There's a certain mentality when a football star leaves Europe and heads to the United States. It's considered something of an early retirement, an easy way to squeeze a bit more cash out of fans that are a bit easier to please. It's not actually true, but it is an easy shorthand that continues to exist. The same generalisation exists when American rappers cross the Atlantic and head to Europe. The view from the States is that they're looking for easy paydays from people who may not truly understand hip hop culture. Both sides are based on logic created from lazy and ridiculous assumptions. So while Robbie Keane currently leads the Los Angeles Galaxy in goals, Los Angeles natives Jurassic 5 paid a visit to Keane's hometown to show their age has had no effect on their form or fitness, completing two shows at Vicar Street in two nights.
While there is always something of a risk when it comes to seeing a live rap show, with the nuances that can be captured on audio being lost in a mish-mash of yelling and heavy bass, when it comes to purists such as Jurassic 5, this is of no concern. Even in the early days of the band they were still something of a throwback, following the mantra of Rakim's “MC means move the crowd”. From the co-ordinated dance moves and DJ battle that involved Cut Chemist breaking out some type of turntable guitar, to simply just inserting Dublin into different parts of the songs, each member of Jurassic 5 achieved the goal of an MC admirably. In a genre where groups are rare, Jurassic 5 displayed a sense of chemistry that makes you wish for more. Each member buzzed off of the others, knowing when to step into the spotlight and when to fall back. For a group that were broken up for more than five years, they seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's presence, basking in the love of a sold-out Vicar Street.
Given that the band weren't promoting any new material, this was something of a legacy show, tailored around some of their most popular songs and delving deeper into their catalogue, at times taking requests from the crowd for some rarely performed tracks. Despite never deviating from their classic hip hop style, the band had several flirtations with mainstream success over the course of the career, which resulted in some collaborations with the likes of Nelly Furtado and the Dave Matthews Band. Still, the biggest reactions during the show came from the performance of two of their earliest singles 'Jayou' and 'Concrete Schoolyard', a credit to the fans who were by no means casual. While the spirit of the South Bronx that permeates through the band's work may not have translated in Ireland during the early '80s, the crowd at Vicar Street had an obvious appreciation for the band and what they represented.
When you consider the youthfulness of the genre, there still isn't a clear cut strategy to ageing in hip hop. The path Jurassic 5 is walking isn't exactly common for older acts ,who more often than not seem to drift into obscurity. But this current success speaks more to the quality of the group and their dedication to the cause.
While they never achieved an outrageous level of fame, that was never their goal. Jurassic 5 have instead curated a dedicated legion of fans who understand what they are trying to achieve and from there they can continue to thrive. What Jurassic 5 did at Vicar Street isn't really what Robbie Keane is doing in Los Angeles. This isn't a search for a payday and playing time. This is a recognition of their support, a support that transcends culture and country. Jurassic 5 avoided the early big payoff for the smaller but consistent payoffs down the line. They've earned their prize, but by no means are they going to stop proving why they deserve it.