Power In Numbers

It's not bad, and has its moments, but it is not particularly surprising. It is well produced, we can hear them very clearly which is a plus, but yeah it's simply very solid but not amazing. I'd like to be inspired by a hip hop album and this isn't it for some reason for me, but I recognize that it is well made. I just think by the end of it (which is quite long) I didn't feel much. Good sample of "les Fleurs" though.

Cool, but sort of all blended together

Good

On paper this is a solid hip hop record with quality production and versatile rapping. Yet for some reason I still remain unimpressed. While the quality of the beats is quite consistent, the rhymes and deliveries often lack sauce, making the overall listening experience somewhat bland for me. 6/10

The only things I can say about hip-hop albums are whether the grooves are good and whether the flow of the rapping is enjoyable. In this case, it's tick in both boxes. One of the better hip-hop albums on this list.

Here's a broad genre, within which my own assessments and preferences vary a lot. Even on a daily basis. All gansta rap goes to trash and the loose-rolling stuff can even be exhilarating, depending on the day. Jurassic 5 fell into this latter slot.

00's rap. I prefer some Talib, Mos Def, or Common. It was meh.

Strong start, bad middle, decent end.

I could not listen to a whole hour of this, but I do appreciate Jurassic 5 and they remind me a lot of vibrator Ashley because she was really into them. Now she’s a Trumper. Can you shake someone and say “remember who you were at 14???!!!” Man her husband and I did so much acid. What happened to themmmmm

Very generic hip hop. Nothing objectionalble, but nothing stands out and a lot of the songs used very similar rhythms so that they blended together too much.

Okay. Not bad. Just a solid little rap album. Don't know if it should be on the list, but I'm not mad that it's here.

Similar to ATCQ. Best song is "What's Golden" Couple of underwhelming songs in the second half lowers score for me.

Solid 5. Not the greatest hip hop album, but has some good beats behind the lyrics.

It wasn’t bad but I’m ready for the next album

Not really sure how to rate this. Feels corny but it’s not bad. Mid album to cap off a mid week

i really love "Thin Line", not sure about the rest of the album but it feels solid enough, i mean, for a hip hop album.

Not great

Okay, so I’d heard of Jurassic 5 and thought they were hip-hop and I was right. I didn’t think I knew any of their music until I got to the song What’s Golden. And I guess for a summer or a year, that song was everywhere and it’s a banging track. Jurassic 5 are labeled as an alternative hip-hop group, whatever that means. I guess it means they aren’t rapping about killing people and smacking hos. Jurassic 5 is more old school and fun. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have political songs or songs about society. And like most songs from the past, because people are idiots, the problems they were writing about are still happening today. These dudes come out of L.A., the birthplace of gangsta rap, but they went another way. And there isn’t anything wrong with gangsta rap, at one time it was most of what I listened to, but you get tired of some things after a while. Jurassic 5 uses samples combined with live instruments for their music and the songs have a great flow. They reminded me of later Beastie Boys work. Their voices are perfect for rap. They kind of reminded me of Arabian Prince’s voice, at least one of them. Arabian Prince wasn't a great rapper and he didn’t become a star, but he had a voice that couldn’t be confused with anyone else. He was on the N.W.A. and the Posse album. I actually really dug this album. I found myself bobbing my head and chair dancing. During a later listen, when reading the lyrics, I could tell these guys were craftsmen. The rhymes and words fit together perfectly, no hitches, nothing out of sorts, very unique. Plus, the album has some cool guest spots from Big Daddy Kane, Kool Keith and Nelly Furtado. Where is Nelly Furtado these days? Is she married? Would she like to be married? Anyway, if you’re a fan of hip-hop and haven’t heard Jurassic 5, this is probably the best example of their style. Is this an album to hear before you die? Probably not, but I sure dug the hell out it and I know hip-hop fans will enjoy it more than me.

Early 2000s hip-hop album. it's ok. Pitchfork: 6.1 Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs What's Golden

Overall, it was decent, and at a few times I thought it was very good. But it wasn't anything outstanding. Too often it just meandered along without going anywhere, and for a 17 song album it gets old fast. There were some songs that I really did enjoy, with my standout being Thin Line with Nelly Furtado. It gets a high 3

Best: Whats golden

Good record of rapping

it was a fun album!! i probably wouldn’t listen again but it was pretty cool!

Ehh better than queens of the stone age

real good! I like this. reminds me of psyche origami. also Neil degrasse Tyson from epic rap battles is in this group and I called it

I was a bit dubious as this followed another hip hop album that I really did not like … but I should have known that the Jurassic 5 boys wouldn’t let me down 😎

3.6

i am not into hip hop

best wel funky

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.

Favorite Track: What’s Golden

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.

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.

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

So smooth you can spread it

Uncle hip hop. Pretty fun

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.

It was fine.

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.

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 💀

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.

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.

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.

hip hop and actual music - not bad

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.

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

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

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).

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.

a little long, but good stuff

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Pretty decent 90s rap

Repeat listen

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.

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

god

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

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.

It was good after a few songs

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

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

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

3.5/5

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Cool 2000's hip hop. Good way to start

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

5.5/10 Highlight: Thin Line

Lekkere jam

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

Enjoyed this a lot.

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.

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

Fun album

good beats, good vibes, just no bangers

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

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

Fun underground hip hop from the days of High School!

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

Good grooves

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

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

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

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

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

Loved the beats

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

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

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

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

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

3.5

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

Good for the genre

enjoyable but nothing crazy

Pretty middle of the road hip hop record. Not bad

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

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

Buen disco de hiphop chill y con buenas instrumentales

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

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

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

3 star

3.5, couple really good songs

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

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

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

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

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

Throwback rap. Smooth and easy to digest.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoyed this one. Reminded me of linkin park

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

Very fun listen. Good vibes.

Decent but samey

Solid 7/10

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

Not my typical genre

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

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

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

More fun to listen to but lyrics were impenetrable.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

3.5? Maaaybe 4?

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

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

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

Solid indy hip hop

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

Pretty great

Thought this was decent, but maybe lacking in standout moments

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

Solid rap album from a great time for the genre

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cool beats in places, start better than end?

Ok funky

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

Cool beats.

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

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

Meh

Cool feel but didn't blow me away or anything

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

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

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

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

Nice album with a lot of different sounds.

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

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

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

Nicht schlecht, aber viel zu lang.

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

Feel like it's good but not for me

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

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

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

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

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

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

Very enjoyable!

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

Kinda goofy, but fun nonetheless.

3 star, revisit

Coffee shop hip hop

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

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

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

Alright

Some solid underground hip hop beats and bars

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's not my taste in music - But ok

Enjoyed it.

Really enjoyed this…

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

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

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

Considering wider genre good salples

I need a beat! A BEAT!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sounds woefully wholesome these days.

Some fresh rhymes

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

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

Rad

Power in the message and the legacy.

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

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

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

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

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

Not so bad! Hier mache ich einmal eine Ausnahme!

not that great. music in evolution

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

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

Meh 2.5 stars

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

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

Decent enough

Fun old school sounding style hiphop. 3.5/5

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

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

decent

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

cool rap album, never heard of this group before

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

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

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

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

Pretty good

рэп кал

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

okay

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

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

It's okay

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

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

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

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

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

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

Solid

Old school east coast style. It’s okay

Conscious hip hop, pretty pretty groovy.