Underground rap came to the surface Saturday night as Jurassic 5
performed an upbeat, old school show at the Wiltern Theatre.
Touring in support of its second album, “Power in
Numbers,” the Los Angeles-based sextet was pleased to be
playing in their home town.
On its albums, Jurassic 5 has tended to sound a bit naked. The
group uses limited beats and only the occasional sample, giving its
studio albums a simple, minimalist sound. But the live show was
something else. Turning up the bass and pushing the two DJs’
spinning skills, Jurassic 5 brought out all the bells and whistles,
pressing the audience to get involved and even breaking out kazoos
for “If You Only Knew.” The group’s harmonizing
was tight and Jurassic 5’s energy gave the whole performance
a much fuller, more exciting sound than the albums capture.
Despite the energy onstage, the audience was not totally into
the show. When members of J5 would put out the mike for a round of
call-and-response, the audience members were almost silent. Their
weak enthusiasm seemed to be due to the sheer size of the Wiltern.
The newly-remodeled theater, with its two levels and huge floor
area, was a lot for the rappers to contend with. Jurassic 5’s
enthusiasm could not quite make it all the way to the back of the
Wiltern’s cavernous levels.
But Jurassic 5 seemed unaffected by the unresponsive audience.
The show started with the upbeat, party-happy tracks off its first
album, shifting to newer songs like “Hey” and
“What’s Golden” for the second half of the
show.
The rappers embraced their old school sound, even breaking at
one point to give their DJs a turntable solo, though it ran a
little long. The group capped off the night by inviting what
appeared to be every rapper in Los Angeles up for a freestyle
finale, which also ran a little long. But these lapses only added
to the casual atmosphere of the show.
Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli put on a solid performance as the
opening act. Though the stage was empty except for Kweli and his
DJ, the rapper confidently busted through his rapid-fire,
start-stop songs. His performance was much more intense and
consistent than the headliners’, hitting the audience with
his machine-gun rapping and cannon blasts of bass.
Kweli took almost no breaks between songs, the exception being
to threaten a rowdy audience member looking for a fight.
Kweli’s darker performance contrasted well with the
lighthearted Jurassic 5.
But though the New Yorker rocked, Saturday night was a
celebration Los Angeles rap. Since forming in 1993 at the Good Life
cafe, Jurassic 5 has become a staple of the L..A. rap scene. The
members gave plenty of props to their L.A. fans and were clearly
pleased to have gone from the local Good Life to playing shows the
size of the Wiltern.
Members of Los Angeles groups the Freestyle Fellowship and the
Beat Junkies added to the L.A. vibe, taking the stage during both
Jurassic 5 and Kweli’s sets.
Jurassic 5’s energetic show was positive without being
preachy and the group kept the show going even when the audience
faltered.