Power In Numbers

Love the back and forth between the voices. Great beats and really nice groove.

There is a lot to like here, particularly when it comes to the beats. Very creative at times. Unfortunately, it suffers from inconsistency, especially in its second half. There are at least five tracks here that bring absolutely nothing to the table. Favourite track: Freedom

It was alright. I can understand why it’s on the list and influenced other things.

The production on this album has glimpses of brilliance, but the lyrics & flows are way too sterile. Every song feeling the same, combined with the bloated runtime, kills this project for a fella like me. A Day At The Races is the main standout, but I don't think I'll be coming back to it.

Really liked this. I had heard of Jurassic 5 but never listened to them. It's weird how they're classified as "alternative" hip hop when really it just sounds like old school hip hop. In any case I really liked the rhymes and the production.

Damn, that's some funky shi right there.

Honestly, while a bit cheesy and not the most intense hip-hop album by any means, I thought this one was casually enjoyable and pretty fun. Relatively modern for such old style hip-hop, the songs here really gave a good feeling.

Adding this to the list of hip hop albums I've enjoyed. The samples are thematic, jazzy, and funky, and complement the beats and rhymes well. The lyrics maintain a musical rhythm and take on a spoken word sound when the samples fade out for some added punctuation to its messaging. This album was undersold by the Wikipedia article that prefaced it, and I would have expected more evidence of critical acclaim given its high quality.

3.5 I enjoyed the vocal choreography of the group, some great beats and fun throughout

Some nice grooves and rap numbers on this album.

Cracking music Gromit!

Favorite Track: If You Only Knew

molto carino

Not a hip hop fan. It sounds good, several vocalists give variety, but I didn't hear an outstanding sound.

Minimalistiskt och uppfinningsrikt, aldrig tråkigt men inte alltid i prick.

Pretty nostalgic from when I first discovered Hip Hop. Charlie 2nas voice is all time. Probably moved on a bit from this style of feel good hip hop with a message, it's a little bit plain and unsurprisingly in both the beats and lyrics. But an important transitional album between realising that the genre can be more than nonsense gangster rap into the more alternative hip hop that's out there.

i liked this quite a lot

Classic West Coast Hip-hop. Every song was unique and the interludes were perfection. Cant believe I’ve never heard of Jurassic 5.

An interesting listen. Some good themes, lyrics, and samples to keep me listening.

Interesting, but not for me. 2.5 stars

Not a genre I'd seek out or an album I'd listen to again, but there were some catchy moments. Didn't listen to the whole thing.

Yeah not a life changer!!

I enjoyed A Day at the Races and a couple of others

Rat a tat tat. This ain't all that.

i once saw these guys open for dmb. rap for white boys?! i don’t recall anything about their show. i might even have a copy of this somewhere. i think this is pretty good. not great. it’s a good background album. even. nothing too outlandish or off putting to take you out of the zone. one of the guys sounds like he is putting on a voice which distracts me some.

Sort of forgettable and dated for its time, don't see what makes it particularly special but it's decent

It was fine.

Optimistic hip hop served with that oh-so delicious funk!

Really just not impressed.

No es música que escuche siempre.

I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn’t get there.

This gas how have I never heard of these lot

An intoxicating mix of energetic old school boom bap and jazz rap that sounds old enough to be one of the pioneering albums in hip hop, and yet a freshness as poignant today as it was in the 80s. And yet this album was released in neither time period: it came out in 2002. Shame it falls apart in the final third.

Really good album with some classics. This is my favorite type of hip hop. The coordination of the old tymers like The Temptations or Four Tops with the lyrical smoothness & genius of the 90's. What an awesome sound.

5/10

The beats are fun and the flows are solid, but idk about some of these lyrics, man. My least favorite thing about the backpack rap era is how way too many songs are just dissing other, more popular rappers. And not even in a fun way! It sounds like scolding!

lowkey if jcole was good

Amazing fkn album! No skips in this one and “Thin line” is a perfect song. Great!

Pretty good. Not my thing but was at least listenable.

Album : 15/089 Songs known going in : 0 / 17 favourite song : remember his name Cover : nothing revolutionary rating : 2/5 notes

A lot of the same and I can’t take that one guys voice seriously

One word venom. Gets abit repetitive but cool style. Some like reggae vibes at the start.

Makes me feel like I am in GTA

Me surpreendeu bastante esse aqui. Tem funk, jazz, soul... e fora as participações da Nelly e também Big Daddy Kane! Destaque para as faixas: Thin LINE (Feat. Nelly Furtado); After School Special; High Fidelity; I Am Somebody

Not my type of genre but always interesting. Very soft, easy to listen.

Minnie Riperton sample on thin line bumps it up to 4

This is quite fun and interesting, I really like the various little sounds in the tracks.

This is fine. I like the vintage sound.

Couldn’t get into this. Not a genre I enjoy. Won’t revisit.

Not my thing.

Cool but not my thing

I did think ah great another rap album, but actually this wasn’t too bad, especially as a drummer. Would listen again, maybe.

Really liked this, feels like an awesome depiction of beauty in simplicity. Just a beat and a rap. It doesn’t get much better than that. Parts of this felt very DOOM like in the comic book vibe with the sound effects and slightly asymmetrical rhyme scheme. Will likely come back to this one

Not my thing

Just did nothing special for me, although granted, I’m not really in the music listening mood, but especially not for Rap. Just was bored listening to it nothing cool. Hello hello hello hello this is a music review. Hello this is a music review and I’m reviewing this album. It’s a rap album. I did think some of the dual DJ stuff was kind of cool, but who cares who honestly care.

Better than the roots, not nearly as good as the fugees

I thought I knew what Jurassic 5 music sounded like... I was completely off base, this is an amazing alt hip hop album. It even has Nelly Furtado. Late 90s / early 2000s classic.

fun :)

Det her fungerer, når det nu skal være hiphop. Meget laid back og ikke kedeligt.

Rap old school, godibilissimo, bei testi, What's Golden e Thin Line stupende. Forse un pò ripetitivo verso la fine, ma è fatto da dio.

This was a very solid time, just fun enjoyable hip hop beats with lots of differing styles and great flowing rhymes with alternating vocals to boost everything up. Feels old school very much of the early 2000's but not dated or not worth going back to. I wasn't familiar with the band before this but this may become one of my favorite hip hop albums of all time.

