Jurassic 5 (EP)

Jurassic 5 EP was the first official release by alternative hip hop group Jurassic 5. It was an EP that included much of the material that would later appear on Jurassic 5.

The first version to be released contained nine tracks and was available in CD single or double-12" single formats. It was released in October 1997 on the band's own short-lived label, Rumble/Pickininny Records.

Although the label only released that one record, it did give the band a platform and allowed them to be heard.

The band signed to a major label, Interscope Records in 1999. Their first release on Interscope was the re-issue of the Jurassic 5 EP in an 8 track version in 1999. This had the same listing as the original EP, excluding the final track "Blacktop Beat".

Track listing

References

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.

Jurassic 5 (album)

Jurassic 5 is the debut album by Jurassic 5. The material from the Jurassic 5 EP plus a few additional tracks were repackaged as an album and released by Pan Records as Jurassic 5 in 1998.

Background

The correct title is simply Jurassic 5, although in some listings it is referred to wrongly as the Jurassic 5 LP, as "LP" confusingly appears on the album sleeve (including the CD version) artwork, which was used to distinguish it from the Jurassic 5 EP. The Jurassic 5 logos on both the album and the EP were designed by Chali 2na. The following year, Jurassic 5 were picked up by a major label, Interscope Records. Their first release on Interscope was the re-issue of the Jurassic 5 EP in an 8 track version in 1999. This had the same listing as the original EP, excluding the final track "Blacktop Beat". Thereafter, they released their major label debut album, Quality Control, in June 2000.

Track listing

Notes

The album is sometimes listed with a track entitled "Cuts and Scratches" inserted before the last track. The song "Improvise" appears in the hit videogame Jet Grind Radio on the American and European (known as Jet Set Radio) releases. The song "Jayou" appears in the PlayStation game Grind Session and in DJ Hero.