Before ever recording their own music together The Palmer Squares were listening to artists such as Talib Kweli Big L Heiroglyphics Typical Cats and The Roots. However while Acumental’s introduction to hip-hop came at age nine (upon witnessing the world premeire video for “Triumph” by The Wu Tang Clan) it wasn’t until years later that TK identified with the genre. “Personally MF Doom was the first rapper I ever heard that made me want to write my own material” he recalls. Term also credits Bob Dylan as one of his primary inspirations.

During their high school tenure the two emcees-to-be considered the majority of commercial “hip-hop” music to be laughably banal and were stupefied by the admiration their peers displayed towards it. Not respecting the same lyrical content as their pseudo-friends The Palmer Squares sought after a more inventive style even if it meant creating one all their own.