Say real hip-hop.
Say it and think of Chali 2na shaking hands and signing autographs with concert-goers who stood in line for hours on a cold night.
Say it and think of B-girls and B-boys breaking on the floor of the Sunshine Theater while a diverse crowd anticipated the Jurassic 5's entrance.
After an unusually long wait, the restless audience exploded when J5 took the stage and dove into a high-energy set Sunday, Nov. 17.
J5 displayed a rare kind of non-rock star, non-flamboyant rapper attitude that went far proving both a dedication to hip-hop and the group's consistent authenticity.
No matter that Power in Numbers, the latest release, is making incredible sales and considered the best album to date by some music critics - J5 showed a genuine love for hip-hop in its improvisational, politically aware and socially responsible form. They really are good guys.
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Instead of simply spitting out an uninspired set consisting only of songs off the current album, J5 remixed and recombined material spanning the entirety of its musical output. Albuquerque fans represented well, shouting out lyrics to songs as old as J5's self-titled debut LP released back in 1997.
J5 consists of emcee's Chali 2na, Zaakir, Akil and Marc 7 and DJ's Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark. Their connection to the audience was so genuine that the atmosphere was almost more house party than performance. Which is not to say the concert was wanting for energy or that the members of J5 didn't display excellent showmanship - rather, the show carried a sense of community.
All the members of J5 obviously felt it was their responsibility to make sure fans got their moneys worth.
At a particularly frenzied point during the set, a pissed-off Zaakir stopped the almost continuous music out of concern for the audience's safety. The band requested that everyone back up and like obedient school children, they did.
"See all these pretty girls in the front?" Akil asked. "You're going to want to talk to them later. You can't talk to them if they're in the hospital."
Here are some more snapshots:
Picture thousands of willing J5 devotees putting down their beers and holding both hands in the air while DJ Nu-Mark spun a cheesy '50s style instructional record of hand exercises, complete with a break for "shaking it out." It was like watching a city-wide hokey-pokey.
Picture DJ Nu-Mark moving from turntables to drum set to electric drum machine in a ten minute long solo, all the while keeping the beat with a sampler tied around his neck like the worst medallion necklace ever.
Picture Chali 2na at multiple points during the performance grabbing blunts from the outstretched hands of other aficionados while security guards slowly shook their heads, disapproving like only rent-a-cops can.
Picture Junkyard JuJu of the Beatnuts gracefully pulling off a reasonable set even though partner Psycho Les had a family emergency and couldn't make the show.
Overall, J5's positive energy and good nature made for one of the best hip-hop shows to come through this town. The Sunshine Theater even got the sound right.
