Review Summary: Every never is now.
The transition from
Audition to
Never Better was a three year project for P.O.S. What he did in the span of those three years was create not only his best album, but one of the best underground and conscious hip hop albums of the decade. With Never Better we find that P.O.S. is catchier than ever, free-tongued and taking the crown as wordsmith of the Minnesota hip hop scene.
In traditional Doomtree fashion, the album is produced solely by the group and its members, with over half of the album produced by P.O.S. himself. A nod of respect and trust is given between producers also when Lazerbeak and Paper Tiger appear on a few of the albums most popular tracks, giving the album a bit of variation when it comes to sound. While a portion of
Never Better is sample-heavy compared to his previous efforts, P.O.S. uses that to his advantage by delivering his best rapping to date. Combining those elements with his trademark drum loops and his smart mouth, we’re left with something that’s going to be hard to top.
When you look at
Never Better as an album, it’s simple really; from the get-go P.O.S. was influenced by punk and therefore is hit with the punk-hip hop label. But let’s be serious: there is no such thing. What P.O.S. does is create hip hop with a punk influence. From adding in raw drums, to playing his own bass guitar he’s able to create a sound that’s both noisy and catchy at the same time. The album’s second track, “Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty)” is a picture perfect example of this. The song starts out with a fast drum roll followed by deep bass lines as he comes in with his spitfire lyrics and energy. While it’s the only song on the album as well to feature his group, they pay homage to their hardworking musical project with the crowd pleasing line “Trust in absolutely f
ucking nothing but Doomtree”. One of his most played and popular songs, “Purexed”, again perfectly showcases the punk-influenced production of Alexander’s own brand of hip hop. With fast, catchy drum loops over his smooth delivery, Alexander solidifies his place in the world of underground hip hop and proves that you don’t need computer generated beats to create a hit.
The one track that will most likely stick out to any Doomtree fan listening to this album will be “Low Light Low Life”. Since it features fellow members Sims and Dessa, it comes as no surprise that it’s one of the most pleasing and catchy tracks on the album. Straying from the path for a bit, “Low Light” features more traditional hip hop beats and is honestly more a showcase for Dessa’s vocal talent. The track on the album that Alexander himself can be most proud of should be “Optimist”. Not because the background beat for the song is made up of plastic cups and clapping, but because it’s hands down the best P.O.S. song ever written. While it’s not as high energy as normal songs, the natural progression of the song best showcases the pure talent that he possesses. With mostly freestyle rapping and no constant beat present, Alexander is still able to deliver solid rapping time and time again. The end of the album brings to a much slower pace than it started. With the title track “Never Better” we find P.O.S.’s most chilling song on the album is possibly the next step in his musical evolution. Featuring Judah Nagler of The Velvet Teen, “Never Better” sports a well known trademark lyric “every never is now”.
Never Better is the perfect album for reasons beyond a few people saying it’s a good album. P.O.S.’s rapping is divinely smooth, the samples are perfectly placed, and the instrumentation can rival that of any other overproduced, computer driven garbage that hits the radio every day. With his fine combed lyrics, playful wordplay and cultural references, this Product Of Society is able to create an album that not only pleases his current fan base, but has the ability to gain a whole new following. From track one to fifteen on this album there is one constant: quality. The true excellence of the songs don’t change or stray from the formula that works and that’s alright. Whether or not he was shooting this high we’ll never know, but what we do know is that for the moment hip hop has never been better.
