- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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As spiritual as Talib Kweli, as musically complex as Mos Def, as joyfully syncopated as the Roots, Power in Numbers sets the standard for intelligent hip hop.
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The signature wordplay and musical ingenuity are as strong as ever here... but they're rolling with a far harder edge than you remember.
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Oozing confidence, clarity and common sense, the group's four MCs tackle their topics like the greats of old, distilling complex thoughts into simple, powerful rhymes.
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J5 is hard enough to sample Public Enemy on the standout single "What's Golden" and features two of the best turntablists working today, Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark.
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UrbThe excellent Power In Numbers finds the group inching toward the future with a fuller sound and different looks. [Oct 2002, p.94]
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Power in Numbers is the finest hip-hop album released since Blackalicious' Blazing Arrow.
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MojoAn almost austere album, the production deliciously dry, forcing lyrics and beats to share the foreground. [Nov 2002, p.106]
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MixerAn eyes-closed, head-bobbing masterpiece. [Oct 2002, p.86]
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Jurassic 5's Power in Numbers is darker than their first full-length; not as fresh and exuberant, but much more mature and intelligent.
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Jurassic 5 is sophisticated and mature, yet it's energetic, fresh, and still knows how to have a good time.
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Q MagazineIf there's a weakness, it's that the fulid, four-MC set-up masks a lack of lyrical depth.
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Jurassic 5 value commitment over calculation; that is, they keep it real.
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Power In Numbers is like a coming out party for J5, as it shows their ability to shed their label as a novelty and proves they are talented in their own right.
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This formulaically old-school approach is both J5's greatest asset and worst liability.
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The group's old-school ethos begins to feel like formula on Power In Numbers, though that formula can still yield remarkable results.
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Entertainment WeeklyBad rap is no way to repair a bad rep. [21 Oct 2002]
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Instead of being an especially bold or dynamic record, however, it only recalls the best moments of Quality Control and EP, seldom reaching their highest peaks.
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Their second album will thrill fans who stopped clocking rap a decade ago and heads who never let go.
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It's a dubious album whose chief innovation is a guest appearance by Nelly Furtado.
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UncutThey haven't yet shown enough thrills in righteousness to challenge gangsta's dark, easy attraction. [Nov 2002, p.129]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 24 out of 27
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Mixed: 1 out of 27
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Negative: 2 out of 27
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Dec 7, 2011
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danielaJan 19, 2007
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ChandlerWOct 15, 2006