Love it. Great beats, cracking rhymes. Anything Chali 2na does gets a vote from me.

Really great underground hip-hop album. Amazing beats and flow. The homophobic "One of Them" is really jarring in an otherwise brilliant album.

Not my genre and never will be. Skip.

For hip-hop, 3 stars is a damn good review for me.

Lekker groovy, vrolijke hiphop

What a banger

Found times with this one, hell ya

Nice little head nod.

3 stars

Meh

Thug is life.

Really fucking good this one surprised me

Es hat stellenweise einen feinen Hauch von Atmosphäre, aber der ständig reinplatzende, überdrehte Sprechgesang nervt mehr, als er trägt. Jurassic 5 klingen hier eher zerfasert als fokussiert — solide Idee, schwache Umsetzung.

I know a lot of people love this album. I enjoyed it, but it seemed to lack variety, felt a bit repetitive, and I was honestly a little bored of it at times. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt that I’m just missing something, or that I need to give it more listens.

Назва знайома але не можу згадати що це. Це класне. Попсовеньке, але подобається. Є пару провалів, але в загальному зайшов альбом. Strong 4.

It sounds like background music for like a GTA video game. Not my style but not bad.

Highly capable old-school rap worship with twisty flows and solid beats. Limited profanity + anti-gang + pro-Islam: 2002 respectable punk!

3/5 gta listen more

weirdly i was familiar with cut chemist before ever listening to any jurassic 5 song, due to a peak in time being used in a tv advert in the uk. heck of a first album to listen to from them though. shame about that bill cosby sample lol

I guessed from the cover that this is a hip hop album, and sure enough I was right. I usually don't enjoy hip hop much at all, so this was a pretty painful listen. I gotta be honest, when the music is this simple and repetitive the chances of the album getting even a mediocre rating from me were fairly low from the start. After a couple of songs, I began to lose whatever little interest I had in the album, and soon I could no longer keep up with the lyrics and zoned out. I am reviewing these purely subjectively, so this album gets one star.

Good beats from Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark, and some decent lyrical content that steps outside of hip-hop's usual naval gazing. What really falls short here is the rapping; the bars are fine, but the flow is rigid and really cries out for more emotion and personality.

Funky, felt like a throwback to some childhood music

an absolute gem that unfortunately doesn't seem to get much praise in recent times. i can't believe i'd never heard of this until now, as i am very involved in hip hop groups. but anyway, this album definitely puts jurassic 5 up there with the other great hip hop groups from the same period.

4.5 (could've gone 5 and rounded up), fun and propulsive. Has some of the weird interludes, etc, but overall enjoyed. Would relisten, and need to hear lyrics more to determine fave songs

Produção fantástica. O disco foge de todos os clichês do período que foi lançado. Dois DJs no grupo e ambos realmente trabalham bem. Os flows são todos ótimos, e o grupo Jurassic 5 é mais parecido com Tribe Called Quest e De La Soul do que com NWA, ou seja, o som é positivo, alegre, sem as PsyOps clássicas do “Gangsta” Rap da década de 1990. Em alguns momentos, o álbum soa um pouco pastelão, talvez sessão da tarde, um problema que o pessoal do Tribe não sofre. Mas comparar qualquer artista de Rap ao Tribe é altamente injusto. Os versos são bons, e as batidas melhores ainda. É tudo que se espera, e performa bem o trabalho. O único defeito é que ele acaba sendo um pouco longo, algo também comum nesse período. Uma pena, mas ainda assim, um disco bem legal que gostei de ouvir. 4/5

Nah bro this shit corny

My kind of hip hop. Give me Jurassic 5 or A Tribe Called Quest over most other hip hop/rap any day of the week. Puts hype-monsters like Kendrick Lamar, with his unpleasant lyrics, to shame. You don’t need to be a misogynist to flex in this game.

fun. nice beats.

no mi tipo de música, no me encanta el rap

𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 feels surprisingly overlooked for an album this good. Jurassic 5 take a more collective approach to hip-hop, putting chemistry and interplay ahead of individual star power. What appeals to me most is how naturally the MCs trade verses and complement one another. The production is warm and sample-driven, and the whole record feels lively without ever becoming showy. There is a real sense of people enjoying the act of rapping together. That approach works very well for me. 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 may not be one of the first albums people mention when talking about early-2000s hip-hop, but it probably deserves more attention than it gets.

3.5

nigger :D

This was a really enjoyable hip hop album. I wish I could figure out more about their creative process on their wikipedia page, because I found the beats to be really interesting.

ok langs hiphop album mengmol nöd sone guets zeiche, aber de erst song het meega geile beat d kickdrum isch huere fett und sie traded vo afang lines. sie sind biitz peace & love aber flowed geil. ich bin doch recht warm worde au wenns würkli z lang isch. sehr eloquent sehr spassig. 3.

слушать можно

This is great stuff - hip hop funky beats, smart samples and powerful lyrics, a world away from the misogynistic violence of gangsta rap. The tracks explore different musical styles along the jazz/funk/rap/electro spectrum but the album as a whole flows beautifully. Reading the wiki also tells me that the album starts with the same bass riff that the previous album ended with, so you could play one after the other in a seamless mix. The highlight for me was “A Day at the Races” which samples David Axelrod’s Song of Innocence, one of my all time favourite albums, and does it in such a way that in both respects and builds on the original. The a capella track DDT is also a revelation, and not something that you usually hear on hip hip albums, focusing attention on just the vocals and word play. Dinosaur-tastic!

Not quite on the level of their peers like De La Soul or A Tribe Called Quest, but a very solid early 2000's hip hop record. What's Golden remains one of my all time favorite hip hop tracks.

Mto swaggggg bom pra caramba

A lot of fun!

Pretty good. It’s not ground breaking, it’s not something that’s blowing me away or anything, nor should it be on this list, but it’s enjoyable.

Сара 4 Марко 5

Lol the Kool Keith voice mail freestyle feature, hope he got 1 million dollars. For 2002 this felt very late 80s/early 90s hip hop. I enjoyed for the most part.

I had no idea what this was and when I saw it I was upset because I thought I knew exactly what it was going to sound like and that I wouldn’t like it. I was pleasantly surprised.

