Minneapolis MC P.O.S. is a hip hop powerhouse whos built up his rap career atop punk rock foundations. He spits disaffected cynicism like venom sometimes in the raw, nasal shriek of a punk still dusting off grit from the gutter and in the tense, stormy instrumentals that accompany him. He particularly favors heavy drum rolls, which pervade his third solo album, Never Better. And it’s to P.O.S.’ credit that he can bring in the Warped Tour crowd without alienating the hip hop fans. That he can do this and still put out cerebral, quality music is nothing short of a miracle (when was the last time Warped Tour attracted the brainiacs?) As an added bonus for all you Minneapolis hip hop disciples, P.O.S. returns this time with some of his fellows from Doomtree, a hip hop label and collective he helped found before Rhymesayers scooped him up. P.O.S. remains affiliated with both groups, though, and releases his albums through both labels. Hes performing this time accompanied by producer Lazerbeak (who rarely tours), DJ Plain Ole Bill and two of Doomtree’s finest MCs, Sims and Mictlan. The one bummer is that Dessa, Doomtree’s sole female MC, isn’t coming along even though she’s got an LP coming out this year and makes a cameo appearance on Never Better (you can hear her on “Low Light Low Life”).
Fri., Feb. 6, 9 p.m., 2009