“I don’t expect people to be going around thinking we’re happy free people or teletubbies. The stuff you hear in our music is very reflective of how we feel, we’re just showing we’re human.” K-Murdock

This Final Fantasy playing, melodic, harmonic, storytelling group comprised of producer K-Murdock (Kyle Murdock) from Silver Spring, Maryland and Raw Poetic (Jason Moore) from Virginia by way of Philadelphia are here to represent everything hip hop is not, ironically it’s still hip hop. From a mutual friend whose name will be mentioned later in this interview (many times) brought together Panacea which is greek meaning the cure all; this is exactly what they are trying to do. Not necessarily cure hip hop but for the individuals who would go insane if there were no music in the world and need something to get him/her through on a daily basis this is the crew. Their latest work entitled the Scenic Route is a story themed album. It’s almost like playing a game of Final Fantasy and each track strategically interwoven is a new level that gets more complex but it’s a good mental exercise. Raw Poetic the emcee of the crew likes to write scripts, yes I said scripts for they’re albums all you have to do is sit back and listen closely.

Scheme: How did Panacea become Panacea?

K-Murdock: Panacea originally when I was entering my senior year at Howard University. There was five of us in Panacea, I was sharing production duty with Steve Cooper aka the Gray Kid whose out in Cali doing his thing. The Gray Kid also rhymed along with Teddy and my roommates at the time DJ Marshall Law who spins for another local group called Critically Acclaimed (shout out to Low Budget) and Leon aka Dialect who was a nasty emcee from Brooklyn. At the time we did a demo called the Tonic and we were playing off the Panacea remedy thing because the Tonic is like a remedy or cure. It got to the guy who later would found Babygrande Records Chuck Wilson, he heard it and was interested in putting us out but unfortunately the Gray Kid decided that he didn’t want to do hip hop anymore and after summers of recording he decided he was going back to UVA in the fall. So it all dissolved and I felt really bad, I came up with the title Panacea which is a Greek rooted word and means a cure all for anything and in this case Panacea is the remedy for anything your going through. In 2003 I met Raw-Poetic through mutual friends Korey Bartholomew who if we don’t shout out gets mad because he is the reason we met (laughs). I gave Jason a beat cd with 10 beats and the one joint I thought he would never want winded up being the first song back in 2003 which was Bird Feather, that was on Thinking Back Looking Foward which came out a year later and from there we fell in sink. I think it was after our third or fourth song I was like what would you think about doing a little side project group and we’ve been rolling four years since.

Scheme: Where do you get your sound from because it sounds very California?

K-Murdock: Describe what you mean by that?

Scheme: What I mean is I think of Jurassic Five but when Raw Poetic is rhyming I don’t think of Jurassic Five. Not trying to box you in but your sound, sounds like it came from Cali because east coast is very procession heavy and the west coast is laid back and you’re beats are very melodic, harmonic and light. So coming from Silver Spring, Maryland how did that develop?

K-Murdock: It all roots back to A Tribe Called Quest which I have the midnight marauder tattooed on my arm. I was a big Tribe fan and my cousin put me on to them in 91 and it changed my life. Low End Theory is like the blueprint album for me and I was honestly listening to verses from the Abstract this morning and I always get mad when I can’t recite it line for line all the way down to the adlibs, 16 years later to me that’s one of the greatest albums all time in music. Tribe is east coast and the cool thing about Tribe was they did have a very colorful sound but they always made sure that they’re drums always knocked which is one thing I’m still working on. The Scenic Route compared to the first album the public really knew about Ink to My Drink, there’s a lot more boom-bap on the Scenic Route it’s a lot more melody laded and that comes from the fact that I grew up on Pete Rock and DJ Premier but to be honest with you I’ve never been really good at coming up with the ill loops to sustain with the hard-knocking drums. I’ve always been a fan of arrangement. So the stuff I used to want to come up with when I was 18 or 19 I’m at the age of 28 where I can do that stuff now and I listen to more arrangers and producers now like Quincy Jones and this Ryuichi Sakamoto because he just ran the gamit as far as sounds go with this group from the 70’s called Yellow Magic Orchestra. That’s what I’m into but at the same time courtesy of Raw Poetic I’ve been exposed to Pink Floyd and a lot of rock to so on the Scenic Route and you’ll hear that blend. When it comes to the melodic tip I’m more of a chill kind of dude. I’m definitely trying to make the drums knock because everyone says it ain’t hip hop if the drums don’t knock but I’m very much and east coast dude who had a predilection for melody.

Scheme: How much of your lyricism, delivery and speed comes from Philly and how much of it stems from Virginia?

