The last few months have shown that late 1999-2000 is to be a strong year in hip hop innovation with hot new albums from both vets and debuting artists. The Los Angeles underground scene has been especially deluged in talent. We have already seen the Liks (including Defari and Xzibit), Visionaries, Styles of Beyond, and L.A. Symphony to name a few, and more notably, Dr. Dre, Mykill Miers, 
and Dilated Peoples (which drops May 23rd, although their title track has been available since January).
Enter Jurassic 5. The likes of Chali 2NA, Zaakir, Akil, and Marc 7 have been blessing the underground with dope joints since 1993, with their first experimental 12", "Unified Rebelution." Their EP, released in 1997, gained the attention of hip hop heads everywhere feening for something different from the mainstream.
Now here we are with their debut LP, Quality Control. This album just blows my mind away with the different styles they exhibit throughout the album. They just kill it every time on the mic along with the beats supplied by Cut Chemist and Nu Mark. One moment they’re all in unison in “Monkey Bars” with personal rhymes and in the next moment you could swear they were classic status dropping gems in “Doo Wop” about commercial cats: “…We crush your confidence like plastic condiments / Build you up to break you down like forgotten monuments / The question is this: Will they return with the hot shit / Or keep it on the low?”
If that wasn’t enough for you, they take it back to beats and rhymes with the title track, showing off their harmonious style as already mentioned in the former. In “LAUSD” they each take turns blessing the mic with the title track, showing off their harmonious style as already mentioned in the former. In “LAUSD” they each take turns blessing the mic with their undeniable skills. Again they touch topics on commercial emcees who have lost touch with reality with the chorus line: “We are no superstars / Who wanna be large and forget who we are / Don’t judge us by bank accounts and big cars / No matter how bright we shine we’re far from being stars / ‘Cause stars fall and disintegrate / Before they hit the asphalt they incinerate…”
“The Game” is an interesting cut. J5 uses basketball to talk about their styles. I find it to be very creative; a kind of style you would rarely ever see in the drowning sea of commercial hip hop albums. However, I am quite curious as to who “the ref” is referring to: “22 flat seconds for me to rep / I can’t win for losing with this cheatin’ ass ref…”
I want to make a quick point: as my man Spontaneous said, commercialism is not something bad because it means that more people are exposed to your work. What does make it bad is having a certain MENTALITY, and this is what is seen with the majority of cats out there.
Back to the subject. Not only do we see different styles in lyricism, we even see it with the beats. “Contribution” offers a more underground beat, moving away from the funky shit. The closing track, “Swing Set,” offers some jazzy-type, you guessed it, swing flavor. There are no lyrics, only a taste of some turntablism skills that will leave you asking for more. Unfortunately there are no more tracks after this.
This has to be one of the most impressive debut albums I have ever come across. Each track flows nicely one after another. Moreover there is not one dull track because you would be either digging the beat or appreciating their skills. Either way you will be left demanding for more. This is another album to add to your must-have collection not only for 2000, but for all time.
-JP Almeda
