Stefon Alexander grew up a ’frohawked outsider, one of the only black kids involved in the Minneapolis punk scene in the mid to late ’90s. Known as P.O.S, he alternately played in bands and rapped throughout his teens. Now in his early 20s, he’s poised to become the biggest hip-hop act to come out of Minnesota since Atmosphere, whose Slug makes a couple of cameos on this, P.O.S’s second disc. Alexander draws from his punk-rock past, just not so much from the musical elements of punk. The songs are peppered with distorted guitar and the Bouncing Souls’ Greg Attonito lends vocals to “De La Souls,” which is based on his band’s “Argyle.” But this is a rap record, albeit one with the attitude and energy of bands that he grew up idolizing, like Minor Threat and Black Flag. A gifted lyricist, P.O.S weaves politics with the personal and the positive: “I raise a black fist, but won’t say nigga in the things I write/And I don’t say faggot ’cause I don’t think it’s right.” And unlike most of his peers, he’s not afraid of self-depreciation: “I’ve got the skills to pay the bills and that’s about it.” I beg to differ.
P.O.S | Great Scott, 1222 Comm Ave, Allston | Feb 12 | 617.734.4502
