Bernell DorroughFour years ago, only savvy underground hip-hop fans had Jurassic 5’s self-titled debut EP. Two albums later, they are signed to Interscope records and a certified success. In a rap game dominated by thugs, hoes and programmed beats, J5 bring complex wordplay and sample-happy boom-bap production reminiscent of the early 1990’s, widely considered hip-hop’s “golden era.” Indeed, the influence from back in the day is clear; their latest album, “Power in Numbers,” features Big Daddy Kane and The Beatnuts, artists who made their marks in rap during the golden era. As well as defying traditional rap standards, J5 also has a drop from Sean Lennon on their second album (“Quality Control”), and has worked with genre-bending songstress Nelly Furtado. DJ’s Numark and Cut Chemist have constructed a full swing-dance track and frequently drop breaks from various types of Latin records in their sets. But Jurassic 5 may owe their success as much to their unconventional sound as to their accessibility, as indicated by their performance this summer for 55,000 jam-band fans at the Bonaroo Festival. Everybody loves J5; how many WILD acts, if rained out, would actually be enough of a draw for Team 31 to bring them back the next year?
As I and my lovely interview partner, Goldilocks, were led into the back room on the tour bus to interview Chali 2Na, the other five members were either on the phone or deeply involved in Knockout Kings (one of the four TV’s on the bus had an Xbox). We plopped ourselves down on one of the many couches, shook 2Na’s gigantic hand (the man has got to be 9 feet tall) and started the interview. Here, the dichotomy between Goldilocks and myself was clear; she and 2Na continued to hit it off, discussing football, jazz history, France, and the war on Iraq. I, the hip-hop nerd, asked about the producers on his solo album, obscure British rappers and reveled in hearing first-person details of the roots of the LA underground rap scene. I was amused to hear that their major label deal had not caused any compromises in their creativity; 2Na was quick to note that their contract actually says, “artistic integrity must be maintained or else.” He also discussed his upcoming solo album (tentatively titled “Fish Out Of Water”). When asked about Iraq, 2Na called Bush a “lying motherfucker,” much to our amusement. Throughout the interview, 2Na was extremely friendly, charismatic and genuinely polite. When asked for a signature, he drew a skyline.
Although he had all but sprinted away when he saw a mini-disc and a microphone, Goldilocks and I ended up walking Cut Chemist down to Vintage Vinyl after the interview. He expressed his discontent with touring, noting how sick he was of watching his band mates play Def Jam Vendetta. Goldilocks and Cut spent the rest of the walk debating the quality of Los Angeles architecture. We dug through 99 cent records. Cut bought one record that he only wanted because (Boston DJ) Edan didn’t have it. Others he said he only bought to break over his head later as stress relief. I convinced him to buy “T.A.B.L.A.M.C.B.” by local DJ’s Doug Surreal and Mike the 2600 King; when the girl at the counter giggled at what it stood for (not exactly printable), Cut commented how women in LA lacked the ironic, post-modern sense of humor. As we walked back into The Pageant before the show, he expressed concern in being able to get in without any ID. “I look like our biggest fan,” he said.
However, from the scene at the show, it would be tough to point out the typical Jurassic 5 fan. The crowd was satisfyingly diverse by race, gender and high school stereotype. Goldilocks got down and I bobbed my head among crazy noodle-dancing hippies, indie rockers and kids draped in both Abercrombie and FUBU. The show was crazy. The four emcees were on point the whole night, later freestyling and playing kazoos. Numark played Clipse’s “Grindin” on a triggered school desk. Cut Chemist scratched on a toy record player hung around his neck. It figures; a motley group of artists playing to a varied crowd would have such an atypical show.
THE INTERVIEW WITH CHALI 2NA
On Major Label Life…
“…I’ll tell you, it’s like with us, it’s always a level of success that can be measured by the things that you do…but at the same time, as much as it may look a certain way, we still maintain a level of…I hate to use the word underground because the line that’s drawn when you say underground is really blurry to me. I say ‘unknown to those who buy’…but we got more commercial exposure with this album than any of our others. We’ve gotten to do a lot more tv shows, a lot more high caliber tours, we’ve gotten to get our music into movies…soundtracks, compilations, things of that nature, things that didn’t really happen as much for Quality Control.”
On Artistic Integrity…
“…For us it’s like our art is our art. That’s why Interscope picked us up, we weren’t trying to change for anybody, we were doin the shit ourselves and they wanted a piece of the pie. And we were like that’s cool, but if you want a piece of the pie, you gotta give us a piece of yours. But that was the biggest and most key thing in our contract, artistic integrity must be maintained or else. That’s what it says in the contract, ‘or else.'”
Current Music Picks…
“…dead prez, Les Nubians, DJ Real One, The Streets…Sandy Cossett. She’s French, she’s from France, down with the whole Les Nubians camp…the beats on some real hip-hop shit, by the Science Supercrew.”
On his Upcoming Solo Album…
“I’m working with Numark, Ozomatli, this guy DJ Dez, from Slum Village…(they went through a slump, but they got Jay Dee back), Vitamin D, Supadave West. It’s going to be be called ‘Fish Out Of Water,” should be out next summer. It’s gonna be on Interscope so far, I’ll make it happen either way.”
On Iraq…
“First and foremost I’m a Muslim, so just to look at it from that perspective is mind-boggling…but I try not to let my beliefs cloud my judgement when it comes to facts. I just believe that the wool has been pulled over a lot of people’s eyes, I believe these wars are being fought and these lands are being seized for a lot of reasons beyond what a person knows and what a person is being told on the TV and stuff like that. In Europe you turn on the BBC and you see a lot more factual stuff…I’m not saying all the media outside America is perfect because it’s not (I think they’re all in cahoots), but I think American news… really plays a part in destroying everyone’s perception about what really goes on. And I think George Bush is a lying motherfucker…him and Tony Blair and whoever else falls behind him, they lie…they’re lying to the planet. Whether he believes it or not, the dude’s a great actor and my thing is like…I’d be more at ease at least slightly with this shit if people had been honest. Why you goin’ over there to take these people’s oil? Tell me the truth. You got something against Muslims? Ehh….you got something against Saddam? Ehh…you want that money, you want that oil, you want to finish what your pops started. Let that shit out! I would at least respect the man for telling the truth. I ain’t condoning him, but I’d respect him for telling the truth.”
On Bad Crowds…
“We’ve performed for crowds that was throwing bottles and rocks and shit, bottles full of piss, shit like that, on the Warped Tour. In Minneapolis…Green Day was supposed to go on, they switched it for Jurassic 5. We’ve never really walked off stage or anything though, we play our set regardless, we try to get people into it. Find somebody out there that’s feelin’ it and play to them. Two people in the front row.”
Also note that Chali 2Na’s favorite NFL team is the Chicago Bears, he prefers Halle Barry over Tyra Banks and, when given the option to play Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat, he’d rather watch you play.