Leading up to the release of Feedback, Jurassic 5 rapper Soup distanced his group from the ap underground that had embraced his music, but apparently had not paid enough of his bills. "It's a step up for us because we have been basically known as an underground group.... We've been known as a backpacker group." Indeed, after years of bringing their live show to thousands of scattered festival-goers (Lollapalooza, Warped, Bonnaroo, Reading), the group reached for the same type of commercialized sweet spot that had made Black Eyed Peas one of the hottest things in ap during the mid-2000s. That doesn't mean more sex, but it does mean more anthems, more featured appearances, and more sounds from the contemporary ap charts. With producer Cut Chemist gone for a solo production career, the group focused heavily on their other in-house source, DJ Nu-Mark, who contributes an opener in "Back 4 U" that makes it sound as though nothing has changed in the Jurassic camp. His pair of Sugar Hill tributes later in the album ("Radio," "In the House") end up being highlights of the album, not because they're stellar, but because the outside producers come up short so often. Interscope may have sprung for some of the most expensive for-hire producers -- Scott Storch (famous for 50 Cent, T.I., Lil' Kim, and the Roots) and Salaam Remi (Fugees, Nas, Ludacris, Joss Stone) -- but any savvy listener can go right down the track listing and match nearly every production to the source that prompted it. "Baby Please" is a horn-led Neptunes rewrite, "Gotta Understand" a signature Kanye West production (complete with Curtis Mayfield's sampled crooning), and "Get It Together" tries to capitalize on the fad of catchy whistling hooks already defined by Juelz Santana's "There It Go! (The Whistle Song)." The first single, a sunny singalong titled "Work It Out," has the contributions of the Dave Matthews Band. Against productions this commercialized, Jurassic's top-notch rhymers -- Chali 2na, Soup, Akil -- usually end up spitting rhymes already familiar to listeners of their earlier work.
Soulrocket just made me aware of the fact that Jurassic 5 are no longer with us (as a group... mind ya).Which gave me an ideal idea for a cover post: Their version of Baden Powell's ??Canto de Ossanha??.SO cool of them to cover this tune!The original is here:(Does anybody have the Elis Regina/Toots Thieleman version? Mine is copy-protected :P)
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Hoooollllleeeeeeee crap, J5 has done it again.Like Jurassic 5 had ANYTHING to prove in the first place (long since proofed the equation that hip hop can be stunningly innovative and entertaining without swerving into topics of violence, sexism and pimping) their new album is yet another that will enter into the list of respectable classics. It's hard to believe that this is only the third full...
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IF you ever have a chance to see Jurassic 5 in concert do so. 3 Songs into the show I already penciled it into my top 3 shows I been too. These guys never cease to amazing me. They had sharp deleivery that you could hear clearly. A nice set & they also did the songs in entirety, unlike some other rap shows. Chali 2na kept the crowd hype all night as the performed songs from all their records. M...
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2 Shows that are coming to me soon are... Jurassic 5 - I love these guys since I 1st heard them. They are fresh and got that old-school feel that I love. They are lyrically on-point but the cool thing is they keep the profanity to a minimum. They new cd is pretty good and the song w/ Dave Mathews Band is tight. Shouldn't call these guys sell-outs over that song. They play Aug. 4th in St.Pete.T...
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I forgot to post the outcome to my potential meeting with "Jurassic 5":http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/09/04/jurassic5/ - I'll put it this way: I can now die a happy man! These guys were great!! Not only were they friendly and professional but also funny as could be. I'm so glad I got a chance to help out with this session. This actually tops my short session list of Halloween...
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There are few hiphop group that have the integrity to perform with instruments, or tour outside of traditional rap venues, and two examples that readily come to mind are the Roots and Jurassic 5, and both are coming out with new albums. Jurassic 5 is returning after something like a 3-year hiatus, and so I have been eagerly awaiting their album, and the advance copy I recieved was a blessing in...
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Just started listening to the new album. Not bad but definitely a different direction for these guys. I've always love seeing them live. Saw them last week at a music conference in Florida and they were definitely the best performers there.Let me know what you think of their new record.
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 "Feedback")
