Kelvin Mercer
| Posdnuos | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Mercer performing at the Fillmore in San Francisco, July 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kelvin Mercer |
| Also known as |
|
| Born |
August 17, 1969[1] The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocalist |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Tommy Boy, Sanctuary, AOI |
| Associated acts | De La Soul |
| Website |
www |
Kelvin Mercer (born August 17, 1969)[1] is a rapper, producer, and one-third of the hip hop trio De La Soul. He is known more famously by his alias Posdnuos, or simply Pos. He was born in the Bronx, New York and grew up in East Massapequa, New York.[2]
Mercer and David Jude Jolicoeur were childhood friends. They met Vincent Mason in the early 1980s while attending Amityville High School in Long Island, New York. Mercer's father was a jazz fan.
As a member of De La Soul, Mercer is generally regarded as one of the most consistent and underrated MCs of all time.[3] He has imparted some of his hard-earned experiences in songs such as "Held Down", and "Trying People", from AOI: Bionix. On the latter, he raps: "We were supposed to rid the world of danger / These days we nod heads and small talk like polite strangers / It's natural to fall off, just land close to the tree / I'll be there if they need me to be".
Mercer is also known for his witty, double entendre-laden battle rhymes. "Fuck bein' hard, Posdnuos is complicated" from Buhloone Mindstate's "In the Woods". For example, in "Down Syndrome" from 1996's Stakes Is High, he states: "I be a piece of the East Coast, so give a toast to Plug Wonder Why / Back in the day who soaked his words in ginger / So when I ran a phrase in June, you didn't catch it 'til December".
He is a member of the Spitkicker collective.
Cameos and album appearances
| Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Propellerheads' Decksandrumsandrockandroll, on the track "360° (Oh Yeah?)" | With De La Soul |
| 2002 | Mint Royale's Dancehall Places and Pop Is..., on the track "Show Me" | |
| 2006 | Oh No's Exodus into Unheard Rhythms, on the track "Smile a Lil Bit" | |
| 2007 | LA Symphony's Unleashed, on the track "Universal" | |
| 2008 | Jake One's White Van Music, on the track "Oh Really" | With Slug of Atmosphere |
| 2009 | Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip's re-release of Thou Shalt Always Kill | |
| 2011 | Official remix of Mac Miller's song "Of The Soul" | |
| 2013 | Wrekonize's The War Within, on the track "Church Road" | |
| 2015 | Étienne de Crécy's Super Discount 3, on the track "WTF" | With Dave |
Aliases
All three members of De La Soul have used a number of aliases. The following are the most significant:
- Posdnuos – Pronounced "pas-da-noos". The name may be a combination of the reversed words "Sop," meaning "leftover," and "Sound," a name Mercer went by while acting as a high school DJ. According to some sources, the words spelled backward are "sounds op [i.e., operative]."[4]
- Plug One – An early concept for 3 Feet High and Rising involved music being transmitted from Mars by three microphone plugs (each one representing a member of the group). Though this idea was abandoned, the titles "Plug One", "Plug Two" and "Plug Three" still became relevant on the album. Mercer's title of Plug One would eventually evolve into Plug Wonder Why, which has been shortened to Plug Won.
- Mercenary – Derived from the last name, "Mercer". This name was given to him by DCQ, brother of Mos Def.[5]
- P-Pain – Caricature of the rapper T-Pain. He uses this alias in the song Supervillainz by DOOM.
References
- 1 2 http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p191209
- ↑ http://thecrusade.net/perspective/cgi-bin/archives/00000019.shtml
- ↑ DJ Shadow (September 23, 2011). "DJ Shadow: The Internet Is Not Your Savior". Wired.com. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
- ↑ musicbrainz.org
- ↑ Daveyd.com