First time I’ve listened to this group. I liked it.

like it

Low 4.0. Hip-Hop bem produzido, com samples legais e não é repetitivo. As vezes parece um pouco datado, e tem pelo menos uma fala um pouco problemática, de resto acho que é bem divertido.

This rocks, it’s like seeing a passenger pigeon or a dodo in the wild. An extinct species that nonetheless is still cool. I don’t really hear or see rap or hip hop like this and it’s a great throwback. Bobby, excitable, fun, and still deep.

*What's Golden is a great hip hop track *Solid early 2000s hip hop

Toevallig paar nummers hier al van opgeslagen, ik vind Jurassic 5 echt een beetje underrated, hun beats klinken super vet met veel soul samples en boombap maar de lyrics zijn heerlijk laid back. Pak het eerste nummer, Freedom, die meteen een soort heerlijke laidback flow introduceert en best wel duidelijk laat zien wat Jurassic 5 wilt doen met dit album: de politieke teksten van Public Enemy, maar dan met de meest smooth jazz beats van die periode. Ze doen me heel erg denken aan People Under The Stairs, met alternatieve beats en lyrics die een stuk verder gaan dan wat de meeste mensen verwachten bij hiphop. Een soort laatste evolutie van A Tribe Called Quest. Wat ik eigenlijk gewoon probeer te zeggen: Dit is echt een fantastisch album, als je houdt van hiphop, maar misschien juist wel als je niet van hiphop houdt: luister dit album. Oh mijn god er staat zelfs een Nelly Furtado feature op. Dit is echt geweldig. Ik kende ze een beetje, maar na dit album? Dit is oprecht een van mn favoriete hiphop albums die ik in lange lange tijd geluisterd heb. Bizar, ik ga hierna volle bak in de discography van Jurassic 5 duiken, wat een vette groep is dit. FAVO: Freedom, If you only knew, A day at the races, What's Golden, Thin Line, High Fidelity, Hey

REALLY solid hip-hop record that I've never heard before. Definitely one I want to revisit.

Why are there 6 members of a group called Jurassic 5? Life uhhh... Found a way.

Ok, 90’s American hip hop. Not too fast

08/10 Not bad

I like the message that they are sharing. I just don't like hip hop despite trying really hard to. So this gets 3 stars.

Un disco de hip hop que suena a clásico. Lo bueno de ir sin expectativas es que me ha sorprendido para muy bien. El airecito de inspiración me huele lejanamente a De La Soul o A Tribed Called Quest. Me parece un disco brutal, muy bien hecho y producido, con las voces llenas de personalidad sin pisarse entre ellas, y unos DJ que te caes de culo con lo bien que van mezclando las bases, haciendo scratching... Y letras reivindicativas, muy conscientes y pegadas a sus raíces, pero que no están llenas de moralina. Me ha encantado. Canciones favoritas: 'Freedom', 'Break', A Day At The Races, What's Golden

Great album thank you for the introduction. One of my immediate favourite HipHop albums.

The Unc-est of Unc music. Not surprised this has a higher rating than many other, better rap albums, because this is rap music for dorks who want to feel superior to “mainstream” rap, and a lot of you doing this project are dorks who want to feel superior to mainstream rap. Self-important, self-serious, preachy, self-congratulatory. In a way, it becomes conservative. A real through line of “pull up your pants” energy in this one. Boring flows, annoying voices. Wild homophobia suddenly too! Very unpleasant! The samples are pretty good and the scratching and DJing is nice, I’ll give it that! Really tiresome overall tho. I also checked on Spotify and it looks like some of these guys are waaaaay too into AI now, which completely tracks for me with the vibe of this album. Acting self-important with actually no real values.

Catchy and fun, I really enjoyed this album. I was hooked from the moment it started and was nodding my head to the beat all throughout. ‘Freedom’, ‘React’, and ‘Remember His Name’ all stood out to me, but my personal favourite is ‘Thin Line’. This is actually my first 4/5 rating - it would be a 4.5/5 but that isn't an option :( Will for sure be listening again!

Funkigt, kul, bra hiphop. Låter lite old-school. Står mellan 3 och 4 men det får bli en 4!

Good rap album with some classics.

3.5

I'm not well-equipped to evaluate hip-hop, it's not a native thing to me and I'm not fluent in its language. I appreciate the flow and the rhymes, but when the melody doesn't call me, I might as well listen to the dishwasher rapping it and that's not why I listen to music. The fact that the song that came afterwards in Spotify is Can I kick it?, by A Trible called Quest, and I Immediately save it, and acknowledge it's not by Jurassic 5, can tell you something. 3 stars for the nice flows, and original sounds.

I never really got Jurassic 5, no matter how hard I tried. It feels like a "had to be there" sound, but I wasn't there. Some tracks are far better than others, and I love the break samples. Hard to score this.

565/1089 - Quality beats and cool voices. Would be cool if there was more variety in flows or more interesting instrumentals and odd phrase lengths like ATCQ.

Had never heard of them but liked this, especially the single What’s Golden.

No fav song

Excellent Album! I felt like I had a jukebox on my shoulder!

Glorious. Exactly the kind of hip hop I like - jazzy, with a variety of voices and flows and lyrics that cover more than just money and bitches. Probably only makes a 4 just because what's Golden is such a stand out that nothing else comes close, but still a great listen. Fun fact - I saw Charlie 2na at a festival this year, and he can absolutely rock a party.

Like a lot of hip hop I found it really interesting and cool at first, but after a whole album of it I was struggling. This is better than most, I enjoy the beats, the fact that it’s several people with their own unique voices and styles is great.

One of my favorite rap records from this era. I still listen to "What's Golden" all the time.

