Audio Panacea
The Scenic Route

MP3: Let's talk about the new record, The Scenic Route, real dope. I'm feeling it a lot. I mean, I liked the [last album] Ink is My Drink, but I think that to me at least, listening to it, it sounds like your sound is progressing and there's more stuff going on. What can you tell us about it? Raw Poetic: Yeah. So we're always trying to expand the sound and stuff and definitely stepped it up. Moe says that's the signature—you know, the faster switches and stuff that he does, which is pretty cool, but it was also an incorporation of just adding a lot of band, drums and voice and live instruments with the album as well to just give it a brighter sound that we were looking for and just to give more of the element of what we do live, too. Because you guys tour with a full band, right? Yeah, it's a full band. You know, my band, RPM, Restoring Poetry in Music, we all been together now for like five years. And then of course me and Kyle met up and we branched off. I mean, it's all just one big family when it comes to making music. So how would you say the new album compares to the last one? K-Murdock: The difference is that this one is obviously more conceptual. I say it has two meanings to it. Like, you can take it for the superficial aspect of it and just listen and probably not pick up on the subtleties of the story and what's being told, like the progression of the story, not only alone with the progression of us as artists, like, with Jason's lyricism and me as a producer. I don't even like saying beat maker because I don't really feel like I'm making beats any more. They're more like arrangements.

And then you have the level of it, the conceptual level, that you could take it maybe similar to like Andre's The Love Below where I know when that album came out there was a lot of speculation on whether that was a story in itself. It was almost like a soundtrack, too. I actually believe it was positioned to be a soundtrack too, like a DVD or something. So there's the conceptual level of it and there's the superficial level of it. And you can take it for what it is just depending on what kind of listener you are. So that way there's something for everybody.

