Power In Numbers

Redefining the concept of smooth.

Thin Line - love the words. unusually nuanced take for the early 2000s. High Fidelity is GREAT. Really good rythm to the rap particularly in the last half a minute, and love the cutesy 90s kid's show background tune. Enjoyable overall.

A bit surprised to see this in here over the debut and the sophomore as it's comfortably below both of them in mine, and probably many's estimations,, both are 5 star albums for me! That said, it's still a good album, particularly the first half, maybe even two thirds but like a lot of hip hop records of the era, this could have been trimmed 2 or 3 songs and been better for it. The highs here are high though, Freedom, A Day at the Races, What's Golden_ and High Fidelity, all really strong tracks. They're just a great group and I really miss this type of thing in hip-hop these days which tends to focus more on the single artist.

I used to listen often to this and Jurassic 5’s previous record. Both are pretty solid, and I’m glad this one cropped up today. I miss this kind of hip hop. 4/5

An album full of accomplished, mature hip hop vibes that's light on the swearing and heavy on the bass. Oh yes! I like this a lot. I'd never heard of Jurassic 5 before, but I'm glad I was introduced. It's not often that a hiphop album makes it into my Tidal library, but this one definitely will.

Fantastic!

Favorite Track: What’s Golden

Great to hear Chali 2na in any context. Really enjoyable listen

I have never heard of Jurassic 5 and that is probably because I don’t listen to hip hop/ rap unless it’s part of this process. I saw it come up and thought oh it’s a rap album and it is 1 hour long. Oh dear god! Then it started and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s really good. A hip hop album for non hip hoppers maybe! Haha

I almost skipped this, glad I didn’t. Nice vibes, hints of Tribe Called Quest and Rakim’s rhythm pace. Not life changing but a good listen from start to finish.

New one on me…loved it

loved Freedom! This album had such a nice identity, it was overall a great listen

Interesting style but not 100% my kind of music

Not really in my wheelhouse so I'm not qualified to pass comment. Nevertheless, I positively enjoyed at least half the tracks, and appreciated most of the rest.

'Power in Numbers' is filled with some funky, fresh tunes. This had me hip hopping all the way through the afternoon with some Blackalicious-esque great beats. "Acetate Prophets" would also be a solid track for the Ocean's crew during a heist. Top tracks: "Freedom," "A Day at the Races," "Break," "What's Golden"

--This is... --Freedom...like that beat. very promising intro --If You Only Knew...I'm a sucker for flutes in hip-hop --Break...more minimalist. heavy on the drums/bass with a small dose of guitar. The star here is the rapping and it's great --React...interlude. Deltron 3030 vibes --A Day at the Races...this is sexy af --Remember His Name...it's good but feels like a step below earlier tracks --What's Golden...see previous comment --Thin Line...I love Minnie Riperton's 'Les Fleurs' so I'm required by law to love this --After School Special...another decent but lesser track --High Fidelity...not lesser! great beat, great samples, great lyrical flow --Sum of Us...another stripped down track. just talented artists rapping over a straightforward guitar/bass/drum beat. it's great --DDT-- I was excited for Kool Keith but it's just a forty second poem. I'll take what I can get --One of Them...damn, I wish Kool Keith did this track --Hey...it's not bad, but it feels like a track from a completely different LP. This album feels a little too long already so I would have suggested saving this for a single or mixtape --I Am Somebody...we course correct and it's oh so smooth --Acetate Prophets...I hate to whine about the length again but if your album is already 50 minutes why would you tack on a six and one half minute sound collage? whatever. at least it's better than Revolution 9

They’re talented, but this just isn’t my preferred rap style. That jazzy, super aware stuff comes across as so corny. J5 are for someone, just not so much for me.

Fun little album. Not something I expect to come back to or anything but it was a hard one to hate. 6/10

Considering I am not a rap fan and likely never will be, I actually found parts of this quite bearable. Felt more musical than the other rap this has thrown at me, I think having so many different people work on it led to some pretty varied, but decent results. Wouldn't listen again, but I can't bash it much.

Muito bom

Not listened to Jurassic 5 in a longtime and tbh could only remember concrete schoolyard. This was a lot of fun, will be going back

So smooth you can spread it

Uncle hip hop. Pretty fun

Not a single bad track. Cant believe I’ve never heard of them before, absolutely loved it.

Het is hiphop, maar niet bijzonder goed of slecht. Soms relaxt, soms gevuld met geklets, hier en daar een muzikaal haakje, maar meestal merk je niet eens dat het op staat. Zelfs die Explicit Lyrics zijn me nauwelijks opgevallen en de sticker zit er misschien alleen op als verkoopargument.

Geinig rap-schijfje. Geen gangster-troep, geen R&B. Het doet meer denken aan artiesten als A Tribe Called Quest. Dat geluid hadden we al een decennium niet meer gehoord. Ja, dit is gedateerd. Maar wat mij betreft mag dit soort rap ook nu nog volop gemaakt worden. Het mist wat uitschieters of wat pakkende delen. Maar muzikaal is het interessant genoeg.

