Jurassic 5: Word Of Mouth Reunion Tour

JURASSIC 5

DILATED PEOPLES

MC SUPERNATURAL

SANTA BARBARA BOWL

13 JULY, 2014

What started as a handful of festival performances last year, including SF's Outsidelands,  has morphed into a full-blown tour. Jurassic 5 is officially back, right down to their new single, "The Way We Do It", produced by Heavy D. The wonder of their initial tour dates was that they could still be so incredibly tight, and now, with many more shows behind them, including a command sunset performance at Glastonbury this summer, and freed of festival time constraints, they were an absolute monster. The double-shot of "Quality Control" and "Concrete Schoolyard" remains a high-water mark, and watching them navigate the dense lyrical thickets never gets old. With all the old crew in tow, they turned the Bowl into a party zone for the hardcore.

Support for the evening was provided by MC Supernatural, who made many converts with his freestyle skills, capping his set by having the audience hold up objects from their pockets, which he proceeded to work into his verses. LA's own Dilated Peoples held down the center slot, providing a sneak peak of their forthcoming LP, Directors Of Photography, due next month. Based on the reception that their new single, "Show Me The Way" received, it would appear that they're on track. Rewarding the hard core, a notable set moment was them pulling a cat named James out of the audience to hold his own on some verses. As a mission statement, it worked to encompass the whole evening as a reminder of a time when Hip Hop was about family.

DILATED PEOPLES

James, from the audience, (center), taking care of business

MC SUPERNATURAL

Keeping The Faith: Jurassic 5

JURASSIC 5

OUTSIDELANDS, SF

10 AUGUST, 2013

Out of the remainder of the weekend at Outsidelands, two sets stood out for pride of place and merit separate takeouts...Jurassic 5 put together a reunion show to hit the summer festival circuit, appearing at Coachella in April and for the first time since going their separate ways in '07, the gang was back. In a time when the state of hip hop is beyond dismal, they were a shining beacon to professionalism, togetherness, and the embodiment of the pure joy of performance.
 The field at the main stage was packed, and with Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist keeping the crowd on their toes, the remaining members, (Akil, Chali 2na, Zaakir, and Mark 7even), galvanized the crowd and received a heroes welcome as they strode onto the stage. Wasting no time, they bounced into "Back 4 You", shifted gears to "I Am Somebody", and in that brief amount of time, held the crowd firmly in their hands. Building as they went, the trio of "Quality Control", "Concrete Schoolyard", and a breathless "Jurass Finish First" raised a serious bar. "Freedom" appeared late in the set, dedicated to Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin, and they also made space for rarely heard showstopper "Verbal Gunfight". Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist came down from their booths for a star-turn, threatening to steal the whole show. Effortlessly trading rhymes, J5 hit the crowd with their special blend, and turned the sea of bodies into one headbobbing mass. In this age of focus on the individual rapper, it was a timely reminder of skills not evidenced enough these days-a testament to Harmony. To quote their own mantra: "Takin' 4 MC's, make 'em sound like one").