P.O.S (rapper)

Stefon Alexander, better known by his stage name P.O.S, is an underground hip hop artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota.

He is a founding member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree and is currently signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment. He has also fronted a number of punk rock bands and is currently serving as guitarist and vocalist for Building Better Bombs, as well as vocalist and keyboardist for Marijuana Deathsquads.

Career

Entering rap

In 2001, P.O.S, rapper Syst (short for System) and DJ Anomaly formed a short-lived hip-hop group Cenospecies. They released one album Indefinition in 2002 shortly before breaking up. The group won the award for "Best Band to Break Up in the Past 12 Months" in the year-end issue of City Pages.^[1]

Doomtree

P.O.S is a founding member of Doomtree, a seven-member collective of emcees, producers and DJs. His debut EP Falsehopes with Cecil Otter and first solo 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 Ipecac Neat. Since that point, his albums have been jointly released by both Doomtree and Rhymesayers.

In January 2006, P.O.S's second album, Audition, was released, raising his profile nationally. Since then, he has mainly focused on Doomtree projects. In 2007, the whole collective released a collaborative album False Hopes. In 2008, they released the first official album Doomtree. P.O.S' live shows throughout Minneapolis and the country are usually supported by other members of the collective.

In February 2009, P.O.S released his third album, Never Better. The album came with a unique form of artwork. The liner notes, which include six transparent slides, can be rearranged to put the listener's own personal touch on the cover and backing art. The first single "Drumroll" was received well among college and alternative radio alike.

The fourth album, We Don't Even Live Here, was released in October 2012. "Get Down" features a guest appearance from Mike Mictlan of Doomtree and "Fuck Your Stuff" was produced by Lazerbeak of the collective.^[2] A version of the album remixed by Marijuana Deathsquads was released a year later.

Side projects

P.O.S is a vocalist and guitarist in the punk band Building Better Bombs. They released an album Freak Out Squares on Init Records in 2007.

He is currently a member of Minneapolis indie supergroup Gayngs. The band also features members of Bon Iver, The Rosebuds and Solid Gold. Their first album Relayted was released on Jagjaguwar in 2010.

Members of Marijuana Deathsquads played as P.O.S' backing band at Coachella in 2010, and he frequently joins them for live shows in Minneapolis. Marijuana Deathsquads consists of musicians from Gayngs, as well as Building Better Bombs. Their first album Crazy Master was released in 2011.

P.O.S is also a member of hardcore punk band Wharf Rats. Other members include Chris 2 of Anti-Flag on bass and Wade MacNeil of Gallows on guitar.

Another side project with frequent collaborator Astronautalis - Four Fists - has also been long in the works.^[3] Originally announced as planning to make a record in 2010 the project only slowly came together.^[4] On October 8, 2013 Four Fists' 7" vinyl single was released, featuring the songs "MMMMMHMMMMM" and "Please Go." The band name refers to a short story they both appreciate by F. Scott Fitzgerald, from his first collection Flappers and Philosophers and both songs from the single are inspired by Fitzgerald.^[5]

As of March 30, 2013, P.O.S hosts a weekly program on Minnesota's KCMP: 89.3 The Current. P.O.S. is Ruining The Current airs every Saturday night at 11:00PM. The program features an hour of P.O.S.'s influences and favorite music.^[6]

Personal life

On October 19, 2012, P.O.S had to cancel his first national tour due to health concerns.^[7] In a video posted to YouTube, P.O.S said failing kidneys are to blame for the cancellation: "Both of my kidneys are garbage. They've been going bad since I was a teenager. It's a really inopportune timing, but, now's the time. I need a new kidney." said Alexander. "I had some kind of unidentified trauma when I was 13 or 14, something that triggered scarring in my kidneys. It could've been a bad fall, skateboarding or whatever."^[8] On August 30, 2013, DJ Barb Abney announced on air on the Current that a kidney donor had been found for P.O.S. On March 7, 2016, P.O.S. commemorated the two year anniversary of his kidney transplant with the release of the single "Sleepdrone/Superposition".^[9]