Very cool album, relentless flow kept the energy high very engaging

Bro!! I’d listen to an entire album of these guys singing nursery rhymes and still give it a 5. God damn the flow is so good on this album. This is the catchiest, most vibe inducing, banger after banger-centric album I’ve ever heard. I love it so much. Every song is great, minus the random bouts of dated homophobia sprinkled throughout. Everyone was doing it though, so I’m not upset about it. Something I’ve learned quickly about myself during this project is that when Hip-Hop is good, I’m liable to just give it a 5 off rip, and this is really good. I was already familiar with Jurassic 5 going in, so some of these I’d already heard before, just not the album as a whole. Furthermore, I’ve heard a lot of solo stuff by Chali 2na, as well as the other band he’s in Ozomatli. Let me tell you something, and I mean it. Of all the rappers featured on this site, he probably has my favorite voice out of all of them. I mean it. It’s deep, and turns anything he says into something amazing, regardless of topic. Again, I’d listen to that dude read anything we wants to. Another, more personal reason I love this album is because of whoever it is that adds some of the sound effects to the tracks. The audio engineer, I guess?? I don’t know, I don’t make music. Anyone who has a good sound man and knows when to sprinkle in some banger sound effects also automatically gets a 5 from me. Public Enemy does it a lot as well, and MFDOOM was famous for it so much that it became a meme. I don’t know why I like it so much. It’s just fun. This album is FUN. Amazing rapping, good energy, good chemistry, good vibes, good beats, good sounds. It’s just really, really good to me and the only thing I can give it is a 5. My favorite song on the album is “What’s Golden” for being so god damn catchy as well as being a good showing of each J5 member. Power In Numbers is great. Jurassic 5 is great. End of story. As of this moment, Hip-Hop has overtaken Rock as my second favorite genre on the site. That’s not something in a million years I would have ever expected to happen, but it goes to show that this website has a metric ton of albums that it markets as Rock that have no right being here at all, and a good amount of Hip-Hop albums that clearly should be on here. There is no realm on Earth that this should be possible, but here we are. I won’t complain about it, it’s all been pretty great so far, and I hope that continues.

⭐⭐⭐+ Hip hop. Skönt flow och känns aningen oldschool. Inledningen av albumet tilltalar mig direkt.Tappar lite intresse efter ett tag, tror albummet hade gynnats av att kapa några spår. Dock är det ett album/grupp som jag tror hade kunnat växa hos mig och kan tänka mig att lyssna på det igen, tillsvidare får det en stark 3a. Bäst är Freedom, If you only knew, Break, Whats golden, High fidelity, Sum of us,

Not mine

4 stars This was a hip hop group I always heard about but never gave too much time to. They’ve got a classic hip hop sound although they were a bit later than acts like Tribe and De La Soul. I really enjoyed this start to finish, and will return to it, as well as the rest of their discography.

This was nice. Reminded me of MF doom a little bit.

Classic 90's/00's NYC rap. Conscious, alert, aware.

buen hip hop. me gustaron los beats. y hay partes cantadas que igual banco.

Muy raro es una boyband de raperos yankees dosmileros

1 - interlude 2 - 5/10 3 - 6/10 4 - 5/10 5 - interlude 6 - 6/10 like the bassline 7 - 6/10 8 - 7/10 9 - 5/10 10 - 5/10 11 - 6/10 12 - 5/10 13 - interlude 14 - 4/10 15 - 3/10 16 - 6/10 17 - interlude

I’m sure it’s good just not my bag of tea..

decent raps on this i must say

ja gewoon echt niet mijn genre

giving me huge de la soul vibes (the rapping). also some mf doom vibes. pretty solid. music feels like a midwest-y summer kinda day. guitar is really catchy and feels a little sad sometimes. it feels like if this was a movie, the colourgrading would be like a toned-down wes anderson film, something like outerbanks or some shit.

oo the j u been a while not the album with jayou or concrete schoolyard or improvise forgot how good this one is tho wow, should put this one on more 💥break 💥a day at the races 💥what's golden 💥thin line 💥after school special 💥high fidelity

Divertido, fácil de escuchar. Buenos beats. Le pongo cuatro pero porque hoy no estoy en mood de jí jó

Nice! I havent heard this in a long time. Good production/beats, tasteful samples, tallented MCs that aren't mumbling or incorrently just saying random sentences that are unrelated to one another or make a coherent thought. THIS is hip hop. Vivid example of the state of the genre by and large currently being utter shit. Solid 4 stars.

??????????!!!!!!!!!!

I actually liked them more than I expected

The lyrics and messaging in the song is great! Beats are good. I don't like what they did where they have an ~unrelated sound intro/outro to each song. It didn't click and naturally lead fit for me. Even setting that aside, all of the lyricists have great enunciation and flow. Liked this.

Not my normal go to genre but this was great! Very upbeat and fun!

J5 is cool. Ahem, I mean, "J5 is rockin' on the radioooo"

Good beats, good rhymes.

So much talent and honestly, there’s not a lot to complain about with this record. Good beats, good flow, some refreshing storytelling, but there’s an overall lack of calories and an early 2000’s flatness- a lack of style and identity that makes the album less than memorable.

I liked this better than most of this genre but by the end I felt too many songs sounded the same and had become bored

Bra! Jag gillar deras debutalbum bättre men detta är långt ifrån dåligt. Bra flow och sköna breats. Jag gillade What's golden och If you only knew allra bäst men albumet funkar bra i sin helhet.

So good. I’m glad to see rappers give numbers the credence they deserve.

Rap still isn’t my favourite genre. Still, two stars…

Tbh this isn’t bad, technically— but it feels stale to MY ears. 00’s Taco Bell commercial music. It sounds like the rap parodies from that decade, too. Lyrical miracle cornball flows. Mind you, I love hip hop music older than this. This is Fruitopia music.

Felt like standard early 2000s rap, but the final song suggests a more varied, interesting album

Another album I already have sadly. My brother put me on them 20+ years ago, how time flies. The track "Freedom" got a lot of play back in the day. Got to admit I have only listened to this album ~3 times in the past few years though.

5/10 - nice not too hardcore hiphop, very early 90s/late 80s sound

Another one I never would have heard otherwise. I was surprised this was released in 2002, as it sounds very early 90s to me; but that's not really a bad thing. Really enjoyed a few of the songs, especially "What's Golden", though I probably won't listen to the whole album again.

7/10

Has its moments, I like the variation in the jazzy soul and Latino samples and influences but I just find myself wanting more kick. Chill is fine though when the time calls for it and it makes a worthwhile effort to combat the gangsta shite but I preferred the tracks without many vocals, like the final track. With a few more spins, it might get into my veins but that itch for that bit more remains for now...

A bit too long, but easy to listen to.

