De La Soul - Gods of Rap Tour 2019 - Berlin (45 von 49)

Kelvin Mercer (born August 17, 1969), also known by his stage name Posdnuos and occasionally Pos, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and producer from

East Massapequa, New York East Massapequa (formerly known as West Amityville) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 19,069 at ...

best known for his work as one-third of the hip hop trio De La Soul. Through his work with the group, Mercer is considered to be one of the most consistent and underrated MCs of all time. Beginning with the highly acclaimed ''

3 Feet High and Rising ''3 Feet High and Rising'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul, released on March 3, 1989 by Tommy Boy Records. It is the first of three collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would become the critical and c ...

'' in 1989, Mercer has gone on to release nine albums with De La Soul.

Cameos and album appearances

Aliases

All three members of De La Soul have used a number of aliases. The following are the most significant: * Posdnuos – Pronounced "poss-duh-noose". The name may be a combination of the reversed words ''sop'', meaning "gift," and ''sound'', a name Mercer went by while acting as a high school DJ. According to some sources, the fact that the words spelled backward are "sounds op .e., operative is intentional. * Plug One – An early concept for ''

'' involved music being transmitted from

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

by three

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publ ...

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 would be shortened to a synonym of the original, Plug Won. * Mercenary – Derived from the last name, "Mercer". This name was given to him by DCQ, brother of

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

. * P-Pain – Caricature of the rapper T-Pain. He uses this alias in the song "Supervillainz" by

DOOM Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercer, Kelvin 1969 births African-American male rappers Alternative hip hop musicians American dance musicians American hip hop record producers Grammy Award winners Living people Rappers from New York (state) Rappers from the Bronx People from Long Island De La Soul members 21st-century American rappers Record producers from New York (state) 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people