P.O.S.: Never Better
[Rhymesayers]
[xrr rating= 4.8/5]
Reviewed by: Christian Hagen
Thanks mostly to the careful and talented hands of label Rhymesayers Entertainment, Minneapolis has quietly established itself as one of the nation’s best and brightest sources of independent hip-hop. This movement has mostly been lead by well-known (and well-respected) artists like Atmosphere and Brother Ali.
But now, with his third full-length album Never Better, the punk-influenced P.O.S. has crafted what may be the label’s magnum opus, a masterpiece of intensity and social conscience spit through a flow that is vibrant and powerful without being incomprehensible, rude, or, most importantly, unsympathetic.
P.O.S., real name Stefon Alexander, is a unique beast of music, a rapper raised and active in the punk rock scene, member of hardcore bands like Building Better Bombs and also a founder of hip-hop outfit Doomtree. He is the synthesis of his environment and his influences, focusing heavily on beats and lyrics, but utilizing the power of shouting gang vocals and electric guitars to emphasize his emotions. At times, the songs are heavy, like the furious chorus of “Purexed” or the bombast of “Drumroll”, easily the album’s highlight. The song begins with a breathless beat, shot through by a distorted guitar that carries the listener through a hellish, jagged soundscape, until the collected voice of the MC in question brings everything into a calm focus.
Previous P.O.S. releases have hinted at a raging inferno in the heart of the man himself, but with his newest album, he’s really let the fire spread, burning through every track and melting anyone foolish enough to be caught in the way. His aggression empowers, rather than belies, his intelligence. He gives himself a soapbox the size of a skyscraper, and he shouts down the flock of average men in a way that is focused and revelatory.
When he invites friends along for the ride, as on the fist-pumping “Low Light Low Life”, P.O.S. doesn’t merely hold his own; he asserts himself, and manages to rise on the updraft of their talents like a bird on the wind, always soaring without making his guest stars seem slighted or marginalized.
It’s so refreshing that, while Lil’ Wayne’s creative but messy flow and Kanye West’s compositional but mostly thoughtless prowess boost so many unimaginative artists onto the summit of the Top 40, there are still musicians as inventive and moving as Stefon Alexander, pseudonym P.O.S., who reminds us that artists are not the genres they are pushed into, nor are they all the flat corporate mannequins made to imitate talented people.
In short, Never Better sounds like a revelation, and if it is, then P.O.S. is the prophet of a new generation. Listen for yourself, and believe.
This post previously appeared on Pajiba.