Discography

Albums

• Ipecac Neat (March 16, 2004)
• Audition (January 29, 2006)
• Never Better (February 3, 2009) #106 US Billboard^[10]
• We Don't Even Live Here (October 22, 2012) #47 US Billboard^[11]

EPs

• Falsehopes (2002) (with Cecil Otter)
• False Hopes Mega! (2003) (with Cecil Otter)

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)
• "Crack a Window" (with Big Cats!) from Split 7" with William Elliott Whitmore (2011)
• "Bumper" (2012)
• "Fuck Your Stuff" (2012)
• "Sleepdrone/Superposition" (2016)
• "Wave" (2016)

Remixes

• WDELH/MDS/RMX (October 22, 2013)

Cenospecies

• Indefinition (2002)

Building Better Bombs

• This Is A Gang. All We Need Is A Name (2006)
• Freak Out Squares (2007)

Marijuana Deathsquads

• Crazy Master (2011)
• Tamper. Disable. Destroy (2012)
• The River (2013)
• Music Rocks I & II (2013)
• Oh My Sexy Lord (2013)

Four Fists

• Four Fists (2013)

Doomtree

See Doomtree for complete listing.

Guest appearances

• Heiruspecs - "Commonwealth" from "Small Steps" (2002)
• Negative One - "Pressure" from Less Is More (2004)
• Mel Gibson and the Pants - "Shark Sandwich" from A Mannequin American (2004)
• Ernest Rhodes - "Solid" from The Orbital Effect (2005)
• Sims - "No Homeowners" from Lights Out Paris (2005)
• Mel Gibson and the Pants - "Collars Popped and Loaded" from W/ Guitar (2005)
• Word for Word - "Elevata Music" from Twin Cites or Bust (2006)
• Minus the Bear - "Drilling (P.O.S Redo)" from Interpretaciones del Oso (2007)
• Astronautalis - "The Story of My Life" from Pomegranate (2008)
• The Gigantics - "Mr. Anaya" from Die Already (2008)
• Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak - "Shux" from Hand Over Fist (2008)
• Cecil Otter - "Traveling Dunktank" from Rebel Yellow (2008)
• BK-One with Benzilla - "A Day's Work" from Radio Do Canibal (2009)
• The Returners - "I Promise" from Break Up Your Make Up (2009)
• Prof & St. Paul Slim - "Broadcasting" from Recession Music (2009)
• Approach - "Leads (Hard to Find)" from SweetKnuckleJunction (Season 1) (2010)
• The Let Go - "Nightfall" from Morning Comes (2010)
• Grieves - "War for the Crippled" from The Confessions of Mr. Modest (2010)
• Kristoff Krane - "Don't Mean a Thing" from Picking Flowers Next to Roadkill (2010)
• B. Dolan - "Fall of T.R.O.Y." from Fallen House, Sunken City (2010)
• Dark Time Sunshine - "Primor" from Vessel (2010)
• Dez & Nobs - "Underbelly" from Rocky Dennis (2010)
• Gayngs - "No Sweat" from Relayted (2010)
• Mod Sun - "Keep It Movin'" from The Hippy Hop EP (2010)
• Sims - "Too Much" from Bad Time Zoo (2011)
• Open Mike Eagle - "Why Pianos Break" from Rappers Will Die of Natural Causes (2011)
• Astronautalis - "This Is Our Science" from This Is Our Science (2011)
• K. - "No Goons" from Raphood & Authenticity (Blackened Reissue) (2011)
• Scroobius Pip - "Let 'Em Come" from Distraction Pieces (2011)
• Spyder Baybie Rawdog and 2% Muck - "Knockin' at Your Door" and "Let Me Know" from Now That's What I Call Raw Vol. 2: Poornigraphy (2011)
• Dark Time Sunshine - "Overlordian" from Anx (2012)
• Mike Mictlan - "SYKE!" and "Let Me Know" from Snaxxx (2012)
• Koo Koo Kanga Roo - "Shake It Well feat. P.O.S." from Whoopty Whoop (2014)^[12]
• Play Date - "Ninja Pajamas (feat. P.O.S.)" from WE ALL SHINE (2015)^[13]

References

External links

• Official website
• P.O.S on Rhymesayers Entertainment
• P.O.S discography at Discogs