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Jurassic 5 - Cool Runnins Pt.1
Interview By : Michael Ivey
 Cali based quintet Jurassic 5 is the rare "underground"/ "alternative" (or whatever you need to call it) Hip Hop crew. Promoted and sold by industry giant Interscope Records for the last six years, DJ Nu Mark and company have remained afloat without compromising a vibe that conjures up the stuff we hardly see or hear anymore: De La, Tribe, etc. Amidst Shady Doctors and Monkey Business J5 seems bent on delivering the progressive news.
 The crew, consisting of four emcees and a turntablist, hasn't exactly starved but has flown way under the mainstream radar. This time, however, key collaborations have galvanized Interscope, making their appropriately titled third LP 'Feedback' the groups' best shot at platinum success. NBS recently chopped it up with J5's baritone ambassador, Charlie 2NA, and its' reluctant rhymer, Soup, about sticking together, tour bus etiquette and Interscope?s positive Feedback.
Nobodysmiling.com : First off, Charlie, this being you guys' third album, what do you think is holding the crew together?
Charlie 2NA : Just loving what we do man and still tryna get to a place that we all kinda like. We just continually tryna get to that goal that we set for ourselves. It's cool doing what we do as well as having like communal creative sessions with like-minds man-to be able to put that music out, keep it going you know what I'm saying? It's a dope thing to me.
Nobodysmiling.com : Now the first single is 'Work It Out' correct?
Charlie 2NA : Yeah.
Nobodysmiling.com : The relationship with The Dave Matthews Band-you guys linked up on tour?
Charlie 2NA : Yeah.
Nobodysmiling.com : So how did that develop? Who approached who as far as getting together and coming out with this first single?
Soup : I mean it really wasn't like anybody came to anybody and said "We need to do a song". It wasn't like that. But Dave took the first step by just inviting us on the tour with em. So then stuff happens [and] that opened the door to a lot of stuff, you know what I'm saying, whether it be bad or good. But it just so happen that it turned out good for us. And ah when we started working on our record Nu Mark had this particular beat that he thought Dave would sound good on. And being that we had already had a opportunity to tour with em ya know, we felt pretty confident that he would say yeah, but ya know, you still need to go through the proper channels cause it's still business.
Nobodysmiling.com : Right.
Soup : Ya know, when we did ask he jumped at the chance. He never-he didn't waver. He wasn't like "Let me think about it" or "I need to speak to the violin player first" or nothing like that. He just was like "Lets do it". And we flew to Seattle and that's how it came to be.
Nobodysmiling.com : OK. Now Soup I know this collaboration with Dave Matthews is a little different from stuff you guys have done in the past, but what makes 'Feedback' different from 'Power in Numbers'.
Soup : Cause you grow. Ya know, anytime you do a record man, ya know, it's just growing. You don't never stop growing; whether you know it or you don't know it, growth is always happening. What makes it different is just the mind frame that the person or we-that we were in at the time of it. And it was the best effort that we had at that particular time. And um..people like to say it's more mature and I guess it is; when you grow you always mature and so I would say it is; I also think that we done a lot. I think we really-really laid a pretty strong foundation as far as Hip Hop is concerned.
Nobodysmiling.com : Word.
Soup : Or whether you call it underground or whatever you need to call it, but as far as our foundation with the first two releases, from 'Quality' to 'Power,'-and even the EP-I think we solidified exactly what we wanted to as far as letting people know that we are Hip Hop-no question about it. And from after that you gotta build on that foundation. You can't just keep layering it and layering it with the same thing. Eventually you gon have to start putting in some plywood or something to make that house, so I think that's what we doing now.
Nobodysmiling.com : OK. I feel you. If you're not growing something's wrong. You're going backwards.
Soup : Yeah something wrong. I hope nobody in the group thinking like they was thinking in 1997-98. I would hope not, being thirty-something years old and I'm still thinking like that. So ya know, you grow man and you just give the people what you got at that particular time.
