Keepin It Semi-Real

After Quality Control hit last year, Jurassic 5 emerged as part of the fresh new face of West Coast rap. Along with their contemporaries in Blackalicious, J5 presented a sound that was more about changing the scene on the streets than perpetuating it.

Though their new album, Power in Numbers, unfortunately does not improve upon Quality, J5 still continues to keep it real in the face of a rap scene that's become more about bling-bling than brotherhood.

On "One of Them," the group's four MC's and two DJ's (yes, that makes six) attack all that has become unreal in the rap scene. However, the most radio ready track on the album, "The Thin Line," featuring Nelly Furtado, is an apolitical debate on whether men and women can be friends.

But throughout, J5 feels the need to remind us that they really are different. They even include a DVD in the special edition packaging of Power, that tracks band members through a "day in the life" which basically amounts to the band showing us all how "ghetto" they still are.

Interestingly enough though, the DVD also features some footage of the group's performance at this summer's Bonnaroo Festival, which was quite possibly one of the least "ghetto" events in history. If you look closely at the cover art on the album, in fact, you'll see all those dirty hippies holding up their blue Bonnarroo wristbands and looking a little confused. These shots seem, well, like a progressive rap group at a jam music festival, interesting but unexpected.

Still, the rest of the band's message is so blatant that it's hard to miss. They are keeping it real, really really real. Which brings us to the frustrating aspect of the album: J5 spends a disproportionate amount of time discussing what it is that they aim to do and not enough time actually doing it.

Even the album's tight beats and Cut Chemist's unassailable talent on the turntables can't propel it forward if the lyrics rarely move beyond the introductions. We get it, J5. You're talented, you're not like other rappers, so get on with it already.