Combining old-school rhyming with soulful beats, the Washington, D.C., duo Panacea have drawn comparisons to revered hip-hoppers like the Roots, Gang Starr, and A Tribe Called Quest. Producer K-Murdock was born and raised in D.C. and had worked with R&B singers Bilal and Raheem DeVaughn before hooking up with Philadelphia MC Raw Poetic. With Poetic's easygoing flow fitting perfectly over Murdock's soulful beats, the two decided to become a team. When Poetic made the move to D.C., Panacea was born and in 2003 they announced their arrival with the debut EP Thinking Back, Looking Forward on the Los Angeles-based Glow-in-the-Dark label. In late 2005, Glow-in-the-Dark announced they had signed a deal to co-release the duo's first full-length with the cutting-edge Rawkus label. Ink Is My Drink landed a year later, with "Starlite" as its leadoff single. ~ David Jeffries