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Life & Arts

Panacea spin hip-hop with 'Ink is My Drink'

by DANTE EGLIN
THE DAILY COUGAR

In the late 1990s, independent hip-hop record label Rawkus Records received extensive exposure and flourished within the rap scene, bringing to the limelight several then-underground artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common and Pharoahe Monch. Socially conscious hip-hop gained momentum, fueled by Rawkus-backed compilations such as The Lyricist Lounge, which also had a worldwide tour and inspired the MTV sketch show The Lyricist Lounge Show. 

Founders Brian Brater and Jarret Myerin were forced to close shop in January 2004, after creative differences between the label and Geffen Records, which had sought a more mainstream target approach after acquiring Rawkus from MCA Records in 2002. After inking a new circulation deal this year with RED Distribution, an independent branch of Sony BMG Music and the leading "indie" distributor in the United States, Rawkus is on track to resurrect the underground hip-hop movement.

It is fitting, then, that the label is home to the debut album Ink is My Drink from Panacea, a duo consisting of producer K-Murdoch and emcee Raw Poetic. The group, originally from Washington, D.C., follows the successful formula created by The Roots, utilizing a live band to produce a smooth, fluid debut LP that massages ears with socially conscious, intuitive grooves.

Having produced for r&b talents along the likes of Raheem DeVaughn, W. Ellington Felton, and Bilal Salaam, K-Murdoch layers Ink is My Drink with funk horns, orchestral strings, and eclectic guitars that create a continuous soundtrack for Raw Poetic to step up to his lyrical podium, weaving short-stories about life, love and hip-hop culture.

Indeed, Ink is My Drink more fittingly is described as a soundtrack, rather than simply as an album, as K-Murdoch’s soundscapes recreate the underground D.C. vibe, while Raw Poetic’s allegories drive home his points without the side effect of overly hammering the listener.

While Panacea has been described as following in the steps of A Tribe Called Quest or De La Soul, the distinct chemistry between K-Murdoch’s production and Raw Poetic’s urban libretto more resembles a duo such as GangStarr or the perhaps the successful combo of producer Pete Rock and emcee CL Smooth.

Such chemistry allows for Ink is My Drink to strap listeners in for a rhythmic journey similar to 2004’s Connected, the soulful collaboration between producer Nicolay and rapper Phonte, a duo collectively known as "The Foreign Exchange". 

A mini-excursion in itself, the opening track, "Trip of the Century" shifts through a various loop of sounds all within three minutes. Launching with a 1970s inspired soul groove, the track quickly bursts into a rapid percussion loop highlighted by loud horns before settling back into a funk-inspired outro.

Relationship struggles are tackled on "Coulda Woulda Shoulda", while doubters and naysayers are handled on "Reel Me In". Raw Poetic preaches morality lessons on "Steel Kites" when he lectures, "Before you pick up guns.../ Pick another product to sell / Pick up your people like fam when they not doing well / Like mothers at funerals when they going through hell."

On the infectious, saxophone-laced "Pulse", he introspects about the thumping heart of the streets. "But love makes a march like a month when it starts / And you march to the rhythm of the heart / To the pulse, to the beat to the street / To the movie as a child / And find that you even got a style that is wild / Flourishing through nourishment / following your purpose is the pulse so these ideas I never circumvent."

In the mold shaped by the introductory track, "Starlite", the final track, returns to the dreamy, mystical mood of the intro track, with a spacey, above-the-clouds melody echoed by a subway train clicking down a railway. K-Murdoch launches an upbeat drum break that Raw Poetic leaps on, ripping the track with a rapid-fire performance that brings the album to a conclusion that serves to leave even the most devoted backpacker fan jaded with bliss.

While the elegant, magnetic beats provide consistency, at times K-Murdoch’s transitions often have a stiff segue between tracks. Though he impressively handles his content and thematic range, Raw Poetic often fails to switch up his cadence and verbal patterns, leading at times to a stagnant delivery of keen lyrics.

At slightly over 47 minutes, the album’s brevity is a slight detractor, yet also a welcome change of pace from the formulaic filler approach of two or three skits, radio/club single, for-the-ladies cut, and requisite "for all the dead homies" track. Nevertheless, Ink is My Drink stands as a significant player in Rawkus’ resurrection of the indie rap pastures.

It is only fitting then that the group’s name defined is a supposed cure to disease or solution to dilemmas. Ink is My Drink stands as an exemplary prototype to return socially conscious and culturally refreshed music to the forefront of the hip-hop scene.

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