I didn't even know about this band, and to be fair, I'm not the biggest hip hop fan. But that's the point of this exercise, listening to records outside of your regular purview. And this is quite good! If I hadn't looked it up, I would've assumed this is a lot older, not from 2002. Catch tunes, good samples (not Funky Drummer for the umpteenth time) and a good mix of vocalists make this a rather varied listening experience. Will listen again.

pretty sick hip hop of the sort i tend to enjoy, good stuff

Banger, obviously.

Not my vibe but understandable why people love it

really groovy underground, great lyrics, fun beats, very enjoyable

I like this album a lot, especially lyrically. But I don't know if the songs are diverse enough in sound to have me listening to the whole album again

If I liked rap I would like this.

amei os samples todas as musicas são muito boas!!

yea not great. cant say much else

catchy. original. cool. hip hop.

I have been a long time fan of the Jurassic 5 sound, they have cool flow and great chemistry together. I like the sound of rap groups, the rap style and cadence always sounds better to me than a solo artist. Love conscious rap as well, 25 years later it is still fresh and relevant.

Not

Yeah. Pretty good.

Man, they’re boring. Uninspired production, 80s flow. Kool Keith shows up for an interlude and you’re reminded what talent sounds like.

When I was a freshman in college Jurassic 5 played on our campus. My brain confused them with Dinosaur Jr., and so I was very confused the first time I heard one of their songs.

I have listened to Chali 2na, Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark individually for decades, but have never actually listened to Jurassic 5. I did not know they were this.

I really enjoyed this. My favorite kind of rap is very clear staccato kind of speaking and this has that but everyone in the group speaks so cleanly all of it has that feeling. I will need to come back to this because I wasn’t really able to listen to the lyrics and it felt like they had something to say.

A far better representation of hip hop to my mind than what we were given earlier this week. I liked the use of samples and the interchange between the different vocalists was excellent. It reminded me of that something else that was missing from the Chronic was wordplay - this was really evident here, where rhythms and sounds were used creatively to give meaning whilst also maintaining interest.

A great opener to herald what was to come. Much more clever wordplay, interesting subject matter and much jazzier influences. Strong de la soul and tribe called quest influences come through here which is much more in my wheelhouse. Enjoyed this a lot and something that would be good to listen to again.

Hggk

Once again, it is not really something I would normally listen to. It is surely not bad at all, but not for me.

An incredibly groovy, catchy, and lyrical album. One of the better hip-hop albums I've heard while doing this experience. Somewhere between TPAB and Wu Tang. 4.5 rounded up to a 5/5

Onpas harvinaisen hyvä albumi. Muutama biisi ja artisti entuudestaan tuttu, mut kyllä löysi moni biisi listalle tältä albumilta 8/10

Incredible! I can't believe I'd never heard of this group. Unmistakably old-school, 80s rap style, but with modern flow, tightness of rhyming, melodic instrumentals... phenomenal lyrics too. Such a pleasure.

3.6/5

Heard Before? Yup. Notes: - waaaaaay too long, although i truly enjoyed the pointlessly long final track. - essentially every song is a battle rap posse cut over dusty golden beats. a wonderful thing, but exhausting over time. - varied voices, competent but predictable flows, mildly cheesy rhymes. Verdict: Reactionary hip-hop? Rap for beginnners? Or just refried golden age? Very fun in small doses, but their allergy to innovation can be off-putting. Listen Again? Fun to revisit after twenty years, but I won't be spinning it again. A similar but much more rewarding release from the same year is Blazing Arrow by Blackalicious.

Quite retro sounding for 2002, harking back to the likes of A Tribe Called Quest. Didn't really grab me at first but the middle section is strong, starting with A Day at the Races. Then it petered out again

Damn, it’s a groove

I got right into this record way back in the day and when it appeared in the list I was "oh yeah, they were good!". It took me a while to recall that I only thought they were good for a couple of weeks back then and I never returned. Listening now, 20-something years later, I recall why I never went back. The beats are good, they have groove. They're clean but with great vibe. But most the tracks follow the same pattern, each guy throwing a bar, and all kinda sounding the same except for Chali 2na who despite having such a distinctive voice is also the most boring of the lot. I thought this was gunna be a 4 star. And after the intro and then Freedom, I almost had it locked in. But then I kept going. And by the time I got to What's Golden I was growing increasingly over it, and What's Golden is what really brought the memories back. I bought the CD based on that track, which hooked me immediately when I heard it on the radio (I'm soooo old). But back then, that song was one of the first track that started to drag the album, and hearing it now it felt flat and dull. This is a very negative sounding review. But really, it's a solid 3 stars and I'm not being generous here like I was with yesterdays album (Elephant Mountain). But it ain't a 4 star. It's got some good beats, a few good rhymes, but it's also just a bit boring.

really good. i liked pretty much every song

I've been into Jurassic since "Quality Control" came out when I was in high school, and I love that album. For some reason I never listened to this one (which is the follow up) until now. Well, I'm happy to report that it's every bit as good. All the underground rap traits that made my favorite great are here as well. The beats are fire, the different lyrical styles keep it interesting, and the subject matter is deeper than a lot of the commercial stuff that is (and has been) around. Awesome album by a great group.

I recognize the name but never listened to this group. They have some solid songs on it and some great features but there was too much filler in this album for my taste. It's a 2 in my eyes compares to my A Tribe called Quest 3. I liked the production but at the same time it's very similar to what TLET from Quest did which this is meant to replicate I think but it feels repetitive and generative at time and some of the samples are questionable. Also just the length of the album dragged the rating down for me

What a refreshing rap album. I had heard of this group before, but had never listened to any of their music. That was a mistake because these guys are great. I immediately started to listening to more their stuff and I'll continue to go through more if their albums soon. A pleasant surprise that really put me a good mood for the rest of the day.

Eh, some of this was grand, some.of this was definitely not.

Fun!

Actually manages to overcome some of my dislike of the genre.

Amazing, fabulous album. Straight onto the buy list.

Me ENCANTÓ el mood de este álbum.