Nobodysmiling.com : I feel you. Now Charlie what's your favorite track off of 'Feedback' and why?
Charlie 2NA : Well my favorite track on the album-it wavers between 'Work It Out' and 'In the House' in my opinion. Like I love 'Work It Out' simply because the collaboration was like something out there that we did that probably nobody would've expected us to do, as well as the way everybody approached that particular vibe; I thought it was really dope and it came off on a global level. 'In The House' to me was like so dope because of the fact that it was like old school, but it was like digging into a lot of the old school west coast records-references from that- and making a collage of some dope shit you know what I'm saying? Them two was like the two sharp joints for me.
Nobodysmiling.com : And Soup, how bout you?
Soup : Umm? I would have to say 'Brown Girl' and-well 'Brown Girl'-I would say 'Brown Girl' cause when Scott Storch brought that beat up-and to be honest with you I didn't know what we were gon do on it as J5. I couldn't feel like I could catch a pocket on that particular beat.
Nobodysmiling.com : Really?
Soup : No I didn't think I could just off the mark of us just trying something off of it, so I was kind of ya know-I was just a lil confused on how something would come out and then when the suggestion for-to sing on it-and they came through; they brought a whole 'nother life to it that I never even looked at. I didn't even-I couldn't even see it. And when they did it then it sparked me to, ya know, wanna get up on it and so I would say 'Brown Girl' cause I was literally stumped with that beat.
Nobodysmiling.com : Word. So were you in the studio when they laid down the vocals or did you hear it afterwards?
Soup : Naw, we were in the studio because the beat came on and it just wasn't nothing on it. Ya know, they just played the beat and Scott was basically like "I know Jimmy'll like this".
Nobodysmiling.com : (laughs)
Soup : Ya know, Jimmy Iovine. So he's like "I know Jimmy would like this". But when he played it I was like OK. Jimmy would like it; I would like it, but I don't know what to do on it. And then when the suggestion came-when he suggested the girls and they came through-he called em and they came through. And we was sitting right there when they came in and laid down what they had and I was like "Damn, they really talented". And they murdered it.
Nobodysmiling.com : Word. OK, so Soup did you go right in after that? You said that inspired you.
Soup : Well no because the way that you hear the song now is that I'm first on the song, but it wasn't like that originally. Originally Mark 7 was first. And it was Mark 7, and then it was Akil, and then it was Tune, then it was me; I was the last person to go. I thought it was cool like that, but Scott hadn't mixed it; he hadn't touched it; he hadn't done anything to it yet. So when he finally got a hold to it he switched me and Mark part, so it took a minute for me to get used to that cause I was-ya know, you heard it one way; I was just used to that and I thought it was but he switched it and the I was-it took me a minute to get with it. But I finally got with it and now it sounds-it sounds like that's what it should be.
Nobodysmiling.com : Word up. So Charlie, Soup mentioned Jimmy Iovine-Scott Storch saying "Jimmy would like this"-Interscope is a label known for concentrating on their top sellers, which-that's any label-makes sense I guess. Did you guys have any static putting the record and getting the songs that you wanted on there?
Charlie 2NA : Well I mean, you know, the tug of war with any label is like tryna get them to agree with the shit that you put forth and you agreeing with what they might put forth. That's always like a battle within itself but then any partnership you gon figure that out. On that level I mean, just taking a while to get a meeting or taking a while to get certain songs mixed or approved-this that and the third. Those type of problems were at hand but for the most part I think we-a lot of stuff happened this time that had never happened for us before up at Interscope, you know what I'm saying, which I was pretty pleased with.
Nobodysmiling.com : And what specifically?
Charlie 2NA : Well I mean, you know, I think a lot of things moves more according to the plan that was set forth. Like we had planned to try to work with different producers; I don't even think we as a whole would've thought we was gon get a chance to work with people like Scott Storch.
Nobodysmiling.com : Right.
