Like DJ Cut Chemist, Jurassic 5 MC Chali 2NA used to pull double duty by helping fuse hip-hop, salsa, and funk as a member of the Ozomatli collective. For 2NA, it wasn’t about pulling down two paychecks, but about getting an education.
“It was college for me,” he says. “With Ozo, I learned a lot about music and rhythms. It changed the patterns in my rhymes and the way I thought about writing. I learned to acknowledge the music more than to just say, ‘There’s a drum beat and a bassline that sounds hot, I’m gonna put some rhymes over it.’ It’s knowledge I didn’t just take to J5, but stuff I can take with me to the grave.”
More immediately, it’s knowledge he’ll take with him to Stubb’s. For SXSW 2001, Ozomatli, Jurrassic 5, and the Black Eyed Peas — three of the hottest acts to emerge from L.A.’s once-underground hip-hop scene — are on the same bill. While all three are known for putting on dynamic live sets, this will be the first time all three share a stage.
“You’d think we’d done it before, and it’s been close,” says 2NA. “But something weird has always happened … some promoter’s always fucked it up.”
For 2NA, the triple bill is a reminder of just how far all three acts have come. Each originally honed their skills at the Good Life Cafe, an open-mike space in the heart of South Central L.A.’s old jazz district. There, they perfected their old-school approach — an emphasis on positivity, showmanship, and live instrumentation — that ultimately made them new-school. So new, in fact, that 2NA admits he couldn’t have anticipated their scene eventually translating into a seemingly endless string of sold-out shows and four-star reviews.
“We just thought we were putting out music some underground cats might feel,” he says. “I see this bill and I’m proud of everybody, because I was blessed enough to see everybody at their humble beginnings. These people are my family. I grew up with these cats. And to see each of us getting the attention we’ve been getting is amazing. Absolutely amazing.”
This article appears in March 16 • 2001.