Rustige hiphop versierd met geinige samples en prima beatjes. Wat ik er van meekrijg, valt het mee qua kinderachtigheid van de teksten, het is geen gangstarap in ieder geval. Ik hoef dit absoluut niet gehoord te hebben, want er staat voor mij al veel te veel hiphop in deze lijst. Maar ach, het kabbelt wel aardig voort, dus een hele grote hekel heb ik hier ook weer niet aan. Sterker nog, ik vind het best ok zowaar. Het heeft meer de vibe van a tribe called quest of van Pete Philly, hiphop die ik wel kan waarderen. Ik twijfel zelfs over een 4.

It was fine.

Loved this album, heard of then multiple times. I'll definitely listen again. Another dad rap album I enjoy.

I wanted to like this a lot more since I hadn't gotten a hip hop album in over a month but this didn't really blow me away all that much. That being said I still enjoyed this album thoroughly and could see myself coming back and possibly liking it more. The more hip hop on this list the better I feel. Favorite track: Hey 3.5/5

This is my favorite kind of hip hop. Fresh beats, sleek production, perfect cutting and sampling, and devoid of the unfortunate sexism heard in a lot of 90s albums. My only complaint is the brief sample of Bill Cosby but Jurassic 5 could hardly be blamed for that in 2002. I've always heard of them but it's taken me far to long to listen to this music.

I'm liking this more as it's still angry but not aggressive about it.

Enjoyed the production and the beats through the album, they have great flow as well and seamlessly intertwine their raps with each other. There were a good amount of quick samples, almost reminding me of Frontier Psychiatrist by the Avalanchers at times. What’s Golden definitely the bright spot of the album.

I liked it but I didn’t love it. A couple really good songs. What’s Golden stands out. I like boom bap and hip hop groups, but Jurassic 5 doesn’t have a standout MC. I think that’s why I’m not a huge fan. But I’m glad I listened and I did enjoy most of it. 3 stars.

Very solid album, enjoyed the difference in flows playing off each other, the warm but crisp beats, and the cohesive feel to the record end to end. What's Golden is a total classic, thin line is a fun song, but not too many other stand outs.

Great indie, lo-fi, west-coast hip-hop…nice and chill, perfect for smoking weed and driving around with palm trees in the horizon. Idk which member is which but i like the guy with the deep voice, kind of reminds me of Scarface. Probably giving this a higher rating than I would have if the last two weeks hadn’t been albums of out of tune noise, but I like it and thought it was easy to vibe and listen to. Why is only the edited version on Apple Music? That’s annoying.

Loved it. Old school hip-hop beats. Some songs are like an assault on the ears in a good way!!

Not interesting at all. No builds. Some riffs or beats are cool but no changes just drives me to boredom.

Hip hop for a white woman’s 40th birthday party. But sometimes we all need that. Favourite track: What’s Golden

Surprised this J5 album made it… Quality Control is way better.

Album 16/1001 Reminded me of early Black Eyed Peas (pre Fergie). A bit corny, yes, but the flow and production are really on point. Favourite song: What's Golden 🪙❓️ Honourable mention: Thin Line 📉 A Day At The Races 🐎 High Fidelity 💿 Remember His Name 💀

Silky smooth flows and great production quality. I had heard a lot of these guys on other people's albums, but never listened to Jurassic 5 back in the day. I'm thinking I missed out...

I don't love hip hop, but I do like J5...my head bobs to the best tracks. It does go on a little but there are enough highlights to make me come back. Love the lyrical nature of the rapping, it's more melodic and rhythmical than other rap artists. 4/5

Not really a genre I usually enjoy, but there’s a musicality that reminds me of 80’s stuff, variation in song structures and lyrics that aren’t misogynistic, narcissistic bullshit. Great album! 4/5

Started OK. Didn’t get better. Got worse. Kept getting worse. Bloodless pastiche.

Never heard of this group before. Fun mid era hip hop! Favorite Songs: What's Golden and Thin Line

Old school rap classic. Awesome vocals, melodies, samples, and message... ❞ Yo, raise the level, bass bottom to treble Forever keep it ghetto Funk and heavy metal F*ck the devil Unify the rebel Whistle like a kettle With a fly acapello Smooth and mellow Locked load and settle Shine through times with rhymes bright like yellow Taste and swallow, lead and never follow Break it like a bottle Inspire like a role model

No tengo ni idea de esto. Por favor, que no sea nu metal, esa portada me hace sospechar. Por favor, nu metal no. Peor: es un disco de gente hablando rápido. Paso. La vida es demasiado corta como para esto.

I enjoyed listening to this. An adjacent crew liked these guys in high school, and at that point I was always stoned and listening to Mingus, Coltrane and Miles.

fantastic. so glad I got to hear this

A great album. I wasn't expecting it at all

Two squared

five is (not quite) the magic number

banger

Alt Hip Hop was a revelation for me when I first started streaming music on Pandora. Whenever I need a palate cleanser from whatever corner of the music world I'm stuck in, alt hip hop always does the trick. I love the positivity and how fresh this feels compared to mainstream hip hop. On first listen, I did think this got a little longwinded, but not to the point that it was annoying. It changes styles enough that it's a little tough to guess when the album ends and spotify's album radio begins - in my case, I was sure we were doing radio but was still on the final album track. The second listen seemed to fly by, so I don't know what to think about that. Overall a good listen.

