Usually, April 2 is nothing special. At the most it's the day after April Fool's day, when you can stop worrying about how gullible your friends think you are. But this year was different; this April 2 brought far more than just classes. In fact, it managed to get Jurassic 5 to fly all the way across the country, just to perform for Brandeis students.People had been talking for weeks about the upcoming performance, and excitement was at it's peak on Wednesday. The line snaked around the curved entrance of Gosman Sports and Convocation Center and into the parking lot, as Brandeis students and Boston-area students alike clamored for a chance to see the hip-hop quintet at its best. There had been a lot of anxiety earlier in the day when the group's plane was delayed and then turned around, and people weren't even sure the band would make it to Brandeis. But they did, and the show went on.

DJ Logic and Virginia Coalition began warming up the crowd at 8 p.m., and by the time the opening acts were done, the gym was packed and students were chanting for Jurassic 5. Cut Chemist was out on stage, making sure his equipment was ready, and every time he tested out a turntable the crowd would go wild, hoping that it would be Jurassic 5 ready to go on at last. But it was all just a tease; excitement grew to almost unbearable levels as the minutes ticked by. And then finally the music started up full force and Jurassic 5 took the stage.

Upon first glimpse of Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir and Mark 7, the crowd went insane. The group was dead-on, bursting with energy and life. Their set was blistering, with barely a pause between songs, an amazing mix of new stuff, old stuff, hits and lesser-known gems. And while their set was so tight that the audience barely noticed the shift from song to song, there was an especially enthusiastic response to "Thin Line," "High Fidelity" and their latest hit, "Quality Control."

Musically, the group seemed focused, interacting happily with the crowd but never missing a beat in any of their songs. But the true musical highlight of the evening was the freestyle session. With each of the four MCs taking a turn on the mic by themselves to Cut Chemist's improvised beats, Jurassic 5 exemplified what real hip-hop is about. The rhymes were witty, socially conscious and verbally spectacular.

But Jurassic 5 wasn't there just to throw a party; they were there to keep the peace. They dedicated an entire song to the anti-war effort, saying, "We need to make them understand that life, that hip-hop isn't about violence. It's about love. It's about peace."

And they stuck by that statement: When a group got rowdy in the center of the crowd, Chali 2na called them out on it: "Hey ... Hey, guys, calm down. You guys are like the nucleus. We need you to hold it down. Don't fight, man. Just hold it down."

After playing an hour-long set, Jurassic 5 left the stage for the arms of their audience. They stayed for almost an hour signing autographs, meeting and hugging fans and listening to their input about the show. "You guys were great," Jordan Karney '06 told Chali 2na, "but you didn't play the L.A. song! I'm not even going to pretend that I know the title, but I love that song!" The rapper only shrugged, smiled and promised her they'd do it next time.

In the end, Jurassic 5 proved themselves not only to be master MCs and hip-hop geniuses; they also showed they were caring, loving and wonderful people, more than happy to give their fans the same amount of love they throw at them while they're on stage. And there was a whole lot of love in the room that night.