind of generic sounding across the board and nothing strikes especially powerfully - but maybe it's another one that'll need a few relistens to really sink in...

Really liked it, especially the song with Nelly

Solid. 3.3

I didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised. It is not just another hip-hop DJ sampling, rapping, and mixing as usual, but some quite excellent stuff here, both musically and lyrically.

Above average rapping, in my opinion. I didn't mind it for the most part.

Amazing rapping skills and versatility. Low key good rapping not the usual themes they were using back then. A change in the rap scene but never made it big unfortunately.

3.5 stars

Out of the hip-hop/rap albums I have heard on this project so far, this was my favorite. Catchy beats, endless rhymes, and not every song is about women and money.

Solid...but not nearly as great as ATCQ and other similar sounding rap groups. 3/5

It’s fine. Better than I thought it would be.

I always semi forget about them but I always enjoy their albums. Solid boom bap with some good storytelling songs (3.5/5)

Better than I expected, but not really my style. The rap and hiphop is quite okay

This is not bad although It's a rap LP...

Hmm - HipHop is not mine, but this one ist quite ok. Interesting samples, grooving rhythm.

It was alright not what I typically listen to

beats are great, drags on a bit

Good album.

This was a fun hip hop album. Good flow, fun backing instruments, no complaints. No standouts but no skips either. 6/10 (3/5)

Pretty solid bars overall but I need more upbeat beats.

Love some early 2000s hip hop

Pretty chill jazz rap record. Some songs overstay their welcome longer than others but for the most part this works best in the background. Sort of reminds me of Souls of Mischief and Tribe a little bit.

I didn’t hear this album so much because I don’t like this kind of hip hop.

It’s jamming, it’s grooving, it’s funking

Forgettable, nothing special or exciting. But good

I did know 'What's Golden'. As far as hiphop goes this is more my style - positive and catchy, though still didn't love the rapping.

Very early 2000's. Didn't age that well, tbh

Sicuramente sono dei negri

That was good stuff. Lots of energy.

Not my thing, ok I guess but nothing special

Alt Hip-Hop from 2002. Never head of them before. Standouts: Thin Line, Freedom, Break, A Day at the Races 3.5