Never Better?

There isn’t anything to dislike about P.O.S. And his new album Never Better, on Rhymesayers, which is to be released February 3^rd, probably won’t be too bad. There’s even a sneak preview of the track “Goodbye” for download.

The production is without question above boards and the raps aren’t in the least boring. But like most of the Rhymesayers stable, there really isn’t too much to set P.O.S. apart from the rest of the rap world. His back story – playing in punk bands – is rather interesting. But again, unfortunately it doesn’t necessarily translate into good raps.

At this point the label’s flagship artist, Atmosphere, seems incapable of releasing an album that comes anywhere near the general acceptance of God Loves Ugly. And in fact, that disc is seeing re-release in January. Of course Rhymesayers serves as an important outlet of the Minneapolis scene, but it’s curious as to how they’ve been able to remain lucrative of late.

There are legions of fans for every niche genre and white rappers with credentials don’t seem to be lacking. But like all else, there eventually will be a breaking point. I’m sure that El-P is thinking the same thing. And while there will always be a market for the Beasties, it seems that they’ve served as a template for a lot of the white folks in the game. What separates those New Yorkers from the rest of these folks is their ability to make a joke – that’s a valuable thing when too many of your contemporaries are consumed by sneakers, Japanese vinyl toys and remixes.