Jurassic 5

Jurassic 5 is an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 by members of two previous groups (Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee): rappers Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Zaakir aka Soup), Marc Stuart (Marc 7); and disc jockeys Mark Potsic (DJ Nu-Mark) and Lucas Macfadden (Cut Chemist). The six piece crew that was formed, came out of the Los Angeles venue Good Life. The group broke up in 2007, shortly after releasing their fourth LP Feedback, citing "musical differences," but returned to the stage in 2013 and released a new track in 2014. The members have continued to release music, the most recent of which is Nu-Mark's 2014 EP with Pharcyde member Slimkid3 (released on Delicious Vinyl).

History

Jurassic 5 debuted nationally in 1995 from TVT Records with their first single, "Unified Rebelution". Jurassic 5 released their first record, Jurassic 5 EP, in 1997. After Jurassic 5 put out their first record, it "cemented their position in the 1990s alternative hip hop movement, alongside artists such as Company Flow, Black Star and Kool Keith." The group later signed to Interscope Records and the EP was repackaged with additional tracks and released in December 1998 as the full-length, eponymous debut album entitled Jurassic 5. In an 2002 interview The Sydney Morning Herald, the group explained the origin of their name. Chali 2na revealed, “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.” It is also widely believed that while the group has 4 emcees that contribute lyrics, their voices combined in harmony, which occurs on nearly every track, is the fifth voice of the group.