As far as the progression, I alluded earlier to I definitely think Jason stepped up and showed out as far as the fact that he basically wrote a story but it's not too didactic and preachy in the sense of like—you know, it's not like hitting you over the head like bam, this is a story, where some records can do that. And that's cool. We try to be a little bit more abstract like on some Pink Floyd, Flaming Lips type s***. So basically for people that might not be up on your guys yet, can you give us just a little background? Yeah, I'm originally from Philadelphia. I moved to Virginia when I was younger. Doc, he's from Maryland and he lives in D.C. now. So that's kind of the mix right there is Virginia, D.C. And we met up. I was in RPM. Kyle was producing for various artists like W. Ellington Felton and then Raheem DeVaughn. And through a coworker we met up. We started doing tracks together. He joined the band. Me and him ended up doing our own thing, which is Panacea, which was a relaunch of something that he used to do back in the day with some other people. And the rest is history from that point, as they say. Nice. And then you guys put out a record before Ink is My Drink, like an unreleased type of joint, right? Yeah, yeah, Thinking Back, Looking Forward, that was the joint before Ink is My Drink. You know, we did that album in like a month. We were excited to be making music because it was like, "F*** it. Let's just go forward and do an album," and that just kind of led up to everything else that we do today. And this is sort of a co-release between Glow-in-the-Dark and Rawkus, right? Yep. Was the last album through Rawkus? The last record was through Rawkus as well, too. Originally everything was printed up, like, literally everything was printed up about the record. But basically at the last minute Rawkus came and got down with it. I mean, literally to the point that we were ready to put it out ourselves and everything and the next thing you know Rawkus stepped up with the deal and, late last summer, and then we wound up still making the fall release. In reality, I had to push it back by like another month or two so we could put the razorblade [Rawkus logo] on the back of it and it all worked out. But yeah, that was our first joint release with them and then this one will be the second. And then after that it's back to the negotiations table. How has that been working with them? I mean, obviously those guys have a huge history of putting out classic stuff, but then they were sort of the DL for a while, and now between you guys, Kidz in the Hall, and a lot of other groups, it seems like they're trying to come back. Have they treated you well and is everything working out with them so far? Well I mean, to be honest with you, it's a lot different. I don't know—I mean, the only thing I've heard from the past artists that I've been fortunate enough to talk to, from Kweli to Pharoahe to the Beatminerz, Hi-Tek, is that it seems like they were a little bit, Brian and Jared, being the people I'm speaking of because those are the guys who started Rawkus. It was maybe a little bit more hands-on back then because it was more starting out. Now on the label it's somewhat a second incarnation. They are almost more or less a distributor. Like I have probably more of a personal report with Jared than Raw P and I don't really talk to Brian that much. I've had like maybe one phone conference call with him. So they kind of play the back and really just sign the checks and that's about it. Our dealing when it comes to a label has been with Jaysonic at Glow-in-the-Dark. So when does the album drop? September 4th. And are you guys going to be doing a big tour to support it or what? We're working on it, key word, 'working' on it. We've been frantically trying to put some stuff together. Right now the biggest thing to come up is that we'll probably have a show, Lord willing, if we can get our drummer situation correct, on the actual day of the release in New York at the Knitting Factory so all the people up in NY who happen to check this out on MP3.com come out and support. We'll be performing with a label mate and actually a good friend of mine who has a crazy record dropping on Rawkus too, Hezekiah, and he has an album coming out called I Predict a Riot. It's crazy. I got a sneak peak of it a few months ago and I'm really excited because honestly all the stuff I have heard off Rawkus from Blue Scholars to Mr. J from the Procussions, the releases are thorough. Right on man. I also wanted to touch on just sort of the state of hip-hop and both from like a musical, sonic, standpoint and also lyrically. It's been pretty—you know, at least the mainstream stuff or whatever—just when you think it can't get any more vacant, the bar continues to get lower. Do you guys ever worry that, lyrically and musically, you might be a little over the heads of the general public out there? Or do you just focus on doing you and not really trip about that? I think we focus on just doing the music that we do, man. I mean, it's been a long road leading up to this point. And I don't know, man, mainstream I just really, at this point I don't really care what they do. I don't care about how ignorant and stupid they want to be. I don't care about whatever bitch want to get up in the club and take off all her clothes and dance to a joint about booty shaking. You know, like, the hell with you. I don't give a s*** about you. I'm just doing what I do. That's what up. And you don't have to listen to my s*** either. You can be like, "I don't want hear that spacey, tripped-out, Alice in Wonderland bulls*** rap." You know, it's like all right, cool. I mean, yeah, just to take it back off Raw P's candid comments, [laughs] damn somebody mad, man! [laughs] I mean, damn, I don't even know how to follow up. I think there's a variety out there but the problem is you don't see a lot of it. I mean, that's the one thing it seems like has become the topic of all conversation when it comes to like the state of hip-hop, is hip-hop dead, all this stuff. It seems like the equalizer that everyone keeps coming back to is there needs to be balance where when there used to be balance you could have the people who were in the gangster rap like not really caring about the people in some more like the conscious or like Tribe Called Quest, De La stuff because it was out there and it was visible and it was like—there was a wide array of it. Now it's like you only feel like you get a certain kind of hip-hop. So there just needs to be more balance out there. There needs to be able to have some Panacea on some radio right next to some of the other artists. I mean, I don't want to get into anyone specific. But if that happened I feel like you would have probably less people complaining, you know. Right. And just to go along with that, you know, I ain't on the tip of like name dropping and calling out whoever is doing what, I mean, if they're getting their money, I'm glad to see any brother out there trying to make an honest living, you know what I mean. Word up. Do your thing. You know, if anything, I mean, the finger to point out is not even the artists, it's not even the people who's making that beat. It's the labels. I mean a lot of these dudes are talented, you know what I'm saying, but they're trying to get money and there's nothing wrong with that, man. It's the labels, man. Labels don't want to put out stuff and then when you do have stuff that actually says something in the music, the label is like, "Well I'm not in the business of trying to sell that," you know what I mean. Right, right. They're like, "We don't hear a single," or whatever. Right! Yeah, so I don't want to see these brothers die out. I want to see them keep getting their money and getting the bitch getting naked in the club and this and that. I like it when the bitches shake their ass too. But the thing is, what I want to see die out is just those kind of labels that promote that, that promote nothing but sex and violence within the community and stuff. That's what I would like to see die out. So if I do sound bitter, it's more towards that then the actual artists. [laughs] Word up. So I know you're in the studio now. Are you already working on the next project or are you just taking time to push this one or are you just constantly recording or what? All of the above, basically. All right, just to lay it out there for the fans who want to hear more just to let you all know we are on our grind. Beginning in August we will be mixing down the next record, which won't even come out to 2008. That's done. That's crazy. If you through Scenic Route was dope, this one is just on another level, too, but not too far away that people who enjoyed the first two releases won't get into this. It's just another progression of Panacea.

