The Dino 5 - Baby Loves Hip Hop Presents: The Dino 5

[DirtMcgehrk]

01. Dino 5 Theme
02. Story Pt. 1: Pick Out A Book
03. I May Be Big And Scary (But I'm Really Pretty Nice)
04. Story Pt. 2: At The Playground
05. Yea Me Too
06. Story Pt. 3: Back To His Buddies
07. Tell Me More
08. Story Pt. 4: Play Date
09. That's Funny
10. Story Pt. 5: Basement Jams
11. Jump
12. Story Pt. 6: Night Turns To Day
13. What About Ten?
14. Story Pt. 7: Talent Show
15. Dino 5 Theme Song (Long Version)
16. Teo Start It Off
17. Sometimes I Like To Scream
18. Story Pt. 8: Burp Talking Dino Wins
19. Glad That We Came, Now We Have To Go
20. Story Pt. 9: Goodnight Momma

[DirtMcgehrk]

This was such a strange CD, and a surprisingly good one: A hip hop concept album/cartoon helmed by producer virtuoso Prince Paul directed at little kids. Consisting of MC T-Rex (Chali 2na), Billy Brontosaurus (Wordsworth), Tracy Triceratops (Lady Bug Mecca), Teo Pterodactyl (Scratch of Roots Crew) and DJ Stegosaurus (Prince Paul), the Dino-5 is overflowing with creativity and unbridled cuteness. It never gets sappy either, and NEVER sacrifices music quality for age accessibility. Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 does a fantastic job as T-Rex, and his voice is perfect for the part. He showcases his amazing flow (with very very simple lyrics) with his verses on the song "Yea Me Too". For example, "I like to run fast with sand between my toes/I like toy trucks, night hats and new clothes/I like to play with building blocks and do sports/I like short sleeves but my arms are too short." Even though I'm officially an adult, I found myself nodding my head to the beats and smiling the entire time. Prince Paul remains one of the most imaginative producers in hip hop today.

Score: 4/5