Stefon Alexander, better known by his stage name; P.O.S. is an American rapper signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment and a founding member of Doomtree.
Biography
Naming
P.O.S. began as a punk rock musician. In high school, Alexander and his friends played punk shows in a band called "Om," in which he first came to be referred to as "Pissed Off Stef." The abbreviation has taken on various and indefinite meanings including, "Product of Society," "Promise of Stress," "Promise of Skill," "Plain Ole Stefon," and "Piece of Shit."
Entering rap
He is from Minneapolis. At first hostile to hip-hop, Alexander soon decided that rap was an alternative, valid method of expression. He began creating music that was increasingly influenced by the genre, despite having very little respect for mainstream rap.
In 2001 P.O.S., alongside rapper Syst (short for system) and DJ Anomaly (Jason Heinrichs) existed as a short-lived hip-hop group called Cenospecies. They stayed together long enough to put out an album titled Indefinition (2002). The group won the award for Best Band to Break Up in the Past 12 Months in the year-end issue of The City Pages
Doomtree
P.O.S. is a founding member of the Doomtree Collective, a nine member group of MCs, Producers, and DJs. His First EPs (Dubbed "False Hopes") and debut album, Ipecac Neat were originally released exclusively through Doomtree. The album caught the attention of Rhymesayers Entertainment, who in 2004 signed him and re-released the album. Since that point, his solo albums have been jointly released By Doomtree and Rhymesayers.
In January 2006, his sophomore record, "Audition" was released, raising his profile nationally. Since then, he has mainly focused on Doomtree associated projects; in 2007 the whole collective released a False Hopes, and in 2008 the group released its self-titled Debut Album. Shows throughout Minneapolis and the country are usually supported by other members of the collective.
In February 2009 he released the much anticipated follow-up to "Audition." The album, titled "Never Better", was released with a unique form of album art. The liner notes, which include six transparent slides, can be rearranged to put the listeners own personal touch on the cover and backing art. The first single, "Drumroll", which also had a video premiere on MTV U, was received well among college and alternative radio alike.
Style
P.O.S. retains his punk rock influence in songs like "Kidney Thief", which contains a sample from "Out of Reach" by the now defunct band Baxter, and "De La Souls", which contains a sample from "Argyle" by the punk band The Bouncing Souls, but his music cannot easily be labeled. He has described his music as "rap to skateboard to". Using raw drum loops, punk rock bass guitar riffs and sharp wordplay, Alexander has crafted a style that is largely his own. In such songs as Kicking Knowledge in the Face, he rails against those "mainstream" rappers who obsess over material wealth.
Shows
P.O.S. often plays local shows throughout Minnesota, and occasionally tours the country with some of the Rhymesayers. In promotion of his first solo album, Ipecac Neat, P.O.S. toured across the United States and Canada with DJ Turbo Nemesis, Mac Lethal, and Sims; he also regularly gives thanks to his Irish friend Patrick O'Sullivan, whom it is said was the inspiration behind the name. In 2007, P.O.S. accidentally opened for Gym Class Heroes on The Darryl Hall for President Tour. P.O.S is also been about of the 2006 and 2007 Warped Tours. In 2007, he was scheduled to play every date on the tour. In Fall 2008, P.O.S joined Underoath on tour, an artist he'd previously sampled on the track "POS is Ruining My Life". The release of his new album coincided with the "Never Better Tour" which is currently taking P.O.S. along with some of the Doomtree crew on a twenty city tour, culminating in a homecoming show at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN. In early 2009 P.O.S. was on tour with Atmosphere and Attracted to the Gods on the "When God Gives You Ugly Tour." In the summer of 2009, P.O.S. is scheduled to play the entire Warped Tour on the Hurley.com stage. On the Calgary date of the 2009 Warped tour, P.O.S. filled in for Timothy McTague of Underoath on guitar. In the fall of 2009 P.O.S. will tour as direct support for Bad Brains on the West Cost. In 2009 he also supported The King Blues on their tour.
Other projects
Alexander is a vocalist and guitarist in the punk band Building Better Bombs. He was also in a band called Cenospecies with fellow Minneapolis natives Syst (short for System) and DJ Anomaly (Jason Heinrichs). They formed in 2001 and released an album called Indefinition in 2002. The group disbanded shortly after the release of the album.
Discography
Albums
Singles
- "Half Cocked Concepts" (2005)
- "Bleeding Hearts Club" (2006)
- "P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life" (2006)
- "Goodbye" (2009)
- "Drumroll (We're All Thirsty)" (2009)
- "Optimist (We Are Not For Them)" (2009)
- "Purexed" (2009)
External links
References
