P.O.S. | Minneapolis Punk Rap |

P.O.S is a hip-hop artist. He is also so much more. At age fifteen he started the pioneering punk group Building Better Bombs with a few friends. This early experience gave him underground fame and a solid cult following in the rock world, all the while pursuing his love for hip-hop.

Born Stefon Alexander, P.O.S started a rap group in his hometown of Minneapolis called Doomtree. His roommates were his bandmates, and they included such well-known artists as Cecil Otter, Dessa, and Mike Mictlan. They recorded tracks together on their Doomtree label, building creatively as a collaborative. Eventually P.O.S was signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment, where he continues to put out records beside hip-hop heavyweights like Atmosphere, Brother Ali, and Soul Position.

You can hear these talented influences show through in his songs, just as you can hear those punk rock roots. His music has evolved with every album organically, but you can still hear that anger and frustration frothing out amidst clever lyrics and breakneck beats. He finds inspiration from a world of sources and the mic skills are top-notch. There are few artists out there as passionate or innovative as he is, and that is precisely why his work needs to be heard and celebrated. Here is the current discography for P.O.S in chronological order, set up like mini-reviews for your perusing:

Ipecac Neat : In 2004, P.O.S released his debut record on Rhymesayers. It was raw and unwieldy as a new talent's first record should be, but it came with surprising substance and maturity. The tracks sprint out the gate with energy and rebel statements. The album really stride in songs like "Thatone," where we hear a heartbroken poet, repeating his haunting chorus: "I'm not waving, I'm drowning." This is visceral rap, testing your preconceived notions about what rap is. It became an instant classic and received very good scores from music critics.

Audition : The sophomore album starts off with thunder; a big track called "Half-Cocked Concepts" that will have you spinning the volume dial up. You can already tell he didn't come to play this time around. P.O.S wrote the majority of this album while on the road touring, and you can feel the hunger. The centerpiece of the record though is a little tune called "De La Souls," which takes heavily from the namesake group's hit, "I Am I Be," only this time there's a minimalist cello beat, and Greg Attonito of The Bouncing Souls chants the chorus. It is an unforgettable piece of music.

Never Better : Third record. Third success. This is by far the most refined album of the three, giving us a glimpse at the most mainstream/ pop-oriented P.O.S yet. But the music doesn't suffer. "Savion Glover" is a wry retort to the plundering and posturing of politicians and celebrities alike. "Purexed" is a jaw-dropping medley of colorful synths and brick-wall bass, and an existential argument about the role our appearances play: "We all sick of the missed shots/ passed over like the last kid picked, no team, so pissed off/ But that's not honesty, that's just soft curves got your world flipped, got you making mix-tapes for girls/"

I highly recommend P.O.S to anyone who likes music with substance. His being signed to Rhymesayers will give you hip-hop heads a decent idea about what he sounds like already, but you'll still be surprised when you give it a listen. You can find him on Youtube, Amazon, and of course at Rhymesayers.