Power In Numbers

Description

Two years after Quality Control proved that B-boy-oriented retro-rap doesn’t have to be corny, Power in Numbers sees Jurassic 5 gearing up for the revolution. While fans of Quality Control’s bright sound will still find much to enjoy here, J5’s sophomore offering does a good job at extending their sound. Opening with “Freedom”, a quiet yet focused call to action, Power in Numbers presents a slightly darker vision of hip-hop nirvana than the group offered first time around. In keeping with the album’s title, J5 have also expanded its extended crew–Percy P (of the early-90s underground group, Double XX Posse) and Big Daddy Kane help wreck the G Rap-esque “A Day at the Races”, and the always game alterna-diva, Nelly Furtado, lends a surprisingly effective pop edge to the bouncy “Thin Line”. On the production end of things, Juju of the Beatnuts adds his special blend of Colombian madness to the jazzy “If You Only Knew” and the considerably bleaker “One of Them.” –Rebecca Levine