Honestly, if you love hip hop, I think you’ll pretty intuitively see what makes this great. 4 rappers with a lot of personality and two great producers, what could go wrong? The Kool Keith feature doesn’t hurt. The lyrics are clever and optimistic, the flows are cool and the songs are great complete pictures. I will say, it doesn’t like reinvent the wheel or change my life or anything. It’s simply good ass hip hop. Some favorites are Freedom, Remember His Name, What’s Golden, DDT and Acetate Profits. I’m giving it a *very* high 3, repeated listens could probably push it to a 4.

I love this type of Hip Hop man, no jarring lyrics or portraying negative shit, just dope positive over whimsical beats. Now that type of hip hop definitely has its place in the genre and I love it too, but this music just makes you feel good!

Dope vibes as expected from a 90s hip hop group. No keeps, but sent it to my uncle.

2e album de rap dans le tirage, pas vraiment mon style. Pas de mauvaises chansons dans l'album.

Not my cup of tea, but a pretty solid listen 2.5/5

hip hop and actual music - not bad

Rap wel lachen

I may be too late to this album. I enjoyed it, but not too much. Worth another visit some other time.

First rap album I've listened through . Nice hangs together. Definitely an album rather than a collection of songs with variety and something to say. Some great bass. Won't persuade me of the genre or indeed urban culture but not bad. Be an interesting benchmark for future rap .

This is how I want hip-hop to make me feel!!

I am not at all into hip hop, but I find myself nicely surprised by the relaxed attitude and the funky vibe of this piece. Unlike other hip hop collectives, Jurassic 5 don´t pointlessly shout at each other or the crowd but create a comprehensive and harmonic whole from their very different voices. In some tracks, guests add even more color - just check out "Thin Line" with Nelly Furtado. Ever thought about creating a series "Rappers that don´t suck"? This would make a good starting point! Still hip hop but far ahead of any other I heard so far.

Some great beats, good wordplay. Very listenable, but the tracks all kind of all hits a similar note for me and start to blur together a bit.

Sounds like Nujabes features. Was okay, but kinda background-y. Did not complete.

what fun instrumentals but also this reminds me of outkast with a less iconic sound

There aren’t many dinosaur related bands or albums that come to mind apart from Houmous & Chutneys RnB 1983 album ‘Diplodocus Of Love’ 3.2 3/17 If You Only Knew

120626 20:45 4

Not familiar with this J5 album. Liked the group but was always disappointed by their albums. This is no exception. 3.5 rounded down Heard before? Some Owned: Yes 12/1001, 12/50 (24%) Will I get? No

Not my favorite style of hip hop, but I respect it

un clasico, cuando empece a explorar el rap

The second this started playing, I was like "I recognize that deep voice", and I was right. Chali 2na was in Ozomatli (never really listened to them, but my drum teacher liked them), and he did Neil DeGrasse Tyson in Epic Rap Battles, which was a great episode. Anyways, generally enjoying this. It's got a more classic hip-hop vibe (pre-gangsta rap) with more modern flows/production. Got some of that jazz hip hop I like from bands like The Roots and Tribe. That said, I'm not super sold on this being an album that I "must" listen to. This feels like a VERY Robert Dimery pick, picking something more underground but not necessarily something that I hear a ton about in music circles (similar to Jeru the Demaja, Lupe Fiasco, and Mike Ladd, although that Jeru album was great).

Wow! I really enjoyed this one! Had never heard them before. I’m a new fan. Rap with some really smooth grooves. Nice.

Fun hip hop with catchy hooks. I enjoy the delivery of the main vocalists. Lyrical content is good, not super trite the way a lot of rap/hip hop of the era was directed. Notable tracks are Freedom, If Only You Knew, Break, A Day At The Races, What’s Golden, Thin Line, High Fidelity, Sum of Us, Hey.

A pretty dope one! Definitely gives a lot of the '90s sound of hip-hop a la A Tribe Called Quest or De La Soul, but more modern production. Flows are great and easy to bop to and lyrics aren't necessarily groundbreaking but good enough to keep the whole thing interesting. 8/10

High energy. Felt like it was the verge of something new.

liked it a lot, 3.5

Really interesting rap / hip-hop album, with smooth rap grooves and a classic hip-hop style. Strong album, but doesn’t justify more than a 7/10 due to a lack of truly memorable moments that could be played on repeat.

actually really love this. A nice earnestness, feels like the fun hip-hop albums from before 9/11

a little long, but good stuff

Hip hop/rap has become so formulaic and predictable that the critics pick records like this to put on lists. And they become bigger than they are. This is mediocre mass produced uninspired rap. I’m certainly not the intended audience but it’s just not exceptional and doesn’t belong on the 100 albums you should hear before you die.

This was really not my kind of rap/hip-hop and I knew that 2 songs in. I gave it a higher rating than I wanted to just based on the merit of their rapping capabilities.

Some high highs, but mostly mediocre

The samples they had were absolutely insane and I was head bobbing the whole time. That being said tho, there were definitely some mid songs that I could have left behind but their lyrics, rhythm, and meaning behind their songs were very impactful. I probably would have appreciated the album more if I was black but it was still a good listen nonetheless. I will be listening to them more. Fav Track: A Day at the Races Least Fav: DDT

74/1001 Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ✅ One of those that needs a half star. Overall, this is a very solid album that is on the whole a super positive album. The flow and beats are very good, although cam become a little repetitive. It is overly long and could have been cut by 3-5 songs, especially One of Them. 3.5, but rounded down because of that song.

