| Posdnuos | |
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Mercer performing at the Fillmore in San Francisco, July 2009 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kelvin Mercer |
| Also known as | Posdnuos Mercenary Plug One Sop Sound Plug Wonder Why |
| Born | August 17, 1969 [1] |
| Genres | Rap |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Vocalist |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | Tommy Boy Sanctuary AOI |
| Associated acts | De La Soul |
| Website | De La Soul official website |
Kelvin Mercer (born August 17, 1969,[1] The Bronx, New York) 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.
He recently appeared on Jake One's White Van Music, on the track "Oh Really" with Slug of Atmosphere, and he has also appeared on Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip's re-release of Thou Shalt Always Kill in 2009.
All three members of De La Soul have a variety of known aliases and nicknames used throughout the group's career. The following are the most significant:
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