In the 1990s, Levine and McCollum were both members of the Philosopher Kings, a Canadian R&B band. After a physical altercation between them, they attempted to smooth things over by writing music together. While on a European tour with the Kings, the two created a comedic song titled "Europa" in which they sang in a British accent. The song did not fit in with the music produced by the Philosopher Kings, but the band's record company, Sony Canada, approved of it so the two set aside their differences and created Prozzäk in 1998. The band name was inspired by the drug Prozac.