Jurassic Five is all the way live! InFebruary Jurassic Five, a rap group out of Los Angeles, rocked my hometown ofHonolulu. Opening for them was Hawaii's own 2001 ITF Team DJ Battle Champs,Nocturnal Sound Krew (NSK). I was eager to see Jurassic Five and wondered if NSKwould do a good job warming up the crowd. They began their set blazing withenergy, which really got the crowd moving. Two reggae-vibed emcees rapped as fastas the DJs scratched, as if they were synchronized.

Finally, the group Ihad been waiting over a month to see came onstage to the roar of the crowd. Thefour emcees, Zaakir, Akil, Marc 7 and Chali 2na, took to the very front of thestage, getting personal with the people who were packed in shoulder-to-shoulder.While I sang along with most of the songs, I couldn't help but notice hundreds ofpeople around me who appeared not to even know who they were. The reactions ofthe crowd were loudest when each MC went into his solo verse a capella. I wasenjoying both of the DJs at work.

While they weren't scratching and mixingthe beats, the DJs operated other instruments. Cut Chemist had a solo on whatappeared to be a handheld turn-table, and Nu Mark banged on the drums andxylophone. They performed all my favorite songs and I was so happy to be rappingwith them.

After what seemed their last song, they left the stage. I'dhad fun and would have plenty to rave about to friends, but the show was not overyet. The crowd pleaded and yelled, wanting more. The yells must have workedbecause they came back on stage asking, "Do y'all want to hear just a littlebit more?"

They went into new material from their next album. I feltlucky to be in the exclusive group of people to hear their newstuff.

Afterward, the group was classy enough to sign autographs for fans.I pulled out the promotional flyer from my hoodie, and was determined to get itsigned. After pushing and sliding my way to each side of the stage, my flyer wassigned by all six members of Jurassic Five. Overall, it was an entertainingproduction from start to finish.