Raw Poetic: I think a lot of it is coincidence (laughs). I grew up rapping with my cousins in Philly. I remember back in the day when I was writing rhymes with Point Black who is from Philly as well we we’re always to rap about things that other people don’t talk about and that’s still the main focus. Even now when I do tracks some of the newer stuff we’re like two albums beyond what we’re working with right now. Now it’s like I have the idea and I write the whole script out for the album and then I start listening to the style of the beats but…

“For me to write a rhyme ain’t nothing, I like when I have to sit down for two or three months and I know when I get because I call up K-Murdock and let him know.”

Scheme: Wait let me pause, not that I’ve been interviewing for years but you just said you write the whole script for the album.

Raw Poetic: (Laughs) I mean doing that other stuff is boring for me, it just seems like everyone is looking for the hot producers and now it’s like featuring producers. We write stories here, he does it with the beats and I do it with the rhymes. For me to write a rhyme ain’t nothing, I like when I have to sit down for two or three months and I know when I get because I call up K-Murdock and let him know. From there when I do the something and it’s something I can’t go to far off then I can bury the story under a bunch of different metaphors because I hate similies and that’s how I craft the songs right now.

Scheme: How did you guys both end up at XM Radio working? I would assume that must be interesting working at a radio station while producing your music as well, what’s that balance like?

Raw Poetic: For me I work on women’s programming. A HOT97 or a PGC I couldn’t work for something like that. I went to a broadcasting school before I went to college and once I saw what fm radio was about I was totally turned off by it I never wanted to touch radio again until something like this came about. It’s been a cool experience and it definitely helps with recording.

K-Murdock: I do production here at XM and I also host a show here called Subsoniq with my co-host who we mentioned earlier K.B. and I’ve always been more technical. I’m actually like a second generation radio person. My uncle started the Quiet Storm format at WHUR, the late Melvin Lindsey and I purposely grew up in his shadow because he’s someone I wanted to emulate. While I was hosting my own campus radio show at Howard (University) and interning at PGC my professor pushed me into getting here and I’ve been here for six years and I would’ve never met K.B. which would’ve lead me to Jason so all this stuff would’ve never happened. The cool thing is we work here but when we’re off the clock it turns into the Panacea Neo Sonic (which is my label) studio and I have all access and it’s cool because we’re very self sufficient. Even the people who are guests on our record we don’t pay them anything. My man Raheem DeVaughn did a track with us because of all the stuff I’ve done independently with him over the years and we get our bandmates which are bass, keyboard and guitar. The reason Jason and I get along is because we’re both workhorses and we love to record.

“I remember saying something to somebody we know and I was telling him an idea I had and he was like, “Wow that’s not hip hop.”, and I was like, “What the f*ck is?” That was really the only thing I could say back to him. It’s me and if I’m apart of hip hop it’s hip hop but if I’m not then f*ck it!”

Scheme: Where do you want to be when you are self-sustained? If this is hip hop where do you want to be in that?

Raw Poetic: If this is hip hop I want to be over here. I want to develop a cult and just make musical novels. I think that whole thing called hip hop is just going around in circles, which is what music does but every couple of years it needs to break out of it…I hope.

“…you have to appreciate people like Questlove who is a music nerd. We need more of those in hip hop because there are a lot of people who don’t know sh*t and are making music.”

Scheme: Coming from XM radio where your exposed to every type of music, where other people don’t really have a choice and are forced to listen to what is given to them. What is that like seeing that from the outside in?

Raw Poetic: I think the thing that is frustrating about it is that when you look at the definition of something like hip hop which is so loosely defined these days. It was the whole thing about breaking out of the norm and making something out of nothing. I remember saying something to somebody we know and I was telling him an idea I had and he was like, “Wow that’s not hip hop.”, and I was like, “What the f*ck is?” That was really the only thing I could say back to him. It’s me and if I’m apart of hip hop it’s hip hop but if I’m not then f*ck it! In that way I get frustrated because it’s like you have so much to prove nowadays just in order to be a part of hip hop. You want to call us hip hop cool, people see us live and they don’t. We can do the same exact songs on the album but when we do them live and they see the drums, keys and guitars people are like, “that’s not really hip hop that’s something different.” I’m like no it is, it’s just another part of it.

K-Murdock: One thing I will say is when people ask us to define the kind of music we do and this is kind of become the mantra of us and Shaman Work Recordings, we say we’re progressive. We’re that form or sector of music that has spawned out of the original form. The cool thing about being at XM is it’s like being piped into the matrix because my beats wouldn’t sound diverse if I didn’t get exposed to all this music. It’s all hip hop rooted, I’m using and MPC which is like one of the must fundamental tools in hip hop from sampling. I’m trying to do something different and you think people would be appreciative of that but sometimes it’s so left wing for people who are so stuck in the box, they shun it. I want them to embrace it and open their mind to it. Like when an Andre (3000) makes a Love Below or a Common makes a Electric Circus I thought those albums were great! Everyone was like, “Nah yo, I want to hear Resurrection again!” They took chances and I think there are a lot of artists out there who are scared to because they might get dropped from their label. We’re like f*ck it, even if we weren’t signed this is what are going to be doing. It just so happens that we have an outlet to get more exposure and build the name up so even if one day we don’t need a label and people will turn to us the same way they turned to teh Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band; these people who have started in the sect of music and have deviated out. The Princes’ the Michael Jackson’s their all rooted to certain things, but when you think of Michael Jackson you can’t just say pop because he’s fused a lot of stuff in his music and same with anybody whose in the pantheon of these great artists. The same way I thought Tribe was kind of until they disbanded even De La (Soul) even. Even the Roots with the Game Theory album, you have to appreciate people like Questlove who is a music nerd. We need more of those in hip hop because there are a lot of people who don’t know sh*t and are making music.

