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JURASSIC 5 IN CONCERT:
Legendary alternative hip hop crew Jurassic 5 continues to grind both bodies and minds with their lyrical mastery and arty beats. J5's roster of veteran rappers can rhyme circles around most of their contemporary counterparts, and resident DJs Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark remain some of the most influential figures to ever hold it down on the ones and twos. Back on the road after a six-year absence from touring, J5 haven't lost a single beat, flow, or groove, and they'll treat fans to career-spanning sets on their 2014 Word of Mouth reunion tour.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Jurassic 5 formed in 1993 from the ashes of previous hip hop collectives Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee. Featuring MCs Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir, and Mark 7even and DJs Nu-Mar and Cut Chemist, the Los Angeles-based crew earned a serious cult following with early releases like the 2005 single "Unified Rebelution" and their 2007 self-titled EP. They released their self-titled debut LP in 1998 to critical and commercial acclaim, earning praise for their creative use of samples and socially conscious lyrics. Three more critically acclaimed albums followed, launching them from underground heroes to international superstars. The group broke up shortly after the 2006 release of their fourth album Feedback, but they made good and got back together for the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Their success at the festival spawned a return to the studio and the highly anticipated Word of Mouth reunion tour in 2014.
FANS WHO BOUGHT TICKETS SAY:
"These guys are legends! They are true artists and performers. They sound great live and are incredibly interactive with the audience. Akil even jumped off stage after the set and took pictures with all the fans."
"J5 killed as expected and I was particularly happy to see Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark cutting the beats live. Bad ASS!"
"Jurassic 5 was unforgettable, they killed it!"
The Reunion tour was amazing! the best show I have seen in a long time, if you love old school hip hop, and you dig the RAW skills this is the show to see! Don't miss it!
This was a fantastic show. Every act was amazing I highly recommend it.
I hate giving this only 2 stars because I love all these guys, but the truth is I probably should have given it 1 star because the sound was that bad. I think maybe the Greek is a tricky place to setup, but it was so bad that we had to just leave after about an hour of being there. Thankfully I got to see some good stuff from Lyrics Born, but I'm so bummed that I didn't get to see J5. Pretty much every new performer that came on stage did not have their mic working for the first 30-60 seconds, so by the time you could hear them, they were in the middle of a verse. Then the mic was turned up too high and the music was almost inaudible. We went to grab a beer, and the line literally moved 6 inches in about 25 minutes (they were pouring beers slower than I have ever seen anyone move), so we finally just cut our losses and bounced. So incredibly disappointed. I was looking forward to this one for a long time.
Wow, what a show. I only expected 4 acts, but there was much more. Here’s the complete rundown of who was there from start to finish: DJ Zeph – my favorite local DJ and one who inspires me every time I see him. Voted best SF DJ several years in a row and a major presence all over the city for the last 15 yrs. Still holdin it down. Dilated Peoples DJ Shadow Quannum Project with the full crew including Lyrics Born and Blackalicious and Shadow on the decks MC Supernatural Heiroglyphics Jurassic 5 J5 was my favorite. They played about an hour and a half. Loved every second of it. I was down on the floor in front of the stage, but the whole thing was outdoor general admission at the greek theater in Berkeley. The whole scene and crowd was a very positive vibe with lots of dancing and the crowd was extremely thrilled to see these guys performing again after a 7 yr hiatus and you could really feel the love the crowd was giving to them and the love and thanks J5 was giving in return. It was the best hiphop show I’ve attended live, actually sound-wise and energy it was even better than when I’ve seen KRS if you can believe that. J5 had some crazy fun things they did. Of course they rhymed all the classics with that back and forth emcee’ing pioneered by Run DMC. Everything on time and on point. The 2 DJ’s cut chemist and Numark did some 2 man DJ cuts and tore it up. At one point Cut Chemist walks out front with a single turntable around his neck with a wooden home made guitar-neck with a controler on it and had some sick rock sounds he started cutting up that were coming out of the spinning record platter. Then he had a similar one that was a like a guitar CD DJ player. Numark had a necklace with about 7 vinyl records attached to it against his body and he would tap the center of each one and it was a freakin’ drum machine! It was for real too. Sick beats! When I got home I looked it up I found out he made it using a kit called a “Makey Makey” that connects ordinary things to midi control with alligator clips. The website says you can connect bananas or plates or whatever. Trippy! Then they unveiled the GIANT 8-ft diameter propped up turntable. It was made of wood, but it had lit up controls and was hooked to a real Vestax mixer you could see propped up and the platter spun too. Fully functional!! Not sure how they did it as you could tell the giant needle wasn’t touching, but when each of them grabbed that giant wooden record platter and spun back and forth it was scratching in real time. It was freakin’ dope! I had such a good time, I ALMOST drove down to Santa Barbara last night to see them again. Darn work got in the way.