Love J5 and pleasantly surprised they are in the book as you don't hear as much about them as some other alt hip-hop royalty such as ATCQ and De La Soul. Their debut is the slightly better album for me but this is great too, the members all bring some great rhymes and their chemistry together as a group makes them so addictive I think. What's Golden is the highlight but I could listen to this music for hours 5* for J5

Is this the conscious rap version of Wu Tang? Certainly it feels like an 80s inspired aesthetic brought into the more modern rap scene of the turn of the century. The thing I immediately appreciate here is that this feels pretty ego free. I mean, hiphop always has a little ego, but these aren't really songs where folks get a verse and try to out-rap each other. Lines swap between vocalists in the middle of stanzas, like a basketball being passed from player to player. You don't hear that sort of teamwork making the dream work often (one might argue the Beasties are an exception, as they love emphasizing each others’ lines like they're cheering each other on). It also, interestingly, is a grower. I settled in around A Day at the Races, which is danceable in ways that lots of dance cannot live up to, that bass and drums keeping things lively. Modern rap especially seems to avoid this sort of tempo and funk. That isn't -too- deep into the album, but it's when this started feeling full-fledged instead of a bit of an old school anomaly. Even when that nostalgia crops up again, we've gotten into fresher territory. The groove on What's Golden, for example. I could listen that by itself for at least twice as long. But the real surprise is how naturally it moves into so many corners of the genre, while really just growing itself into a cohesive whole. Maybe I'm biased because we have MCs named Chali 2na and “Soup,” which is kind of the platonic ideal of a lunch. But this was a nice surprise and I think I'm willing to give it a strong enough 3 to register as a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Thisll get a relisten for sure.

One of the more enjoyable conscious rap albums I’ve heard. Cool surprise feature from Big Daddy Kane too

Very impressed by this album. Seems to hit that conscious hip-hop vibe I like from early 90s. Very good beats and enjoyed lyrical content. No aggression.

Alternative, West Coast hip hop that initially thrills and then wears out its welcome a bit.

A very solid album for the first half. By the second half got a little bit stagnant, but a good listen over all. Pretty nice vibes in the overall jazz rap landscape. 3.4/5 -> 3/5

Liked it, had heard of Jurassic 5 but never listened before.

Every single rapper in this group has top-tier flow and their voices sound amazing, especially Charli 2na, whose really deep voice I loved. The DJs also cooked hard and made this whole album such a vibe with the main menu screen-sounding beats and the fun samples and scratching. Favorite Track: Remember His Name - I liked the story of this one and the way it switches between these calls and how they talk like actual people on the phone, but in an elevated way with the great flow and rhymes.

Never listened. Expectations: None - Verdict: Good - Freedom is mildly funky and I like the flow of some of the verses. If You Only Knew is very cool. A Day At The Races is good as well and the transition into Remember His Name is great. Sum Of Us is a very good track. I like I Am Somebody a lot too.

I thought this was fun

Very smooth and enjoyable but it also kind of makes me rather want to listen to A Tribe Called Quest.

Way outside my enjoyability zone, but listenable for its type. As with all rap (at least all I’ve heard) it soon sounds dated, as this does nowadays. Rap relies on power & that fades with time.

Incredible samples, a real engineering master piece

BEFORE: Never really clicked with me as a group when I heard them from time to time in my 20s, although I know What's Golden and I like Ozomatli's first album. Even caught Chali 2Na solo at a festival recently that The Roots headlined. It should be in my wheelhouse so going into this with an open mind. AFTER: I really enjoyed the beats and production on this. The vocals are decent but don't stand out as much as the bouncy, jazzy instrumentals - there is a little too much reverence to the culture at the expense of trying new things. Having said that, there is plenty of skill on display, especially on the faster tracks. I'd listen to this again just to enjoy the grooves and production. The Cut Chemist productions here are especially strong and I will be seeking out his solo work. HIGHLIGHTS: Freedom, Break (a bit more A-game here from the rappers), A Day At the Races, Hey, Acetate Prophets. LOWLIGHTS: Remember His Name is a little tedious and the back half of the album dragged a little more, but overall this was a pleasant surprise even if the vocals don't always reach the level of the music. VERDICT: A strong 4 star album. Glad to have my mind changed and worth revisiting in the future.

More interesting than other hip hop! Was cool with the sampling.

I love Chali 2na's voice wow

I’ll admit it: when another hip-hop album pops up on the 1001 list, my expectations usually aren’t sky-high. Thankfully, Jurassic 5 had other plans. Power in Numbers blends funk, soul, and jazz into a record that’s smooth, upbeat, and just plain fun to listen to. It’s easily one of the strongest hip-hop entries I’ve come across since we started this project a couple of years ago.

This was a really fun hip-hop album that I would return to again when I wanted to just get into an upbeat and positive mood. I would also recommend this one to anyone wanting the same outcome.

No bangers on the first listen. Nothing made me stop and check what song was playing. was vibing to the beat. freedom was one of those songs. A day at the races was good to listen to but I did not save any of the songs.

4.25

This isn't usually my jam, but I have to admit that the poetry here is marvelous, and it's surprisingly musical, taking inspiration from soul, funk, RnB, etc. Refreshing.

Favorite Song : Thin Line 2nd Favorite : High Fidelity Transition between Hey and I Am Somebody was smooth.

fav songs: what's golden conscious, warm, lyrical 40/100

Honestly if I could give this a higher rating I would, such a fantastic album oh my goodness😭. It starts off by speaking on the race, class and societal disparities and problems doing so in such a well constructed way its almost tear jerking for me. Furthermore, talking about the beauty of rap but not just talking about it but showing that through their music. This quality is kept consistent and even taken up a notch throughout the album. Listen, I'm no reviewer but the lyrics, the beats, the soul, the messages and everything behind this album make this a 5/5 for me. Anyone who underhands this and reduces this album to "trash" because its rap is being disingenuous and has ulterior racist motives. They should reserve their discriminatory opinions to their miserable self. Beautiful album!

I enjoyed the jazziness of this,.

Brilliant

Funky, good beats and flow

Como en "Titane", me gustaría que este disco me embarazara.

This was just ok to me, nothing really special. I’m not a huge fan of “happy hip hop

Meh

Great. I’d like to take more time to listen to the lyrics

Oh, I liked that.

Not even into rap but this was something😭😭 (me like mwuahhaha)

Really fresh, positive and groovy hip-hop record. The vocals and rhymes actually feel good on the ears and flow well with the music - something I think rap often fails to do it.3.5

Really solid lyrics and theme. Awesome beats aswell.

Supongo que lo que destaca es la letra porque la verdad es que casi todas las canciones me sonaron igual. No está mal pero definitivamente no es un género que disfrute. Yo siempre será más de la música/ritmo en sí que de la letra, así que…

It feels like J5 was trying to bring back a style that was already done and done well. They're solid MCs and the beats are cool, there's just not a lot to keep me locked in.

