P.O.S.

With his recent Never Better, P.O.S. moves into position as possibly the best MC to come out of the Twin Cities (watch out, Slug), and a major force in the thriving Midwest hip-hop scene. His first two records, Ipecac Neat and Audition, brought together his love of rap with his other job, a guitarist and singer for punk outfit Building Better Bombs. Never Better—which features cameos and production help from his colleagues in the Doomtree collective—again combines punchy beats with murky distortion, and the result is his best work yet.