Stefon Alexander is known to hip-hop fans as P.O.S., an acronym with several meanings (though only one, Promise Of Skill, is suitable for a family newspaper).
A product of Minneapolis, Alexander (also an MC in the Doomtree crew and a member of the Twin Cities punk band Building Better Bombs) grew up listening to punk rock, and you can hear that influence in his songs.
Pitchfork called attention to the punk flavor in P.O.S.' 2009 album, "Never Better":
"There's still some nods to punk rock, lyrically (a quote of Fugazi's 'Five Corporations' in 'Savion Glover') as well as in the guest personnel (None More Black's Jason Shevchuk shows up to yowl all over the end of 'Terrorish'). And "Drumroll (We're All Thirsty)," the most immediate, throat-grabbing track on the album, is some straight-up hardcore get-in-the-pit business that lives up to its percussive title."
People are also reading…
Blending punk and rap makes P.O.S. stand out, and that's a good thing. But it also makes him a bit of a square peg in a music industry full of round holes.
Alexander, for one, could not care less if ignoring hip-hop conventions alienates some fans of traditional rap and punk.
"I really actively don't want to cater to people who like me," he says.
Alexander, who plays a show at Club Congress on Tuesday, recently spoke to Caliente by phone from Seattle, where he would perform later that evening.
Impressions of Tucson?
"It's usually pretty fun. It's kind of like a rough city, but people are usually down to have a good time at the shows, and that's pretty much all that I'm interested in."
What do you mean a rough city?
"They're always fighting."
At your shows?
"There's usually a fight at the shows, but it's usually a pretty chill fight, and then the crowd boos the people who are fighting and they stop and the show is mega-rad the rest of the time."
Do people fight at your shows in other cities?
"Not usually. Sometimes. It really depends on the crowd and who shows up."
Do you think rap has narrow limits?
"I think by nature all genres have narrow limits. That's what makes it easy for people to find what they like. There are a few exceptions to that: prog rock and whatever (The) Mars Volta considers themselves."
Do you want people to consider you an exception to rap's rules?
"That's the only way to be, for me. If I'm going to make music I don't ever want to be held down by what my fans think I'm supposed to sound like. I don't want to alienate everyone, but I don't want to solely work off that."
What kind of a response do you hope to provoke with your music?
"If it's a live show, I want people to be clearly enjoying themselves. Getting up. Getting loud. Ignoring that there are other people in the room. Having fun with the friends they showed up with and not worrying about who are the cool kids around. It's got to be about if we're all having fun together then we're all having fun. I typically call people out if they're acting too cool."
Were you a cool kid in school?
"I was fairly popular, but not in the cool-kids kind of way. I had no problem striking up a conversation with anybody, and I didn't consider myself a cool kid, nor did I go outside of my way to talk to the people who I considered cool kids. I like people who are interesting."
IF YOU GO
• What: P.O.S. in concert with Grieves and Dessa.
• When: Tuesday night. Doors open at 7.
• Where: Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St.
• Cost: $13 in advance, $15 at the door.
