Jurassic 5 is a hip hop group formed in 1993 by rappers Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir aka Soup, Mark 7even, and turntable maestros DJ Nu-Mark and DJ Cut Chemist, who came together from two separate crews, the Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee.
The group formed at the Los Angeles, California health store The Good Life Cafe, where they performed at the open mic nights along with Good Life regulars such as Freestyle Fellowship, Abstract Rude, and many others. According to Cut Chemist, "The Good Life was a renaissance period in hip hop." (The documentary This is The Life , directed by original Good Life MC Ava DuVernay of Figures of Speech, features Chali 2na and Cut Chemist.)
They released their first record, Jurassic 5 EP, in 1997. The record cemented their position in the 1990s alternative hip hop movement, alongside artists such as Company Flow, Black Star and Kool Keith. The EP was later repackaged with additional tracks and released in December 1998 as the band's full-length debut album, entitled Jurassic 5 LP. The tracks harkened back to the old school attitude of New York's Native Tongues Posse, which included De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest. The song "Concrete Schoolyard," and the album provided the troupe with a Top 40 single when it reached number 35 in November 1998.
In 1999, Jurassic 5 signed to Interscope Records, who re-released the Jurassic 5 EP. This was followed by their second album (their first on a major label), Quality Control.
In 2003, they released their third album, Power In Numbers, which was followed by touring with the newly-revived Lollapalooza festival in summer 2003.
Jurassic 5 toured without Cut Chemist, who left the group to pursue a solo career . The remaining 5 members have recorded and have released their fourth album, Feedback, on July 25, 2006.
In 2000, while heading to Nashville, Tennessee as a stop on the Warped Tour, the members of Jurassic 5 were involved in a tour bus accident when the driver fell asleep at the wheel and sent the vehicle into a six-foot ditch. Chali 2na and two of his colleagues were hospitalized, with 2na sustaining the gravest injuries. His skull was fractured, requiring a metal plate be implanted in his head. 2na has stated that survival of this near-death experience has made him more conscious of his religion; he, like at least three other band members, is Muslim. A pedestrian named Chris Howe was also injured and sustained a broken leg.
Jurassic 5's "Jurass Finish First" from 2000's Quality Control.
