Flying visit by hip-hop crew Jurassic 5

Critically acclaimed Californian hip-hop crew Jurassic 5 are returning for two New Zealand dates after giving local rap star Scribe a leg-up in Australia.

The Los Angeles band, which played at Auckland's Big Day Out in 2002, has Scribe as the support act for three concerts in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth before having him open their two New Zealand shows.

The outfit performs at Auckland's St James on Sunday, August 1 and at Wellington's Starlight Ballroom on Tuesday, August 3.

Jurassic 5 - or J5 - head here straight out of the studio where they have been working on their third album following Quality Control and Power In Numbers which both won praise for a back-to-basics approach to hip-hop and musical and lyrical creativity.

Tickets for the shows go on sale on Monday.