P.O.S. - Audition

Genre rap Publisher Rhymesayers Entertainment External Links Rhymesayers Ent

"First of all, fuck Bush/that's all, that's the end of it." The first rapped words on Audition are delivered with the vigor and punch appropriate to their content. Political vitriol? Must be indie-rap! P.O.S. hails from Minneapolis, home of Rhymesayers Entertainment, best known as the label of indie-rap titans Atmosphere. If you suspect P.O.S. is angry, pat yourself on the back. The moniker stands for (among other things) Pissed-Off Stef, as in Stefon Alexander, formerly a rap-hating punk-rocker. Though Alexander saw the light and has been known as P.O.S. for years, the influence of punk on his sound runs rampant on this record.

It's most obvious on "De La Souls," a soul-searching accounting of P.O.S.'s life, including a proud declaration of adherence to some tenets of political correctness unpopular in the majority of rap: "Won't say [nigger] in the things I write/and I don't say [faggot] cuz I don't think it's right." In this case, the money words are filled in by samples buried way down in the mix. The chorus of "De La Souls" is sung in that shouty, hoarse delivery practiced by angry white men since the days of the Sex Pistols. The vehicle in this case is Greg Attonitoi of the Bouncing Souls, who declares over undeniably hip-hop beats, "No one will ever be like me!" It's back to exhortations to political action on the next track, "Stand Up (Let's Get Murdered)." Minneapolis is famous for its snowfall; this track's rough, gritty production, punctuated by dirty horns and dirtier drums, sounds like the aural equivalent of what's left on the asphalt when it's hovering around 40 degrees three days after a blizzard -- but in a spring-is-coming way.

Another guest appearance comes with "Safety in Speed (Heavy Metal)." Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, formerly of Minneapolis's Lifter Puller, launches a rant against the movie Predator. On "Paul Kersey to Jack Kimball," P.O.S. sounds like Eminem at his angriest, and again on "P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life," in which he tackles an Eminem-fav: his relationship with his fans. "Everybody wanna make a dent/every girl is looking for the next best thing/every boy's in love with his girl's best friend/everybody hates me/everybody wanna fight." Slug, of the afore-mentioned Atmosphere, lends his smooth flow to the record twice, first on the clever "Bush League Psyche-out Stuff" and then on "Bleeding Hearts Club (MPLS Chapter)." "Audition Mantra" is a relatively quiet end for this angry album. Its half-whispered delivery and gradually building intensity let Audition finish on an introspective note that lends some gravity to its bombast.