Then me and Raw P are getting ready to do another conceptual record. I don't even want to tell the title yet, but that won't even come out until maybe 2009. But we're working on that now and we're actually reaching out—this will be maybe the first album we have some maybe known features on it. Like, I'm reaching out to Insight from Boston, maybe even talking to someone like Mr. J from the Procussions, you know, trying to do something with more label mix stuff. But none of that is squared away. So right now, like I said, we're just talking. So I don't want to get anyone too hyped. But we're already working on the album for 2009. And then we've got a crap load of side projects that you can find out more on our web site. So I don't even want to start going through that list. You'll need another like ten minutes. Excellent. But we've got product for the people, man. Just stay with us, man. We promise we'll keep you guys laced with stuff, good stuff too, man. Cool. So I also wanted to ask, and this is something that I ask everybody that I interview whether it's multiplatinum megastar type cats or indie dudes like yourselves that's doing it and on the grind making it happen. Nowadays everybody wants to rap. Everybody is like, "Oh, yeah, I'm a rapper. I'm a producer, blah, blah, blah." Everybody's got their own label or trying to be a mogul or whatever. I mean, you're not millionaire superstars, but you're doing your thing, you're putting out good music on a consistent basis. What advice would you give for the kids out there that are trying to get their foot in the door and trying to just put out a record, that's all that they want to do but don't really know how to go about that or whatever? Well I would say don't put out a record out of excitement. Master your craft first before you put out the music, you know what I mean, because it's a harsh world out there. And no matter how good you get, people are always going to have some s*** to say about you. So master your craft first and then after that, if you do start to get some success off of it and whatnot, I mean, it's an industry that is built off of tearing people apart, you've got to make sure you stay close with the people that you came up with, man, because those are the same people that are going to be there for you at the end, you know what I mean. Word up. So it's very cliche and old school to say but, I mean, it's just true, man, you know what I mean. Cliche is a build off the truth for a lot of them. Right. And you just see it, man, you just always got to stick with your people, regardless, I mean, even it seems like the hard thing to do when everybody in the industry is mad at you about it. I mean, you do that and at least you can walk home with your dignity at the end of the day. Word up. And I'll say, man, like, this day and age is crazier than ever. Ten years ago you couldn't have some the things you have now, people making albums now that could just basically be sold in major retail stores that they basically did off their laptops. So it's amazing. Like with the technology, though, comes responsibility and people got to realize not everyone is made out to be a rapper, not everyone is made to be a producer. I mean, that's just the reality of it all. I mean, far be it for me to sit up here like I'm on the throne saying it but I would know at this point enough to—I've put enough time in this to know—and I have enough people believing in the music I make that I think—I do feel like, yo, I am a legitimate producer. Whereas, maybe a few years ago when I was still getting into and still getting my chops up on the MPC, you know, that was to be questioned.

So I would just say we need people to do a variety of things in this world. So if music making is not—you're realizing that's not your thing or you're not getting the response that you think, then try another craft. There's something out there for everybody, you just got to find it. And I will say, too, like Raw P said, you've got to master the craft and put your time into it and I mean that's really about it, man. Just put your time into it and if this is what you believe in your heart you should be doing then try as much as you can. But at the end of the day you've really got to ask yourself, like, are you making any strides and are you really progressing in it because that's really the thing that will let you know if it is for you or if it isn't. No doubt. So where can people find you guys? Are you still colorfulstorms.com, is that the web site still? Yeah, yeah. I mean, that's still up. Honestly I can't even tell you the last time we updated it. It's so funny because we spent a lot of time and money on that site and big ups to the man, Dan, who made that joint happen, man. I forgot where Dan hails from but I think he's from New Zealand, this cat, Dan, who made the page and he did an awesome job. I think the page layout is actually a little bit ahead of its time. But I mean, it's like right when we made it myspace was really kicking into overdrive so that's kind of really become our hub for everything Panacea is our MySpace page. And then there are—you know, me and Raw P have solo pages. Everyone and our friends are there, so people we really know, unlike some people who put like, you know, these random friends but so if you want to find more about the people we make music with and are just cool with, check our friends list too and leave a message, man. And I actually try to reply as much as I can to the messages on there because there's something to be said with being about to reach out and talk to literally your fan base. That's something that you really haven't been able to have the chance to do before myspace, you know. Absolutely, man. So it's super important. Right on. So do you guys got any last words for the people that's going to be checking this? September 4th, man, please just check it out, man. That's all I say, man. If you really want some good music and a fun experience and we put a lot of time and effort into this and I think if you buy a record you won't be disappointed. And just keep checking for us. We plan on making music until we can't make music anymore, you know. Right on. Well thanks for taking the time to do this, you guys. I appreciate it. And congratulations again on the album. I'm definitely digging it and I'm pretty jaded, you know what I mean. You guys are onto something that sounds real good. Word up. I'll check for you the next time you're out in the Bay and good luck with everything. Thank you, man. Thank you. All right. Take it easy, fellas. Have a good one. You too, man. Peace.