Charlie 2NA : So that type of stuff was pretty dope. We got a chance to travel; got a chance to just try new stuff and being-it's a ahhh...newly found cool vibe like where it's like a lot of support-like a whole lot of support for the record, so-not saying that it wasn't in the past, but we was under the radar in the past as opposed to now. So those things are definitely examples of what I'm saying.
Nobodysmiling.com : Do you feel like that support comes with working with a Scott Storch and Dave Matthews or was it there from the gate, when you guys began working on 'Feedback'?
Charlie 2NA : Um..who knows man. To tell you the truth. And I'm not really necessarily like looking for those things (laughs). I'm just like Yeah. If the support's there lets push it. Lets make this thing happen.
Nobodysmiling.com : Word. Don't ask why. As long as their supporting it it's all good.
Charlie 2NA : Right, you know what I'm saying. We making the best records we know how to make. It's up to them to have to do the job that they promised to do, so you know.
Nobodysmiling.com : Word. I got you. Soup, being at Interscope-I know there are people that handle these things-from your perspective, how have you guys made J5 a priority, standing next to the Shady camp and the G-Unit guys and The Black Eyed Peas? How do you make J5 a priority up there?
Soup : Well for me you just go out and do what you do. You find your niche within the game and you go out and you make sure when it's your time to shine you shine and we've always shined by shows. Now I don't care what other people are selling, this, that and the third, but when it comes to performing J5 is triple/quadruple platinum when it comes to that.
Nobodysmiling.com : (laughs)
Charlie 2NA : Word up though. That's real.
Soup : I'm not gon ever take-you know, I'm not gon ever-never step back on that you know what I'm saying, and don't feel like when we get on a show with somebody we can't outshine you. We don't care who it is and ya know, we just do our thing and I think that's how we-our name has came up-and to be honest with you man it's funny for me because it's like a lot of people can't wait as long as we waited to put out a record and still have people anticipating our-ya know, your record to come out.
Nobodysmiling.com : You're right.
Soup : And that's not a knock on anybody but it's just something that I don't-I can't explain it either man. We always said all we need is one hit record. If you give us a hit record with all the stuff that we already do as far as the merchandising, the shows, signing autographs for people just being down to earth cats we really carve a niche for ourselves. We always just say, in tact with the show, I think J5 show has been the reason why we've really-really made a super-big name for ourselves; I think our records is cool too, but when people see our show and it just adds another dimension to the whole J5 brand.
Nobodysmiling.com : OK. Word. Speaking of the shows, you guys are about to kick off the tour. I noticed, if I'm not mistaken, there are no dates in Philly New York or New Jersey?
Soup : Naw we do have dates in New York. We got the urban plaza. It should be up on the website and you just saying that um...I think we do have a show in Philly. I don't have my-
Charlie 2NA : We got a Philly show and a-if you hit the Myspace.com/Jurassic 5 you'll see it; like the whole complete list for real.
Nobodysmiling.com : Oh OK.
Soup : Naw I don't think we have anything in Jersey; I will give you that.
Nobodysmiling.com : (laughs)
Charlie 2NA : (laughs) Not Jersey but close to it.
Soup : Yeah close enough if you go over the bridge. But we in Philly, we in New York for sure and even in Boston if that might tickle ya fancy. But yeah, we there.
Nobodysmiling.com : OK. Yeah the press release I got didn't have those dates, so I'll definitely check for those. Definitely. So Charlie, I'm sure you guys think about this, but I don't know how much of a priority it is: As far as your sales goals-this being the third album -do you guys have a certain range you're shooting for as far as moving out the store?
Charlie 2NA : Man I mean each and every time we shot for the moon and we shooting for the moon. We tryna do this as a career to feed our families and stuff, so in reality it's a thing of us tryna make some noise and some sales and make it all like equate to what it's supposed to as opposed to you know, "Them dudes is critically acclaimed but they record sales slack" Or "Them dudes sell a lot but the press hate em" or whatever; for us it's a business as well as the creative aspect. I'd love to be amongst them platinum selling dudes [or] this that and the third. (Laughs) I ain't gon front. But if you shooting for the moon and hit one of them stars it's cool too.
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