Best show ever, I've been to the Greek Theater before but never saw a show this good.
The show was incredible. They brought out great local rappers and the energy was amazing. Music is positive, uplifting and smart. Akil the MC also came out and chatted with fans after the show, which was really great!
wish I could press rewind and watch it all over again!
So much fun!! These guys were amazing! Hope to see them again soon
Show started kinda slow with Dilated Peoples. DJ Shadow was off the hook! Lyrics Borne was super fun. Nice special guest appearances. J5 had everyone (who knew the words) singing and rapping along with them. the venue is one of the best anywhere. But the technical crew were off their game. Missing spotlights, shoddy mixing, mike problems, and all around inconsistent technical support. For the superfan, you're gonna love this show. For the casual fan like me, you're gonna get bored. HipHop/Rap shows just aren't all that interesting to watch, and there's only so much musical dynamism you can get from the turntable. DJ Shadow rocked the house with a Bay Area medly, and then supported Bay Area's Lyrics Born. But as the night wore on, I grew tired of the show and left before J5 finished their set. Presumably they came on for encores but I wasn't around for that.
They are great live.Venue was awesome. Fun crowd. Wish I could do it all again.
A fantastic collection of the best Hip hop around with rare reunions (Latryx!) and mad beats (DJ Shadow). Amazed by Lyrics Born and stunned by Jurassic 5. The reason I go to shows is to see that rare, astonishing, surprising performance...and this was one of them. Danced all night Great respect. Thanks.
Had a great time- 1st time I had seen these guys-So glad I made the effort!
Ghostland rocked! Snow made the light show glitter. Cold, but everyone was nice and all was a good time.
Ghostland Observatory never fails to deliver!!!! These guys always bring their best to the rocks!!! They stole the show!
love ghostland so much so obviously I'm happy, but red rocks is AMAZING. first time there. there are no words
So awesome!!!! Great show!!!! I love j5 and was pleasantly surprised with the show as a whole. Cut Chemist kept the original jazz improv to the classic hiphop showdown!
This was a great show. Very unique to be at Red Rocks for a show in the snow and as things worked out it was snowing, which is what I was hoping for. Crowd was great too, didn't see any fights or nonsense, just happy people trying to stay warm. J5 killed as expected and I was particularly happy to see Cut Chemist and Numark cutting the beats live. Bad ASS! My only complaints were the wait time between sets (seemed like it took a long time which when you're standing in pretty cold weather isnt very enjoyable) and that they changed the opener from Panty Raid (as advertised) to Ghostland Observatory. Ghost wasn't bad but I'd have rather seen Panty Raid. Felt a little bait & switchy. Overall, great show, would go again and would reccomend it to others. P.S. - Id suggest people bring a 4 wheel drive as they dont have lots that can be plowed. There were a lot of people looking for help on the way out..
such a good show. J5 and Ghostland both killed it, even in the snow!
SO much fun! Red Rocks is amazing, the snow, the crowd, the music just made this a once in a lifetime experience! Icelantic Rocks, great job!
Amazing show. The snow and the lights. Everything was awesome... well except the $17 beers...
