Jurassic 5 - Quality Control (2000)

You may remember Jurassic 5 as a group that was “just about to get their big break” for the better part of ten years until they broke up in 2007.  While they never found the mainstream popularity that many thought they would, J5 has a respectable underground following and produced a few very good albums during their run.  Arguably their strongest release is 2000′s Quality Control.

My main issue with Quality Control is a lack of variety, mainly in the production.  Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark are both top level turntable-ists, but by the midpoint of the album, hearing nothing but turntable production gets monotonous.  The album would have better served not having tracks like “Contact,” which, although impressive, only serve to magnify the excessive amount of turntables on this album. When looked at individually, however, the beats are all very enjoyable.  The album remains jazzy and upbeat from start to finish.

The primary appeal of Jurassic 5 is their unique approach to vocals.  The group features four vocalists, all of whom get used in some fashion on almost every track.  The standard formula seems to be to have Chali 2Na and one or more of the others rap the verses, while everyone else sings background vocals and choruses.  Harmonization is a given in any J5 release.  Unfortunately, monotony shows it’s ugly face once again, this time in the lyrical themes.  The message off this album boils down to nothing but “We’re Jurassic 5, and we’re awesome.”  The only real exception to this is “Contribution,” which focuses instead on the trials and tribulations of being poor and having kids.

Chali 2Na is, without question, the strongest rapper in the group.  Mark 7even has his moments, including a very admirable performance of “Jurass Finish First,”  but as a whole, the rest of the rappers’ verses are forgettable.  Zaakir, who sounded very promising on their debut album, Jurassic 5, fails to make much of an impression on Quality Control.

Quality Control is a good album, however, the lack of variety both in production and lyrical themes prevents it from taking that next step to being a great or classic album.  Jurassic 5 was a group that had the talent to release a classic album, but was never able to take that next step before the disproportionate ability of Chali 2Na and Cut Chemist to the rest of the group resulted in a break up.

Best Tracks: The Influence, Quality Control, Jurass Finish First, Improvise, Swing Set

Overall: 86/100