It's been said that home is where the heart is. The comfort of one's surroundings, one's own environment, makes some feel loved. But for others, home is not always the best place to be. Though the heart remains, some just long to get away. Producer/DJ Nu-Mark and rappers Akil, Marc 7, Chali 2NA and Zaakir (AKA Soup), together known as American hip hop group Jurassic 5, embrace the need for travel beyond their comfort zone. Jurassic 5 love to stand united with hip hop lovers beyond home's states.

"Touring internationally is better, I think; the people have just got a love," said Jurassic 5 member Soup. "Sometimes you find a couple of them that get caught up, but a lot of times overseas they just enjoy the fact that you're there and you're trying to have a good time, trying to give them 100%. They really enjoy that, and I love that."

Back home on American soil, touring can get a little dirty. Some have a love/hate relationship with Jurassic 5 - some just love to hate them.

"You've got a lot of people in the game who just don't like us," Soup said. "They ain't met us, I know they ain't saying that after they meet us. They just don't like the music; they don't like the way that we look or whatever it is. But they can't understand why we're still here.

"I'd think people know why (we're still here). It's from having the maturity to make proper business decisions and make moves to help us gain momentum in whatever we're trying to get to."

Jurassic 5 has been "here" for more than 10 years now. In 1993, two hip hop crews from Los Angeles, California - Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee - merged to form Jurassic 5. In 1995 with former member, DJ/producer Cut Chemist, the then six-member group recorded their first single, 'Unified Rebellion.' Two years later the group released a critically acclaimed self-titled EP. Soup said things have grown drastically since their first release, including his own, and the group's, maturity.

"Personally I had a lot of growing up to do," he said. "I didn’t like the fact in the beginning that Charli would get all the notice. And the ill thing about it too was that when we first got together I remember telling Charli that he was the best in the group. Now go figure that! It’s funny because it wasn't that I wanted to be the star, it was that I really didn’t know what it was!"

"I love these dudes," Soup said. "I had a lot of growing up to do, getting to know the fellas and getting on the road with them for two and three months - going overseas. We argue; we go through all the ups and downs, but there ain't another groups of dudes I'd rather be with."

Their togetherness came full circle in 2000 with the release of their full-length follow-up, 'Quality Control'. Jurassic 5 joined the Warped Tour and toured with singer/poet Fiona Apple. Some found humour in their choice of tour mates. "I read an interview with Evidence from Dilated Peoples, and he said we were on tour with Fiona Apple; they had in parenthesis 'laughing'," Soup remembered. "He thought that was funny because that was something he wouldn’t even think of doing. But look at us though! It's not a comparison with Dilated, but those types of decisions keep us going."

In 2002, Jurassic 5 released their second full length album, 'Power In Numbers'. Domestically the album has sold over 379,000 copies to date according to Nielsen Soundscan. In 2004, Cut Chemist left J5 for a solo career while the remaining group members continued to tour in the U.S. and internationally through 2005. Jurassic 5 performed various dates in Canada, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands and United Kingdom.

"Out of the underground movement we're some of the only cats that's still here," Soup said. "A lot of the cats ain’t here no more, and if they are, you ain't really checking for them. And I’m not saying they're super-checking for J5, but J5 does have a little life."

That life continues to feed from touring abroad. In such places as Bristol, Glasgow and London, Jurassic 5 are accepted for what they do. At home in some parts of America, the hip hop quintet is an acquired taste.

"If you're not what people came to see then they're not trying to hear you," Soup said. "Overseas they just want to get with you and have a good time. Domestically, out here, we’re real big on categorising."

The culture of hip hop and its music varies in every point on the compass, especially in America. Hip hop in the East is represented differently from the South, and so on. Over the years, hip hop has been segmented. Though they’re from L.A, Jurassic 5 have a sound not normally associated with hip hop from the western United States. They employee a more poetic style associated with traditional rappers of hip hop's New York origin. This adds another dash of pepper to the acceptance of their flavour elsewhere.

"The old school sound we got may not be original because we didn't create it, but we try to put our spin on it," Soup said. "Being original we just try to be creative as much as possible. We don't sound like nobody out now."

For Jurassic 5 being original in sound, and separating themselves from the norm, has had its disadvantages domestically. Soup recalled when Jurassic was one of eight acts on the Smokin' Grooves Tour. He said fans in certain areas had no problem showing their disapproval of Jurassic 5's presence.

"We were performing and there were some guys and girls shaking their heads like "no" while we were performing," Soup said. "People get there early because they want to get a good seat. I'm like, dude you got the ticket; did you get the memo? There are eight groups on this bill. They're shaking their heads like we're stopping them from seeing who they came to see! You're going to have to wait! If we're not your favourite group, that's cool. That's just how it is.

"I've bought tickets to shows with a packed bill," Soup continued. "I never dissed other people because my favourite group came on at 8, and it's now 12 o’clock."

For Jurassic 5, the clock is still ticking. The group put a lot of time into current album 'Feedback', their 2006 album release for Interscope Records. With Chemist gone, more of the group's production fell on Nu-Mark. The group also welcomed a contribution from producers Salam Remi and commercially successful, multi-platinum producer Scott Storch. Storch's style, which has backed the likes of rappers 50 Cent, G-Unit, Busta Rhymes and Fat Joe, is a huge contrast from typical J5 fare. That may turn some of their fans pale.

"We can continue to talk about "the Golden Era" and what rap should be, or we can see how we can fit what we do into the new age of where everything else is going," Soup said. "I think it will be something on there for the fans who know J5 to like. And hopefully we got some stuff on there for new people to pick up on it. And at the same time we’re going to lose people." The first single from 'Feedback', 'Work It Out,' features pop/folk group Dave Matthews Band. Soup said the collaboration was bound to happen sooner or later. "Dave has been a big fan of ours," he said. "He asked us if we could do a couple of dates with him on his tour. So we did that.

"Dave came out every night to introduce us, to soften the crowd up a little bit I guess," Soup continued with a laugh. "He saw our show every night we performed on tour with him."

After the tour, Jurassic 5 participated in an organisation called Vote For Change with Matthews. Their working relationship grew stronger. Jurassic 5 discussed doing a song with Dave Matthews Band, and DJ Nu-Mark produced a beat the group felt fit Dave perfectly. They contacted him, flew to Seattle, Washington and recorded the single. Then Nu-Mark went and tracked the rest of the band. Both parties were pleased with what had been drawn together, but those on the outside looking in saw a not-so-pleasing picture.

"I've already heard die-hard J5 fans say they're not going to buy this record because Dave Matthews is on it," Soup stated. "We're going to do what we’re going to do. We always did what we liked doing. I would like for them to stay on board, but if not, I'm not begging them to. If you're with it, you're with. If you ain't, you ain't."

From touring with Fiona Apple, to teaming up with Dave Matthews, to touring the world; Jurassic 5 do what they need to do to keep themselves around. They prefer international tours, but they're still at home. 'Feedback' is just another round trip.

"It's a different vibe," Soup said. "When we did the Warped Tour we were the only hip hop group there. And people still point out and remember where they’ve seen us. We have to be mature enough to make the proper decisions to where it benefits us and keeps us going."

THE ALBUM 'FEEDBACK' WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH INTERSCOPE ON JULY 25TH