Vocalist Pete Philly and producer/instrumentalist Perquisite met up for the first time in 2002 in Amsterdam, where both were living. Perquisite, who also ran the Dutch indie now jazz/hip-hop label Unexpected Records, liked what he heard in the Aruba-born singer and rapper, and by the next year the duo had issued its first EP, MindState. In 2005 it was followed by a full-length European release, including a guest appearance from Talib Kweli. In 2006, MindState came out in North America and Australia.