ip-hop’s barbershop quartet, Jurassic Five, returns with Power in Numbers two years after their decent full-length debut, Quality Control. J5 has always promised that they take “Four MCs and make them sound like one”, and the harmonizing on many of their songs proves their talent in this area. Skeptics refer to them as a novelty and semi-front man Charli 2na their only real talent, but Power in Numbers proves the strength of backup members Akil, Zaakir, and Marc 7, as well as the production team of DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist. A fun but only moderately introspective romp, Power in Numbers is an excellent follow-up to a good debut.


Power In Numbers is like a coming out party for J5, as it shows their ability to shed their label as a novelty and proves they are talented in their own right. While most of Quality Control featured hooks that were harmonized, Power In Numbers cuts that number down significantly. If a chorus is harmonized, like on “What’s Golden” and “If You Only Knew”, there is a good reason. “If You Only Knew” is a track dedicated to the struggles the group has gone through, and shows the average fan what a triumph it is that the group is even still together and making good music. The harmonized hook is so smooth as to be nearly inaudible unless you are listening for it. Even better is “What’s Golden”, one of the best singles of the year, a fun track employing a very famous Public Enemy sample.


Charli 2na is the de facto front man for the group, and there’s a very good reason for this: he’s the most distinctive MC in all of hip-hop. The group’s individualism, however, is hurt due to the fact Zaakir and Akil may as well be the same person, and Marc 7 is distinctive, but in a fairly whiny way (not to mention the fact that he doesn’t get enough mic time to show his considerable talents). It’s hard to fault the group for their voices, because they can’t do too much about them, but their problems are still noticeable. Charli 2na, however, has the deepest voice in all of hip-hop and who can blame fans for taking to him when he delivers verses like “Your image deceives what your people perceive / Some people believe what the media feeds, TV MCs / That try to bark hollow...pretend to be harsh fellows / But be yellow and softer than marshmallows” on “One of Them”. The noticeably older Akil shines, as well, with a few witty lines, a few deep introspective lines and carries the whole track “Thin Line”, an exploration of the boundaries between friendship and love. The guest, Nelly Furtado, normally fairly annoying, fits well and shines with her talent that is often hidden on her pop music forays. Her hip-hop collaborations, “Get Ur Freak On” remix and the new Ms. Jade single “Ching Ching”, seem to bring out the best in her, and this is no exception.


The production on Power In Numbers is very, very good. All of the songs except two, “One of Them” and “Hey” are produced in house by Cut Chemist or DJ Nu-Mark, and “One of Them” is produced by one of the most underrated producers in all of hip hop, Juju of the Beatnuts. The song features his trademark flute loops, and even though the beat is just a little too similar to “Watch Out Now” and “Off The Books”, it still has its own original flair. The group’s producers are also well known for using interesting samples and instruments in their music. “Acetate Prophets” employs the use of a xylophone for the backbeat, and “React” uses both samples and effects from a keyboard’s sound library, but somehow pulls off the track without sounding too cheesy. The best track on the CD, “A Day at the Races”, is dominated by Cut Chemist, who uses a sample of a car revving its engine and hyperkinetic drum programming to create the quintessential posse cut, one where all of the MCs play to their strengths and challenge their weaknesses. Big Daddy Kane and J5 deliver strong verses, as is to be expected, but the real surprise is underground legend Percy P. His whole verse displays incredible lyricism and makes one wonder why he hasn’t reached the big time yet. He fits perfectly with the beat, and the Source, October 2002, says that Jurassic 5 themselves spent hours trying to figure out exactly how he wrote it. It’s too long and not worth printing in this space, and written lyrics can’t do his flow justice. Although it does reflect poorly on the album when the best verse is delivered by a guest, it is forgivable for the Five due to the fact that their verses work well enough in their own right.


Power in Numbers is a really good record, but not a great one. The members of Jurassic 5 do their best to try set the group apart from the hordes of hip-hop collectives, but they don’t succeed exceptionally. Although it was a nice change musically that less of the choruses were harmonized, to be honest, this change made the group lose a lot of what made them unique. The album is just like any other semi-mainstream hip-hop CD, like Dilated People’s Expansion Team, full of songs about how hip-hop they are, which may make them and their fans happy to hear that they are holding down the guard of authenticity in hip-hop, but will probably not reach as broad an audience as they might hope. Power in Numbers is just not deep or innovative enough to be great, but there’s no question that it’s a damn fine CD that anyone could enjoy.