This was really good. The flows are great, the beats hold up, the features all pull their weight. Favorite songs were Freedom, A Day At The Races, What’s Golden, and Thin Line.

I enjoyed it, but I thought I would like it more than I did

Crazy amount of nostalgia relistening to this. This album was on heavy rotation for me and my friends in High School, great to revisit and one that I have loved for a long time. 4/5

Always got time for Jurassic 5, great breaks, great lyrics.

Really enjoyed this. Such interesting production and lyricism. Nelly furtado feature was a treat. Exactly the kind of album I started this list for

corp music....

It's a kind of hip hop that I like, it flows well, songs just breeze by and super enjoyable. Love the dynamic and composition of each song. Great album.

I really dug this one. Kinda reminiscent of The Avalanches' 'Since I Left You' in parts. Favorite tracks: A Day at the Races, Thin Line, Acetate Prophets.

Some on the nose lyrics felt a little hokey/corny, but overall amazingly mixed album

Another Hip-Hop album! I liked the opening track, "This Is", because it was Dub Reggae rather than Hip-Hop, but then it just became another fairly boring Hip-Hop album.

So… I appreciate the lyrics and the mix in of children’s voices and the old advertisements! Rap is exhausting for me. Doesn’t mean it’s bad.

Really good album, never heard of this group before

I thought this album was amazing when it came out. Didn't do as much for me today. Still good but not like I remember.

Album is a bit to long, got a stale neck from bopping along.

Really clicked with my music taste. Great rapping throughout the project. Kept me entertained for the entire duration of the album. Most songs are really strong except for like two so I give it a rating of a middle 9/10

Not my things

I hadn’t listened to J5 before this but I enjoyed this album a lot. Works well as both background music and close listening.

Pretty decent 90s rap

Repeat listen

Epic. Right up my street, I love it. Disappointed I've never heard it before

J5, Kane, PE samples.

They take four emcees and make 'em sound like one! Chali 2na, one of the best voices in hip-hop. Always love J5.

a strong hip hop album

I forgot about Jurassic 5! What a treat. I enjoyed this album front to back. I have a hard time giving it a four, but there's a very good chance I will listen to it again.

One of my faves!

I listened to this several times through, enjoyed it and rounded up to 4 stars. I am an easy mark for this one because I like Digable Planets and Tribe Called Quest which they seem to have modeled their sound on. My main criticism is that they haven’t really pushed anywhere beyond their influences, but it’s a fun listen nonetheless. Incidentally, before listening to this, I kind of thought this was a jam band which is pretty funny. I had heard the name before but never listened to them…probably because I thought it was a jam band. :)

4/5 - I needed to hear this because discovering a hip-hop album with a positive message and great samples was a helluva good time. Day at the Races was the standout for me, but I had fun listening the whole way through, even if it got a bit long at the end.

Loved it. Old school vibes

i wish i could give half stars on here cause it’s not quite a 4 but it’s not just a 3

god

5/5 Incredible hip-hop album. First time I've heard of this group and I've instantly become a fan. The voices, cadences and rhymes are perfect, but what shines equally is the beats. Beats are very out of the box and alternative and all in all, the final product is perfection.

kind of like gorillas

Not experimental enough to really push any bounds. Good use of multiple voices.

J5. 'Nuff said. 🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙

i actually don’t mind this kind of hip-hop ça sonne vraiment années 2000

Blackalicius - Blazing Arrows è stesso genere, stesso anno e molto meglio. All’inizio pensavo fosse anni 80 perché è molto soul. Meh

Jurassic 5, Album #6: never heard of this before and enjoyed way more than I expected, this thing SLAAAAPS. 10/10 would listen before I die.

Album #100! I really liked this one. Have to give it ☆☆☆☆ for its wordplay, accessibility, and overall good vibes. A little jazzy, a little funky, deft use of samples -- pure enjoyment. As promised, they gave me something I ain't used to. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘺-𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘢 𝘢𝘪𝘯'𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰

It's fun, it's from the early 2000s, it's conscious. Lots of beats that sound like bumpers for old [adult swim] breaks, which I'm absolutely a sucker for. Lots of rhyme heavy bars tho which sound dated, like really dated. Feels like some rhymes exist because they needed to fit as many as they could within a lyric. I don't hate that necessarily, I love me some DOOM, but where DOOM has personality and gets clever with his wordplay, Jurrasic 5 seem to be much more straightforward with their writing and it feels corny. I could put this on in the background with my buddies and it would sound real nice, but I don't think that was intent behind the album.

Great production, solid conscious raps

never heard of these guys. If the album was 2/3 as long I would rate this really highly but it did drag on a bit. Still really cool

58/1001 :: Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 4 Fav Tracks: A Day At The Races, What’s Golden Listen before you die: No An interesting conscious rap album. 6 dudes delivering flows that pretty much sound straight out of the 80s. I thought overall the music was well cool. Funky, layered and fit the style of positive hip hop they were delivering. All that said, there's a couple of cool songs but this brand of hip hop is not really what I’m into. I hate to say it but it’s too nice. It feels like there’s no edge to it. So I’m moving on...

Some decent enough beats but overall, just boring.

This doesn't feel like it stands out compared to other albums at this time. If anything, it feels like a step back.

I liked this. I had only heard "a day at the races" before.

It was boring. If you’re going to rap about serious subjects, you really need a great hype man to make the listener pay attention. This album doesn’t have one.

