P.O.S built his reputation as an innovator, with an unlikely punk rock past and expressive, honest content. He re-earns the accolades with every release. He manages to capture his charisma on his records; they’re driving and sincere, the dark moments counterbalanced by some giggling banter with the engineer.
As a little kid, Stef developed a fascination with an older cousin’s bass guitar. Stef was allowed to take it home and he banged on it happily for years before realizing that it was intended to be played through an amp. “I just thought it was supposed to be a quiet instrument.” As a teenager, he fell hard for punk rock. Minor Threat, At the Drive-In, Refused, Kid Dynamite. He played in a series of hardcore bands, sometimes as a drummer, sometimes on guitar and vocals. From the start, he preferred basement shows to club gigs. Simultaneously, he pursued hip hop, rapping in the hallways and after school with classmates who would eventually found Doomtree Records. P.O.S released his first rap record, Ipecac Neat, on Doomtree in 2003. Soon it was re-released and widely distributed on Rhymesayers Entertainment. He built on this momentum with the release of the albums Audition (2005) and Never Better (2009).
Like many great rappers, P.O.S creates his own self-contained little microcosm-his characters become familial to us; we get in on his slang and inside jokes. His mother and his son Jacob emerge as familiar personalities. We know his politics too: P.O.S doesn’t hesitate to call out the compounding absurdities of pop culture, either with a little friendly ribbing or with a Molotov cocktail. On Never Better he drops deft one-liners that cut to the quick of America’s stuff-obsessed culture, “Can’t take it with them can they?
Some critics will be eager to categorize P.O.S’ work as a hybrid, a crossover of some kind. But it’s probably not. P.O.S is a rapper with range, he’s a real musician and an unstoppable performer. For him, genres are as they ever were: permeable.
Releases
Ipecac Neat
Audition
Never Better
We Don’t Even Live Here
P.O.S has to cancel his entire fall tour (with the exception of the First Avenue show on 10/26) and has to postpone future tour plans due to his need to have a kidney transplant. Please watch the following video statement from Stef explaining his medical situation.
Stef talking on his kidney transplant & canceling his tour:
All tour ticket refunds will be available at the point of purchase.
Our dude is gonna get a kidney, and get better. We’ll let you know how you can help soon.
UPDATE: In response to the outpouring of concern for our friend Stef, we’ve set up a PayPal account on his behalf. If you’d like to make a donation, you can direct it to: stefneedsanewkidney@gmail.com The money will go straight to him. We’ll be launching a proper campaign soon, but were overrun by a lot of people eager to help now. Thank you. For real. Let’s get this guy patched up.
We Don’t Even Live Here, out October 22nd via Rhymesayers Entertainment, is the fourth solo album from Doomtree co-founder, punk philosopher and lyrical bomb-thrower Stefon Alexander, aka P.O.S. It’s a tight, bombastic record that builds on the Minneapolis-bred rapper and producer’s penchant for grinding beats and radical lyrics. But at the same time, WDELH marks a change — in sound and in attitude.
Known for welding hip-hop with guitar squalls and screamed vocals, on WDELH P.O.S. steps away from his noisy past in favor of futuristic beats fit for a Berlin nightclub. Though his hip-hop foundation is firm on tracks like the fiery “Fuck Your Stuff” and the funky “Wanted/Wasted,” the album brings banging new sounds from dance-oriented collaborators like German DJs Boyz Noise & Housemeister, Gayngs’ Ryan Olson, and Innerpartysystem’s Patric Russel
Also along for the ride are Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon (who lends his shapeshifting vocals to the heartfelt bear-hug of an anthem “Where We Land”) and P.O.S.’ trusted Doomtree co-conspirators Lazerbeak, Cecil Otter, Mike Mictlan, and Sims. Bringing it all into focus is all-star producer and mix engineer Andrew Dawson (P.O.S’s former high school classmate), who has worked on platinum releases from the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and Fun.
Track listing:
1. Bumper [listen // watch // iTunes // Amazon]
2. Fuck Your Stuff [listen // watch // iTunes // Amazon]
3. How We Land feat. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver
4. Wanted/Wasted feat. Astronautalis
5. They Can’t Come feat. Sims
6. Lock-picks, Knives, Bricks and Bats
7. Fire In The Hole/Arrow To The Action
8. Get Down feat. Mike Mictlan
9. All Of It
10. Weird Friends (We Don’t Even Live Here)
11. Piano Hits feat. Isaac Gale of Marijuana Deathsquads
And a big one. The entire Doomtree crew will balance on two axles and make our way around the United States (and a few Canadian cities to boot). More tour dates to be announced soon.
Advance presale tickets for the No Kings tour are on sale right now here. Use the login “doomtree” and password “tickets” to gain access to the presale!
Time: 7:10pm.Admission: $20-$124.Age restrictions: All Ages.Address:1 Twins Way.The Minnesota Twins and 96.3 K-TWIN today announced plans for the Twins Midwest Music Showcase, a series of eight live music events occurring during Twins games at Target Field. Every Wednesday home game from May through August, local bands will perform original songs live from the left field balcony during pregame, inning breaks and pitching changes.Buy tickets
