’s baritone boss Chali 2na was almost through 2002’s “Sum of Us” when he imploded on the most fleeting, rapid-fire lyrics.
“You’re an old man,” teased MC Akil, the lilting, tenor counter to Chali 2na’s boom.
“In an old band,” Chali 2na quipped.
The venerable Jurassic 5 shook the Tuesday night in the final show of a two-night stand celebrating the hip hop pioneers reunion after a lengthy break. The four MC’s funky, melodious cadence infiltrated the house, which throbbed alongside hip-hop’s most abiding sound.
After a six-year hiatus that ended last year at Coachella, the savvy pioneers of socially aware hip-hop have hardly lost a step. Joined by DJs Cut Chemist and Numark, MC’s Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir and Marc 7 revealed themselves as hip-hop’s barbershop quartet, layering their dense, flowing lyrics into classical, even operatic themes.
Akil’s higher-pitched tenor danced around basso profondo Chali 2na’s agile bass bombs in “I Am Somebody.” A kazoo solo illustrated J5’s puckish moxie in “Concrete Schoolyard,” which saw the full house giddily join a sing-along.
The high-velocity tempo of J5’s lyrics shone best when baritones Chali 2na and Zaakir maneuvered with the more tenor-oriented Akil and Marc 7. The 12-year-old “Freedom” saw stirring two-way and four-way lyrical jams layered with top-tier turntabling.
Cut Chemist and Numark’s solo jams – on guitar-strapped, chest-mounted turntables and beat-boxes – were nimble displays of hip-hop’s enduring roots, capturing the often overlooked musical backbone of a largely lyrical sound.
As the night wound down and the band revved up, the flow turned thick. “Quality Control” and “High Fidelity” – tight, socially-conscious songs that defined a new generation of uplifting hip-hop more than a decade ago – marked highlights and affirmed Jurassic 5’s enduring status as the wise elders and guardians of hip hop.
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Jason Blevins is a strange dancer, but that has never stopped him.
Dylan Langille is a Fort Collins-based photographer and a regular contributor to Reverb. See more of his