What a pleasant surprise, a really fun listening experience, great production and great flows, the members interplaying with each other is great. Definitely a new favourite

It was good after a few songs

shout out cut chemist!!

Am redescoperit niste piese pe care le stiam dar la care n'am memorat niciodata artistul si/sau albumul😂❤️

Trois étoiles qui tirent vers les quatre, c'était une belle découverte dans un genre que je connais mal.

Certainement super mais malheureusement pas complètement mon genre. J'écoute avec trop de distance pour être capable de bien juger.

Rap/hip-hop/latin/reggae Afro-beats/jazz samples - diverse and global sound, very progressive/social justice, 6/10

It's becoming abundantly clear that rap just isn't my thing.

Decent enough - a couple of tracks I really enjoyed - Freedom and what’s golden.

Sian only listened

Really cool, i like it, men snarare typ 3,5?

Boom bap rap a tap tap It's giving the roots vibe Chop skip and rhyme The beats are tight, the raps alright ANY WEST COASTERS IN CHAT

Good vibes and fun

I feel like I know these songs without knowing these songs, and that's probably because of how influential they were.

3.5/5

Listening to Jurassic 5 in the wake of the B-52’s is an instructive exercise in restraint. Both bands shy away from elaborate harmonic development, relying instead on the voices to structure and propel the music. But whereas the B-52’s luxuriate in contrast and theatricality, Jurassic 5 remain almost painfully cohesive - a quartet of baritones moving in lockstep, polite to a fault. Fred Schneider’s bark, Kate Pierson’s swoops, Cindy Wilson’s piercing clarity - these are voices that not only delineate sections but give the songs their personality. Jurassic 5, in comparison, offer a kind of tonal democracy.Of course, this is the genre’s insistence: words matter, flow matters. Yet the words here pass by in such thickly clustered knots that meaning evaporates - syllables blur into rhythm, rhythm into texture, texture into a monochrome droning. It is not so much verbal dexterity as aural wallpaper. Contrast this with the easy cartoonism of the B-52’s: Rock Lobster! is ridiculous, yes, but it is intelligible. It sticks.N.W.A., at least, understood the theatre of contrast. Eazy-E’s squeak played against Ice Cube’s growl - a deliberate mismatch that threw sparks. Jurassic 5 decline the opportunity. They present not a cast of characters but a committee of clones. Socially conscious rap, Jurassic 5 prefer consensus, and consensus, for all its merits, can feel stifling.Even Kool Keith’s appearance on DDT is only distinguishable as a feature rather than another mid-range Jurassic 5er - a detail likely to be missed without specialist knowledge or access to the liner notes. However, the record comes alive when there is high contrast: the sections of Acetate Prophets and the cut-ups of high-voiced children provide texture and surprise. Most effective is Nelly Furtado. Her mere appearance stands out among the other voices, creating male/female contrast, sung/spoken contrast, without diminishing the genre’s focus on rhythm. Her singing against their rapping produces the most complex polyrhythms on the record. Here, at last, the album glimpses tension, colour, a kind of internal drama it rarely sustains elsewhere.Power in Numbers is meticulous and undeniably disciplined - neatly crafted by Cut Chemist. But there is a cost: in its admirable politeness, the record occasionally forfeits the thrill of unpredictability, the spark of mischief that makes music feel alive rather than respectable. 2 ‘Hot as you'd keep a furnace We kept it earnest Poems puncture your epidermis’ (After School Special) I was typing the name of this band into the search bar on my streaming app to cue this slop for a second listen when the app suggested ‘Jurassic Park - John Williams’. Naturally I listened to that instead of kidding myself that there were deeper layers of Jurassic 5’s album ready to reveal themselves to me. To be honest it isn’t John Williams‘ best - much of it is cluttered and cloying; especially when the choir aaaahhhs along in the main theme. The incidental stuff is gruel. What about those themes though? Unforgettable tunes. 1.5/5

Dad- 5 Mom- 5.5 Mike- NA Lori- 6.5 Michael- 6 Miles- NA Cole- NA Avg- 5.75

I LOVE discovering good rap I havent sunk my teeth into before. What a great album!!

Sounds fresh and enjoyable all these years on. It all sounds effortless, I’m not sure if this is my favourite J5 album but it’s certainly very good. It could be a few tracks shorter for my money but minor quibble as the quality never drops really.

Good album. Like most of the songs.

thank you tony hawk we love you

i've never heard of them before but when i pulled them up on spotify i was super excited cause i like underground rap/hip hop and ofc i liked a lot of songs here especially golden but some droned on i'm sorry 😭😭😭😭 tbh i think it started off kinda slow then picked up and then nelly furtado was a fun surprise feature!!!!!!! this should be 3.5 tho

A solid early 2000's hip hop album. You can hear a ton of influences on this: reggae, funk and jazz. Seemed to me like a very analog recording process, you can hear the studio drums, bass and instrumentation. More loose than a lot of other rap from that era which I liked.

Another great discovery from the list! I'd never heard of Jurassic 5 before, but this is absolutely the kind of hip-hop I'm into. Great beats, fun samples, and awesome flow and the last song is phenomenal! Absolutely not surprising in any way that I prefer alternative/underground hip hop.

Thin line is the best song and actually really good, I was surprised

Classic! Lot of good tracks I had forgotten, will listen again.