Didn’t even know about this collective. Loved the production, the samples and the genuine love for life that comes out of these tracks!

Not my thing but quite enjoyable

Essential J5 album. All time

Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I’ve heard this group’s name before but never any of their music. I was very surprised by how fun this album is. Socially conscious, not misogynistic or crude, and some awesome raps. It’s not the style of music that I usually seek out that often, but I was really impressed.

They’re so good - excellent album top to bottom 4.5

fine

Che buenísimo este. Pensé que era reggae, pero no. Es como una mezcla entre rap, hip hop, reggae. El ponja me dijo que era dub, nunca había escuchado. No le presto mucha atención a la letra porque no entiendo todo lo que dicen cuando cantan rápido, pero es bastante groovy che. Tiene de esas canciones que hacen que no dejes de mover el pie, aunque no te fanatice el género necesariamente. Agregué un par de canciones a mi playlist, tome. 7/10

Not really my type of music. Most likely won't listen to again. 2/5 stars.

Not for me 2/5

Alright, I give up. Every review I write I always try to make it as insightful as possible, and I always say whatcI can about my thoughts on the album, the artist as a whole, and any other relevant context I know about the album. But I am officially done trying to make my reviews interesting for albums like this. Half the albums on this list are some generic crap that nobody needs to care about, and while it has made for an interesting challenge to try and give an in depth review of each one, I truly have nothing left. You want to know what I think of this album? Go and read literally any of my other reviews of others just as boring as this. I've said everything there is to be said about all the music that's this uninteresting, and to be honest I'm amazed I've made it this far giving so many full reviews of albums with absolutely zero substance.

Not a rap fan

luv it <333

jurassic grrraahh big 5 shi

loved this so much.

Been aware of Jurassic 5 for a while via What’s Golden and recently read more about Chali 2na after hearing his voice on another song and learning who he is! Enjoyed this album and would explore more of J5’s music! Happy listening all!

Jurassic 5 definitely has flow but I've always felt when I listen to an album it all sounds pretty similar. Doesn't mean it's bad it's just a little unmemorable.

I once described Jurassic 5 as the best rap starter pack for white people, and that's too mean by half, but only half. On the one hand, they were/are Native-Tongues-style social-consciousness rap with legitimately talented wordsmiths and dynamite producers whose work I sought out on instrumental albums, all in an LA hip-hop scene that was pretty formulaic by this point, aiming for pop-chart crossover hits and big music videos. There's a lot of legitimately interesting stuff here, and if you can set aside the throwback quality, there are layers of complexity worth digging for. But on the other hand, this is a full-on throwback act, and by this point, the edges of rap music were so phenomenal that it feels like a step backward. Keep in mind that this was coming out around the same time as seminal albums by Outkast, Jay-Z, Ghostface Killah, Clipse, Eminem, Missy Elliott, The Roots, and Kanye, as well as underground classics by Deltron 3030, MF Doom, Cannibal Ox, El-P, and Aesop Rock. A lot of those acts were integrating Eric B & Rakim with something new and envelope-pushing. As a result, I find it impossible to judge on its own merits, because its own merits are working against it. Now, this is infinitely more true of their breakout EP and debut LP, Quality Control. Power in Numbers at least attempts to modernize the sound. It still feels tailor-made for the Pitchfork hipster kids. But I don't want to undersell the real lyrical complexity about subjects that matter and a few legitimate jams. I just hope anyone who found time for this made their way to The Cold Vein, Labor Days, or (especially) Madvillainy.

1. This Is - N/A Track is too short to rate. 2. Freedom - 9 I hate the lyrics "this is why I write this song" or genuinely when a song references itself. Having said that, outside of that minor pet peeve, the rest of this track is pure heat. That opening beat/composition is incredible. 3. If Only You Knew - 8 Solid rap with really good flow and a solid beat. 4. Break - 6 It's okay. Good flow and solid bear but not a phenomenal track by any stretch. 5. React - N/A 6. A Day At The Races (feat. Percy P & Big Daddy Kane) - 9 Great rap. The flow is absolutely undeniably smooth with the lines complimenting each other with a rhythm that's incredible to expeirence. Really fun instrumentally as well. All around a brilliant track. 7. Remember His Name - 7 Really good beat. Lyrically it's alright and the word play throughout the song is quite strong. Enjoyable track. 8. What's Golden - 10 Belter of a track. Brilliant rap, brilliant lyrics, unbelievable beat. Insanely fun with an amazing flow. Sensational sounding and just a brilliant tune. 9. Thin Line (feat. Nelly Furtado) - 10 Another amazing beat with some absolutely incredible lyrics that pain a difficult story. Very well done rap. Nelly Furtado adds a huge amount to the track. Chorus is a little overly repetitive but the change in pitch through helps keep it a little more fresh. 10. After School Special - 4 Pretty weak track. Lyrically it's not anything special and it's a complete cool down off the heat of the last two tracks. This didn't need to be on the album. 11. High Fidelity - 8 Solid rap, decent lyrics, and a great beat. Pretty much everything there you would need to enjoy a rap track. 12. Sum of Us - 10 Smooth, silky, and with brilliant lyrics. The lines are absolute filled to the brim with heat. 13. DDT (feat. Kool Keith) - N/A 14. One Of Them (feat. Juju) - 4 It's okay. It's nothing great and the opening verse is awful but it gets better as you go. 15. Hey - 3 Boring track. More R&B styled but it just doesn't really move you anywhere. 16. I Am Somebody - 5 Good decent track. Nothing phenomenal that's going to blow you away. Is definitely filler on the album. 17. Acetate Prophets - 6 It's okay. It's more like a random mashup than anything else but it's enjoyable. Average Rating: 7.07 Adjusted to 5-Point Scale: 3.54 Rounded Up: 4 Stars

I love the added flute. My favorite song was Thin Line. The universal, unsolvable problem of being friends and do you cross the line into more.

Really dig this! Thoughtful lyrics, good flow, and those flute samples!