Scheme: What would you guys be doing if you weren’t making music?

Raw Poetic: I’d be working right here (laughs)! Before I was at the radio station I was a teacher so I think I would be teaching second or third graders. Even if I stopped doing rap and lost my job here that would be the first thing I go back to.

K-Murdock: English was my minor and Jason’s major so when I told me college professors that I was going to pursue a career in radio and mind you my mom worked in the honors department
and they were going up to my mom and telling her Kyle is such a good writer but my mom knew I wanted to do radio obviously. My professors were like, “Don’t you want a real job?” So right when I got the call that I got a job at XM two weeks after I graduated I called. When I was in high school I thought I was going to be a video game developer until I met a lot of Asian kids that were really better than me (laughs) and for the record there happened to be a lot of Asian kids in my class not trying to put out a stereotype.

Scheme: What three albums do you think people need to have in their collection that they may or may not already have?

Raw Poetic: I can’t give you albums but I can give you songs. Lately I’ve been listening to Bob Dylan a lot, I think his lyricism is crazy. I’m surprised I haven’t been into for this long. I listen to a lot of Hendrix, Radiohead, Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Who and all that stuff.

K-Murdock: I listen to a little more hip hop than Jason because I host the show and I have to stay on top of what is going on out there. Like Pharoah Monche’s latest album Desire was pretty good. There’s not anything that’s out now that is so crazy besides our album (shameless plug September 4th). I’m a fan of albums that have stories and have that blend so one album I think everyone should check out is the Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life because that album was incredible and it was a double disc record that no one else was doing and the fact that he did all that stuff at the age of 26. Man at 26 I was trying to pay a mortgage and Stevie Wonder is winning Grammy’s. For a third record it’s gotta be Low End Theory or Midnight Marauders or De La Soul because of the skits, that’s one thing I miss in hip hop is the skits because it brung personality to records.

Scheme: What would you do if there was no music? Like you came into the world and there was no music?

Raw Poetic: I’d be Jesus Christ because I’d be the first one to make it (laughs).

K-Murdock: Can’t really mess with that answer, I’d be one of his disciples happily following.

Scheme: What have you experienced from the industry that has made you want to throw up, for the people who are trying to get in the industry.

Raw Poetic: Soon as I got on a label that’s the brokest I’ve ever been. Big up to Glow in the Dark and big up to Rawkus but honestly I’m not paid like that. When you start dealing with media their like well nobody has to know that, again I just don’t give a sh*t, when I start getting money I’ll say I’m comfortable but until then my mom has bills that need to be paid and she expects them to be paid.

K-Murdock: That’s the thing you have to many people posing and living the façade who only want to take it down when they take it behind private closed doors. I think what people like about me and Jason is that we’re approachable and we’re fans ourselves. When I found out DJ Spinna was going to do a remix off of the new record. I’ve been listening to this dude since 95 when he was remixing Stakes is High and Microphone Masters for Das Efx. We’re average joes, you can be an average joe and be good at something, we realize we have a lot of talent from the music but we realize it comes from regular life living. If we ever get to that point where were so nonchalant about it…

Scheme: Do you ever think you will get to that point? A lot of cats first albums are good because most talk about their realities. For example I just saw a Lil’ Scrappy video and he’s talking about the hood but two weeks ago you were talking about you had money in the bank.

Raw Poetic: That’s where I think a lot of cats fall off is they start off with that block rap. Just like Biggie said, “I have money I can’t be talking about that same stuff now.” First of we’ve being doing this stuff for a minute, any possible chance of me getting big headed has passed. If something does happen I’ll be cool, I will finally have the ability to pay my bills, plus I live in Virginia I can’t really talk about the block and I’m kind of addicted to making up stories now.

K-Murdock: I’d be cool driving my Xterra and paying off my college loans. I’d like to travel via the music with my man Raw P and travel around the world. Any money I make now I just back into and further what I want to do.

Raw Poetic: If I make a lot of money I want to start a turtle farm, I’m so sick of people I just want to start a turtle farm.

K-Murdock: This is a legacy thing because if this was about the money I would’ve stopped a long time ago.