LOVE Jurassic 5! I love the fact this hip hop is positive and melodic. The 90s answer to A Tribe Called Quest and a fresh perspective on the usually sociopath-political music movement of rap and hip hop culture. A VIBE.

Good beats and samples but rhymes in lyrics seemed forced

Good listen. Nice flow throughout the album and it really seems like a bridge between the old school and new.

this just fuckin slaps dude. this is that early 2000s shit that is mostly missing from the mainstream rap sphere nowadays, outside of like clipse. banger after banger. favorite songs: if only you knew, break, a day at the races, what's golden, thin line, one of them

overall the beats and production are good. the group isn't really a contender to either de la soul or a tribe called quest based on this album, but its a nice listen overall, albeit with some forgettable tracks. if you only knew: good conscious bars but trying to point out that the group isn't corny Really makes them seem corny. remember his name: 2nd fav beat, has great flows and lengthy verses. def a highlight for me. thin line: beat is really good, the nelly furtado feature is great. maybe my favorite track? sum of us: some of the bars on this really date the song immediately. one of them: best beat on the album imo, the frame one homophobia is certainly a choice though. while bars like that are a product of the time, it still detracts from what otherwise is a good track that has a lot to say about posers in the industry. its an interesting contrast to the rest of the album which is generally pretty uplifting and positive.

Very solid album, threw me back to playing Tony Hawk games.

Such a textural banger

My second-favorite J5 album after Quality Control. Great rhythms and dynamic between the various members.

It’s pretty great, although I’m really not that into hip hop. But I like this and the message much more than the dumb objectification of women and praise of violence, drugs and guns on other hip hop albums

More old school hip hop.

cool, I liked it

Not really my type of music.

Good majic well done

Kovia biittejä. 2000 luvun alussa oli vielä makeita taustoja ja kunnon räppäystä. Tässä on kovia vokalisteja äänessä.

Hip Hop Flawless

Cool 2000's hip hop. Good way to start

10 OUT OF 10 RAP HIPHOP ALBUM. EVERY TRACK IS A BANGER.

You know, it was good. I get why people don't like them much, but heck, I do

Super awesome! My swim coach recommended me them a while ago and I’m gladly I finally listened. Love this kind of rap can listen all day long. 4.5

I’m kind of mad at myself for not giving this enough attention, but I’m trying very hard to catch up here. It felt like it was awesome so I’ll give it a benefit of doubt 4 lol.

I think I saw Jurassic 5 in Bristol around 2005 with Joe Banwell. It's all a bit hazy (as was the gig, pre smoking ban!) but this sounds plausible. I didn't *love* them then, and still don't now. But there are some fun songs and nice moments. Highlights: - Thin Line - Sum of Us - What's Golden

Damn, this album slaps. Adding to my library!

5.5/10 Highlight: Thin Line

Lekkere jam

There are moments here and there that interest me, but not ever a full song worth

Cool hiphop album! Reminds me of Biggie and The Avalanches.

I didn't hate this hip hop album. Enjoyed several songs on here. Good rhythms and flows well. 3/5

God save me from Hip Hop! Please, no more...

Had never heard of this artist or album and was overall pleasantly surprised. It’s pretty good. Not the most earth-shattering hip-hop record I’ve ever heard (from this list or otherwise), but it was a sunny listen and I enjoyed it for what it was. Not sure about required listening, but it does have an old-school approach that someone might really like.

Albums like this one are why I love doing this -- I've never even sort of heard of J5, but this is easily one of the best hip-hop albums I've ever listened to. The pockets are deep, the lyrics are genius, and the music is just a damn vibe to listen to. Huge, huge fan of this. Fave songs: Basically everything, maybe not "Hey" or "I Am Somebody"

Distinctly remember listening to this in High School. What's Golden was definitely my favorite off this then and still is now. Biggest negative is that this has no business being 17 tracks and completely loses steam by the end. Still fun though. 3.5/5

Easy-access student-party raps

its fine

I love J5. This album isn't nearly their best. A few tracks everyone would like for hip hop and rap, but otherwise kinda over produced. I'm also not a fan of the cross genre collabs in general. So the collab tracks on here, despite being with artists I like, are super lame.

I love these guys' flow and lyricism, everyone in the group is operating on the same wavelength and it really shows in this album. Nothing but great lyricism and flow from the rappers, and great mood and beat from the producers. I'm with the majority here that's never heard of this album and wish they did sooner.

Average hip hop. Not bad, not anything special though.

One of the best hip hop albums of the early 2000s with immaculate production, smooth flows and serene harmonies. Unskipable for at least the first 12 songs and Chali 2na shows that he is one of the most underrated of all time on Sum of Us. This one rivals Quality Control as their best album

Supermarkt, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Okay, joa - nothing more.

This is the 181st album I’m rating. Cool album cover. I have no idea what this is though. Adding to my Playlist - Freedom, If You Only Knew, Break, A Day at the Races, Remember His Name, What's Golden, Thin Line, After School Special, High Fidelity, Sum of Us, One of Them, Hey, I Am Somebody, and Acetate Prophets. Not Adding to my Playlist - This Is, React, and DDT. All in all I liked 14/17 songs. It has a couple of those awful interludes but all in all this was a great album.