Didn't think I'd like it as much as I did, excellent flow

Powerful words. I appreciated the different vocals and beats

Gostei, mas acho que tenho que ouvir outra vez para certificar

Ouve-se bem, mas não chega para o 4

Love it

I wasn’t feeling this at the start but then I really liked Break and from then onwards the album was great. Top Track - Thin Line

the samples be POPPIN but one of the guys be killing my vibe with his voice.

The back half ended up being much better than the first half made it seem, but it's mostly just an okay album

I'm no a rap fun at all, but this one was pretty awsome.

3★/5 [06.26.2026] 06.29.2026

Three-leaning-four. I really liked this!

Pretty good

An absolute masterpiece of the genre. Awesome beats; masterful delivery; poignant themes; and it’s almost entirely clean. This is west coast rap undoubtedly but it is the antithesis of California gangster rap. They even seem to challenge those artists with the salient query: how does profiting off of the violent stereotype of black male youth make your culture better? The songs are “hard”, the flows aggressive, it they never succumb to cliche. They have all the charm of Tribe but more balls and better books.

Another unexpectedly palatable rap album. The absence of gangster infused lyrics was a welcome change. The beats were cool and production smooth.

A good album with highs and lows. Doesn't really stand out as a masterpiece against other rap / hip hop.

classy and cool. the ensemble cast can get overwhelming if you don't already fuck with Jurassic 5 like that, and the conscious rap occasionally dips its toes into playful homophobia, but the production is snappy and unique enough to keep your attention. generally those slightly wacky early 2000's alt rap beats are just my favorite thing. favorite song is What's Golden or Thin Line. Or I Am Somebody. solid 4

Rating: 6/10 A solid alternative hip hop record with cool sampling and a collection of good emcees that doesn't quite live up to its full potential, but is quality and has a bunch of good tracks regardless. It almost feels like it teases you in through the first couple tracks with this conceptual idea of the power in numbers, with lyrical themes stemming from racial inequality, systemic injustice, and uplifting political messaging. But after that the lyricism quickly starts to feel like it's actually about...nothing, really, just some catchy rhymes with good flows. It starts to lose itself more after the halfway mark, and begins to feel like the record could have been a little tighter than its 56 minute length. All of this combined with the fact that J5 and this album weren't exactly innovative anymore and feel stuck in the 90's, while 2000's underground hip hop would soon quickly outperform this. I probably won't be returning to listen in full but am cool with some tracks in a jazzy hip hop playlist

Ayo this album is sick. Beats/backing tracks are creative, the raps are awesome (duh), Chali 2na's voice/flow is sick. Break, Remember His Name, and A Day At The Races are my favorites. It felt like there was a lot of tasteful "extra" stuff added to the songs that made the whole album feel very intentional. IN SUMMARY the songs are very great and there's a ton in the album that all works great together 8.8/10

I groaned a little when I saw what today's album was. I think I'm in a space where this style of music is not something that I naturally gravitate towards. Having said that, this was a really solid album. The beats and rhymes were engaging and smooth. The group fits in nicely with A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. Worth another listen

What a great vibe album. So many great bests, rhymes and hooks. My faves were What's Golden, Freedom and Sum of Us. J5 should be way bigger than they are.

Power in Numbers feels like a whole new group came together and truly locked in all their talents because man does this blow everything else Jurassic 5 has done previously out of the water. The production here is leagues better than anything this group had done prior and you can thank Cut Chemist for coming in and giving Jurassic 5 the push they needed to put out some crazy good music. The lyrics here are also able to shine more than before thanks in part to the production as well, but also a more defined rap style that really works over the more lowkey and dense beats. I truly think Jurassic 5 could have been so much bigger if they just got a better producer and Power in Numbers is a perfect argument as to why I'd think that. Really glad I gave Jurassic 5 a chance, but if there is any project to hear from them, it is this album by a long shot. Nuff said.

83/100. Individual talent can open a door. Building something worthwhile usually requires more people walking through it. The boom-bap foundation is fantastic, and the jazz influences give the beats a warmth and personality that never gets old. Thankfully, the rapping is just as strong. The flows constantly shift, different vocal tones keep the songs dynamic and the group chemistry is excellent. What makes the album stand out is its focus on collective achievement. At a time when a lot of mainstream hip-hop was increasingly centered around wealth, status and individual success, Jurassic 5 doubled down on the idea of building something meaningful with other people. That sense of community runs through the entire record. What surprises me is how relatively little attention the album seems to get compared to many of its peers. The songwriting, performances and production are all strong enough that I would have expected it to have a larger reputation.

Not my vibe

I had a fun time listening to this! the lyrics were fun and thoughtful and the beats were solid!

Not a genre I listen to often but I enjoyed it, every song seemed energetic and fun. I'll probably listen to Jurassic 5 more in the future

Easy to listen to and quite funky. Easier rap album to listen to.

Interesting but not really my thing

I really loved J5's first album but remember being disappointed buy this album. Glad to give it another chance. Damn this album goes hard, not sure why I was disappointed in this album because it is real good. Chali 2na's voice is just so good! Some great acid jazzy beats mixed with some smooth lyrical flow which is hard to beat. Great album!

Really groovy basslines, nice instrumental and flowy barz, fire Meow meow

Actually really enjoyed this album! Had never heard of it before. Smooth as hell

не совсем попал под настроение, но хороший бумбэп

There are enough interesting parts to this album that make it worth a listen. 3 stars or C+.

I’m thinking yes! Jurassic 5!!!! Then I see it’s from 2001….ok Then I see that they aren’t from the 70’s like I thought. Ok This has that overly political sound to it. Sort of stuck in the 80’s sound. See Del the Funky Homosapien or Arrested Development, though they were most likely mid to late 90’s. In an entertainment sense, this type of sound is lacking for me. The beats are serviceable but lyrically and delivery wise it’s very stale. If I remember one song from this album I’d be surprised. Annnnddd I don’t.

Bonne surprise je m'attendais pas à ça !!

I love the talking samples in “React” OMG the kid at the beginning of “After School Special”. So cute. “I Am Somebody” is a jam “Acetate Prophets” is crazy at the end and I love it.

9/10 Insane surprise. Not a single skip.

2 - TERRIBLE

Unfortunately, I just wasn't in the mood to listen to this at the time. It's really my style of hip-hop and maybe I'd love it another time. Acetate Prophets was awesome though Favorite Songs: Freedom, What's Golden, One of Them, Acetate Prophets