Jurassic 5

American hip hop group From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jurassic 5 is an American alternative hip hop group formed by rappers Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Soup, a.k.a. Zaakir), and Marc Stuart (Marc 7); and disc jockeys Mark Potsic (DJ Nu-Mark) and Lucas Macfadden (Cut Chemist).[1] The six-piece crew came out of the Los Angeles venue Good Life.[2] The group broke up in 2007,[3] shortly after releasing the LP Feedback, citing "musical differences,"[4] but returned to the stage in 2013 and released a new track in 2014.[5] The members have continued to release music individually.

OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active1995–2007, 2013–present
Labels
Quick facts Background information, Origin ...
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 in 2002
Jurassic 5 in 2002
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active1995–2007, 2013–present
Labels
MembersAkil
Zaakir
Marc 7
DJ Nu-Mark
Chali 2na
Cut Chemist
Websitejurassic-five.squarespace.com Edit this at Wikidata
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History

Jurassic 5 debuted nationally in 1995 from TVT Records with their first single, "Unified Rebelution". Jurassic 5 released Jurassic 5 EP, their first record, in 1997. It "cemented their position in the 1990s alternative hip hop movement, alongside artists such as Company Flow, Black Star and Kool Keith."[citation needed] The group later signed to Interscope Records, and the EP was repackaged with additional tracks and released in December 1998 as the full-length debut album, titled Jurassic 5.[3] In a 2002 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, the group explained the origin of their name. Chali 2na said, "I played the song to my friend's mother and she made a joke: 'You guys think you sound like the Fantastic Five, but you sound more like the Jurassic Five.' And we started laughing but, well, the name stuck."[6]

This was followed by the album Quality Control, which peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard 200.[7]

In 2002, they released Power In Numbers, which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Jurassic 5 eventually toured without Cut Chemist,[8] who left the group to pursue a solo career.[9] The remaining five members released Feedback, their final album, on July 25, 2006. The album peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200.[7]

The group split in 2007.[10] The break-up was attributed to disagreements among members of the group.[11]

In 2013, the group re-formed, including the return of Cut Chemist, for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and an international tour, primarily in the UK but also including dates in Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Japan and the United States.[12][13] They played at Glastonbury in 2014 and had a Word of Mouth Reunion Tour during the Summer of 2014.[14]

In 2016, they released their first new song in a decade, "Customer Service".[15]

In other media

Jurassic 5's music has been used in several video games. In 2000, "Jayou" was featured in Grind Session. The track "Improvise", from their sophomore album Quality Control, was featured in the localized versions of Jet Set Radio, also released in 2000, and also the Japanese 2001 reissue De La Jet Set Radio, along with the instrumental of the song.[16] The following year, the track "Great Expectations" from the same album was also included in Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX.[17] In 2002, "What's Golden" was featured on ATV Offroad Fury 2. The song was additionally included in the video game Forza Horizon 3. "A Day at the Races" featuring Big Daddy Kane and Percee P appeared in the 2003 skateboarding game Tony Hawk's Underground.[18] The song "In the House" from Feedback was featured in NBA Live 06.[19] and "Work it Out" was in NBA Live 07, while "Red Hot" was featured in SSX on Tour.[20] "Sum of Us" and "High Fidelity" from Power in Numbers was included in the 2019 game Trials Rising.

The group was featured in the 2001 hip hop documentary Scratch[21] and ranked among the online magazine UrbanSouth's elite list of underground hip hop albums.[22]

In December 2024, "Jayou" received renewed attention when it was used in the "See You in the Morning" advertising campaign by Kellogg's.[23]

Discography

Studio albums

More information Title, Album details ...
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications
US
[24]
US
R&B

[25]
US
Rap

[26]
AUS
[27]
CAN
[28]
FRA
[29]
NZ
[30]
SWE
[31]
SWI
[32]
UK
[33]
Jurassic 5
  • Released: June 1, 1998 (UK)[34]
  • Label: Pan
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette
70
Quality Control
  • Released: June 6, 2000 (US)[36]
  • Label: Interscope
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette
433369513723
Power in Numbers
  • Released: October 8, 2002 (US)[38]
  • Label: Interscope
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette
151316229646
Feedback
  • Released: July 25, 2006 (US)[40]
  • Label: Interscope
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download
151263627136392559
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
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Extended plays

More information Title, Album details ...
List of extended plays
Title Album details
Jurassic 5 EP
  • Released: October 13, 1997 (US)[41]
  • Label: Rumble
  • Formats: CD, LP, cassette
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Singles

More information Title, Year ...
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
R&B

[42]
US
Rap

[43]
AUS
[27]
UK
[44]
"Unified Rebelution"[45] 1995 Non-album single
"Jayou" 1998 56 Jurassic 5
"Concrete Schoolyard" 35
"Improvise" 1999 41
"Quality Control" 2000 9612 Quality Control
"W.O.E. Is Me (World of Entertainment)" 2001 948
"The Influence"[46]
"Hard Times"
(with The Pharcyde)
2002 Straight from the Crates, Vol. 1
"What's Golden" 90 Power in Numbers
"If You Only Knew"[47] 2003 99
"Freedom"
"Thin Line"[48]
(featuring Nelly Furtado)
"Hey" 2004
"Linguistics" 143 Non-album single
"Red Hot"[49] 2005 Feedback
"Canto de Ossanha"[50] 2006
"Work It Out"
(featuring Dave Matthews Band)
116
"Customer Service" 2016 Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
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Guest appearances

More information Title, Year ...
List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Improvise"[51] 1999 Sway & King Tech This or That
"Lunchtime"[52] 2001 Click Tha Supah Latin Square Won
"Verbal Gunfight"[53] 2002 none One Big Trip soundtrack
"iPictorial Wallet"[54] 2022 Canibus One Step Closer to Infinity
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Music videos

More information Title, Year ...
List of music videos, with directors, showing year released
Title Year Director(s)
"Concrete Schoolyard" 1999 Delaney Bishop[55]
"Quality Control" 2000 Jeff Richter[55]
"The Influence" 2001 Marcos Siega[56]
"What's Golden" 2002 Logan[57]
"Work It Out"
(featuring Dave Matthews Band)
2006 The Malloys[55]
"The Way We Do It" 2014 Alex Knudsen
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References

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