Fun album, better than I expected. 3.5/5

Well, this was a pretty pleasant listen. I'll admit I'm not particularly well-versed in hip hop beyond the most popular stuff, but I appreciated the old-school vibe here. The turntablism, the flow, and the rapping all evoked the early hip hop I’m familiar with. The sampling was tastefully executed, showcasing an impressive range of genres: you’ll hear touches of soul, jazz, organ-heavy cuts ("What’s Golden"), sprinkles of reggae (the opening track), and even the psychedelic sound of David Axelrod on "A Day at the Races" (possibly my favorite on the album). There are also engaging interludes and spoken word segments woven throughout, keeping things interesting. Lyrically, the album leans heavily into social commentary, as you might expect from a hip hop release. These are solid overall, though at times they fall back on familiar phrases and tropes at times. Other themes include mortality, self-reflection, and relationships, providing enough lyrical diversity. Overall, it’s a fun and well-crafted album that I enjoyed, but I’m not sure it has lasting replay value for me. Nothing quite stood out as exceptional, and after three full listens I feel I’ve already uncovered most of what it has to offer. Also, while they do their best to keep things interesting and fresh, the tracklist was a bit too long for me. 3/5

Listening to this album was a lot of fun.

I enjoyed this album! Interesting beats and samples, I particularly liked the one of “Les Fleurs” in Thin Line.

Nostalgic feels like i'm 15 again

Not my usual cup of tea, but a fun album despite that. I liked the inclusion of ambient noise and speech.

Some intriguing rhythms/sounds, but rap just sounds so monotonous to me.

Unreal

It’s cool - some fun samples and really inventive lyrics. Not as good towards the end.

First time listening to this album and I loved it!

It's been way too long since I've listened to Jurassic 5. Really loved them growing up and completely forgot about them. I appreciate to positivity in some of the tracks, something we could all use more of. It somehow feels old school and fresh. Timeless.

Not my cup of tea

Positive, stripped down hip-hop. I am noticing a trend of these 2000s hip-hop albums where my attention runs out by the end. This is purely personal preference as I believe this is one of the better hip-hop albums I've listened to so far on this journey, but it simply isn't my genre of choice.

I have it

Ok, but nothing special

Enjoyed this a lot.

en veldig typisk 90-00s rap sound. Sykt bra flow på gjengen. kule beats.

Not much for this style of music but I did enjoy some of the songs.

Never heard of this group before. I found it kind of funny that an album with a Parental Advisory sticker would end on a list like this. I imagine that might be a turn-off for some people. But considering I’d never heard of them, I actually didn’t think this album was that bad. A lot of catchy tunes! It kind of reminds me of something I would’ve listen to in my early 20s. Just goes to show that even though you’ve never heard of a band before you can end up liking them! Not sure if I will listen to any of their other albums. Song that stood out to me: High Fidelity

😎

Bit of a slow burner, bears repeated listens as the songs and lyrics are growers. Better albums in the jurassic 5 canon though

The rapping's a bit meh to me, but they do have some super solid beats/instrumentals.

This is extraordinary. People go into a studio to record this stuff. Then other people pay money to buy or stream it. Then someone decides it's one of the 1,001 albums one should hear before one dies. Nope, beats me.

They’re not all hits but what’s good is great. FS: What’s Golden & Thin Line.

Great flow and some interesting lyrics! Great motivation music. Except One of them, that blows.

Not a big hip hop fan, but this was actually a pretty fun listen for me. Early 90s rap was sure of a hell lot different than today

Not my thing

Fun album

Chill, kind of interesting, but not my style

Very good Fave song: A Day At The Races

Just a absolute fucking bop ngl. Beats go hard. Favourite Song: Whats Golden Honourable Mentions: A Day at the Races, High Fidelity, I am Somebody, Freedom

incredible stuff. interesting and sounds beautiful, almost everything i want in a hip-hop album. 4-5/5

This album rocks (if I can say that about a hip hop album?). Love the variety of music styles and voices. Intelligent lyrics. Not my favourite genre but will come back to this one.

Intgeresting - flute, jazz and rap. Positive. A day at the races. Sum of us I am somebody 7.8

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

There were points where I was digging the grooves. I particularly liked the tracks where elements of funk/jazz were incorporated. However, I was mostly not inspired by anything here. I really, really want to finally "get" hip hop. I might not ever love the genre, but it is obviously important, so I should at least understand it. Insights with respect to this objective while listening: I'm realizing that I can't get to the point where I can appreciate the whole with zero appreciation for the sun of the parts. What I mean by this I listen to music from the perspective of the creation of musicians and not the ultimate product. It isn't just hip hop, I have a similar bitch with pop and most modern country. This is my problem and I need to get beyond it. All of the music I love: punk, numerous sub genres of rock, blues, jazz, indie, etc. comes from a place of appreciating the musicians as opposed to the composers. I think this is my barrier and I'll keep working on it. A work in progress. Still not my thing.

As Pearl Jam sang on Vitalogy, this is not for you!

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

this album is just a ray of sunshine. had never heard of this group and had no clue what to expect but it greatly exceeded my expectations. left a big smile on my face lmao favorite song: "freedom" overall: 9/10

If a hip hop group was invented just for me, Jurassic 5 would be it. This album, from start to finish, is exactly what I want and like about hip hop-good beats of course, but also social conscience and respect of women. There are great rhymes and I love the mix of voices. The samples are cool and used really well. “What’s Golden”, “Thin Line”, and “Freedom” are standouts for me. An excellent listen.

