After last appearing here in 2005, before their 2007 split, Irish fans have had to wait a long time for Jurassic 5 to grace our shores once again. The addition of a second date in Vicar Street after their return show on 17th June does show that people haven’t forgotten about them in the meantime. Indeed, the group have long been a favourite of certain hip-hop purists. Their old-school sound and message was a refreshing change of pace from the thug life and money stacks that dominated hip-hop when they first appeared in the late ’90s.
Perhaps because they were so against the grain, their sound has held up remarkably well and they have maintained a strong fan base ever since they broke up. After returning at Coachella last year, they have been playing sporadic dates since and we managed to talk to MC Zaakir (AKA Soup to his friends) before they bring the show to Ireland.
While the events that led to the group’s demise aren’t up for discussion, it seems as though the usual clash of egos and personalities brought this about. According to Soup though, these issues were put behind them after their time apart. “It was just time, you know,” he tells GoldenPlec. “It was a clean slate basically. Everybody was willing after seven years to come back together to try and do some stuff.”
The group’s comeback kicked off after the were approached to reform on the main stage at Coachella last year, a big platform for a group that hadn’t performed in so long. There didn’t seem to be too many nerves about the comeback though. “I was surprised that Coachella had asked us to be there, seeing as we had been gone for seven years and didn’t have any new music out. To be able to perform on the main stage and have a prime slot as far as doing it… that was huge! I was excited though, I thought it was really dope.”
The live show has always been a big part of the J5 experience, harking back to the block parties where hip-hop originated. The group didn’t seem to have a lot of trouble getting that chemistry back together.“Yeah, it’s just something you don’t lose,” Soup confirms. “I mean, if you’re a truck driver for ten years you don’t forget how to drive. It’s really just like riding a bike!”
The time apart did at least seem to help them creatively. As Soup says: “You experience different stuff, you know. You can’t talk about the same stuff you used to talk about, or we can’t anyway. It’s easier now, you can just be who you wanna be and we’re at the age where we can just say what we wanna say and leave it at that.”
While music has undoubtedly changed in the last seven years, Soup doesn’t exactly think this has been for the better. “I can’t really tell you what’s encouraging to be honest with you. What’s discouraging would be the boost in technology and that everybody thinks they’re cut out to be the centre of attention, to be the person on stage. Now everybody figures they can make music or act or whatever entertainment thing it may be. That’s the only discouraging thing because… everybody’s not equipped to do what you do.”
However, he does think there are certain acts in hip-hop worthy of carrying the baton: “Kendrick Lamar is one of the top guys in the game without question, I don’t think you can deny that. I think he has what it takes. He comes under the Dr. Dre umbrella, which is an incredible umbrella to be under if you’re into making music. And Kendrick can rhyme.”
“If you were to look at Drake also as being the top of his game because he’s successful and he’s popular… But then you got a whole other movement of people like Joey Bada$$ and the Danny Browns. I’m not really hip to that movement as much but you got people doing their thing. I don’t really wanna compare it to what we were doing because the era is different now so it doesn’t really make sense to compare that.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymMnVEgsRwM
While Jurassic 5 always prided themselves on paying homage to the origins of hip-hop, Soup does think rappers now are a bit less forthcoming when it comes to paying respect: “That’s where society is, it’s all about a me-me-me thing, it’s all about you. Nowadays to pay homage to guys who came before you, I mean it almost seems people think that’s like a weak move to do. They should at least look back and see how guys were actually trying to say something”.
On coming back to perform in Ireland, where the group have appeared several times including a spot at the inaugural Electric Picnic, Soup is fairly complementary in his assessment of the crowds over here. “I think the crowds over in Europe, we’ve always found them to be a little more hyped than the States. Like if you come to perform in Los Angeles or New York the crowd is different because they’re used to getting everybody… but overseas you guys are just always hyped and ready to party and have a good time.”
It has been seven long years since J5 last put new material out as a group but we do get a hint at something arriving soon: “Something may be coming… I think you guys might even see something before we touch down there (see above). Just taking it one day at a time, no one’s in a rush… We’re at the stage now where we can just take our time and do it how we do it.”
Soup seems remarkably grounded for a successful rapper, something that shines with the group’s laidback ethos, and his assessment of their career so far speaks to this. “Just being able to have a career is a highlight… After you wrote and created all this stuff in your bedroom and now you get to travel the world… I just enjoy it all because I didn’t expect any of this to happen.”
In regards to Irish fans thinking about heading to Vicar Street in June, Soup had this message: “It’s been a while, just come out and have a good time! If you’re a fan and you remember us from back in the day, come on out and enjoy yourselves. If you’re new and you wanna hear what the people have been telling you about and you weren’t old enough to come back then, just come on out. Have a good time and that’s it!”
With a back catalogue of underrated hip-hop anthems like Concrete Schoolyard, A Day at the Races and What’s Golden to fall back on, it’s likely that anyone who heeds the call and shows up for these shows is in for a good time. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another nine years for their return.
Jurassic 5 play Vicar Street on the 16th and 17th of June. Tickets are on sale now. The Way We Do It, their first new song in eight years, can be heard above.