JURASSIC 5 BIOGRAPHY

Jurassic 5 is an American alternative hip hopgroup formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Zaakir), 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 theLos Angeles venue Good Life. The group broke up in 2007, shortly after releasing their fourth LP Feedback, citing "musical differences".

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.”^[7] 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.

This was followed by their second album Quality Control, which peaked at #43 on the Billboard 200.

In 2002, they released their third album, Power In Numbers which peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Jurassic 5 eventually toured without Cut Chemist, who left the group to pursue a solo career. The remaining five members released their fourth and final album, Feedback, on July 25, 2006. The album peaked at #15 on the Billboard 200.

In April 2014 Jurassic 5 were added to the Glastonbury Festival line up.

- wikipedia