So why is Jurassic 5’s J5 on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
This album, which I’m going to refer to as J5, has a bit of a backstory that took me a little while to unpack.
Originally, Jurassic 5 released a self-titled Jurassic 5 EP back in 1997 that contains hip-hop classics such as “Jayou” and “Concrete Schoolyard” (more on these scorchers in a bit). The EP was then repackaged as a full-length album under the same title in 1998. Cut to a decade later, and the album was released again as J5, this time as a “deluxe” edition with lots of B-sides and rarities thrown into the now nearly hour and a half long package.
The whole thing is fantastic – as are all things Jurassic – and I urge you to get your hands and/or ears on any or all of the above.
I first became aware of Jurassic 5 in the very early 2000s by way of the back-to-back (incredible) albums Quality Control (#80 of best 1,000 albums ever) and Power In Numbers (#297).
And then I recall messing around on Napster back in the day and stumbling across “Jayou,” which quickly became one of my favorite hip-hop tracks of all time.
“Jayou” is a perfect rap song – one of the all time best.
Here’s my case for it.
First of all, it’s arguably the best rap song to feature the flute of all time. I’ll allow “Sure Shot” by the Beastie Boys into the argument, but I’m still pretty sure that I’ll land on “Jayou.”
That flute hook is absolutely sizzling. And then, on top of that it makes you think, “What’s that from?” It might not be obvious right away, and then it hits you: the flute melody is a complete and ingenious reworking of “Get Up, Stand Up,” by Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Which really does put you of the mind that Jurassic 5 is Bob Marley for a new generation. I’ll leave it to others to expand upon that notion, and instead I’ll emphasize the rap skills of the fellas here: “Jayou” exquisitely showcases how well Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Soup aka Zaakir), and Marc Stuart (Marc 7) play off each other – and then throw in the next level skills of Mark Potsic (DJ Nu-Mark) for good measure.
It’s so obvious from the opening piano chords of “Concrete Schoolyard” how different the influences of Jurassic 5 skew versus most of their contemporaries from that era. This is a warm, soulful sound that touches on De La Soul and Arrested Development as much as “Jayou” stands on the shoulders of jazzy hip-hop icons such as Digable Planets and A Tribe Called Quest.
Similar sentiments apply to “Long Road to Glory,” except with this one there’s also a fast-paced tempo at play, fueled by funk and groove.
The chorus is classic J5, too: sharp, clever lyrics and wordplay with precise execution.
It was a long road to glory
Battle for territory
Just to be called the masters of the ceremony
Marathon, decathlon
Wordplay mega-bomb
Some stats & info about Jurassic 5 – J5
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Underground Hip Hop, Rap, Hip Hop, Jazzy Hip Hop
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was J5 released? 1998
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #178 out of 1,000
Jurassic 5’s J5 on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Jurassic 5’s J5 that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
We be the crew, guess who, the jayou.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.