Fun underground hip hop from the days of High School!

I like some of the beats and it has a fun Tribe feel, but it’s a bit repetitive after a while and the instrumentation didn’t grab me enough. I don't really see how it made the 1000 albums list.

Not for me- didn’t hate it whilst listening but I don’t think I can fully enjoy it

It turns out I am woefully unaware of the upper ceiling of quality of hip-hop. I associate hip-hop with the sampling of good tunes, then rapping over them. I don't hate it, but often only really enjoy it because the song they chose to sample is a banger in the first place. This album disabused me of that notion. The songs here felt fully complete, crafted with more taste and scope than my previous notion of hip-hop would have expected. I google this album to find that it's not even that talked about among the fans of hip-hop? Either the mainstream audience prefers the rap-over-a-banger style, or the genre is hiding a repertoire of masterpieces that I will surely have to investigate.

Not really my jam. Wasn't terrible though. 2/5

• 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

Perfect summer album

Chill vibes

Never listened to a full Jurassic 5 album. Didn't disappoint.

We simply did not know how good we had it in the 2000s

Chali’s voice is so unique and vibrates through my brain. Beats are unbeatable.

Been a minute! All killer, no filler.

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

Smooth and chilled. Great samples. Thinking a 5

beats brabas d+ tá doido pqp

só beatzão CABULOSO as letras tbm são boas e tem um mano que tem um vozerão fortaço hein. pedrada demais!

4*

Some nice old skool. Doesn't blow me away, but solid and listenable. 3.5? They seem like nice boys, let's give 4 stars to the 5.

so funky, so catchy. outstanding album

I really enjoyed this! I have never heard of them, but adding this to my regular rotation. Good vibes.

Incredibly boring. With albums by People Under the Stairs, Edan, The Streets, and The Roots, 2002 was filled with innovative beats. Power in Numbers pales in comparison.

Never heard of Jurassic 5 and when it popped up I confused them with Maroon 5 and expected some boy-band pap. When I realised it was hip-hop I was even more disappointed. However, this does have some good melodies. ...And ear worms. For a while I was singing to myself "You one of them niggas". But of course I can't because I'm an old white guy and if I was to be caught singing that to myself in public I'd either get my head kicked in or at the very least some disgusted looks. And there's where the problem lies with hip-hop that uses this lyric; it's inaccessible and un-inclusive. I'm sure a lot of people can recall a young girl being brought up on stage at a festival and invited to sing along with Kendrick Lamar to one of his songs, and then when she does she's immediately shut down for singing the words that Lamar had written. Because she was white. How inclusive is that? Anyway. I liked some of this album. The language was only used in some songs so I'm going to give it a 2

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.

Another gem from the list. Haven’t listened to the album before, enjoyed it a lot. Favorite track: if you only knew other picks: break, a day at the races, thin line, hey

I liked it very interesting and cool

Vihdoin taas ysäriräppiä, jota kuunnellessa ei tartte irvistellä (sanoituksille). Mutta ei ole minusta kovin mieleenpainuvaa, ei räppi eikä taustat kauheammin. Vaikka kaikki on kyllä sujuvaa ja miellyttävää kuunneltavaa.

I gave this a couple of listens - I dig it. There weren't many individual songs that clearly stood out to me, but the flow of the whole album is impeccable. Good vibes. I added Thin Line to my playlist because of the Minnie Riperton sample; I adore that song. But I almost added instrumental closer, Acetate Prophets, instead. I love the way all the different genres of world music are incorporated. So cool. I could listen to a whole album of that.

Super cool album by Jurassic 5 with solid beats, catchy refrains and lyrics that demand active listening from the audience. Verging on 5/5 here.

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.

Opener klang so nach Reggae, erster Song dann oldschool hiphop (klingt älter als 2002) bisschen zu conscious Rap, ein bisschen zu fad, ein bisschen zu rückwärtsgewandt- werde ich nicht nochmal hören.

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

Really cool album. I enjoyed it overall.

Very good 2000s rap album

Alternative hip hop is so much fun.

Rap is not my thing. Loved the bass though on title track

I rarely listen to rap or hip hop but I really enjoyed listening to this one as I got about my morning.

Didn’t mind this, but it really felt like they wanted to be Arrested Development.

Loved the beats!!

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.

Really good, maybe a little long

Surprisingly good.

Cool sound, pretty unique, not super memorable though.

No. 1/5

It’s just really really good.

87% Best: Freedom; Break; A Day At The Races; High Fidelity; Sum Of Us; I Am Somebody Must-Hear? Sure

I mean, it has What’s Golden on it and that’s one of the best hip hop songs of all time. The rest is great too, J5 are always good.

Good hip hop.

Definitely a 5

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

I feel like I keep writing the same thing for these albums -- not my cup of tea, but fine

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

great record. I can see myself getting this

Not for me

Funky and enjoyable. Definitely reminds me of Tribe and would listen again - I listened twice this time around. "What's Golden" slaps.

Not my thing. The dude with the deep voice always sounds like he’s going to say “rubber baby buggy bumpers.”

A goodie.

again, not a big rap guy, but these songs are filled with a lot of powerful commentary that comments so much more than the standard drivel from the genre, really good