In Need of Refresher Courses

Kaiser Von Powderhorn 3 is the latest entry in Prof’s Kaiser Von Powderhorn mixtape series. Minnesota rapper Prof can best be understood by looking at the cover of his latest album. A spoof of the famous No Limit Record covers of the ’90s: minivans and pregnant women replace sports cars and supermodels. It sets the expectation for the sort of humor and tone one should expect going into this endeavor.

The opening track “Me Boi” displays the control Prof has over his flow, spitting out phrases at speed that would make most other rappers envious. Although his delivery may be above par, it’s his lyrical themes that are a bit off-putting. On “Get Some,” Prof exclaims “put on your Velcro shoes, it’s time to get retarded / everyone’s looking at me, like I just farted.” It’s schoolyard humor like this that distracts from Prof’s abilities. Other artists like Eminem and Das Racist can mix humor with real lyrical content and have it not come across as sounding amateurish, but with Prof it’s as if his whole repertoire is built around childish potty humor.

These nine tracks are well produced, and the guest spot by Yelawolf and Slug is a refreshing interjection, but nothing really stands out or makes this LP special. It’s the musical equivalent of the movie Malibu Most Wanted – an over-exaggerated characterization of a genre – it may receive a few chuckles, but the minute it’s over it’s never played again.

Kaiser Von Powederhorn 3 — hopefully — is the final installment of this series, and perhaps Prof will find the inspiration to expand his range of content from dick jokes and off-hand humor into a more well-rounded perspective. Prof’s delivery is of a caliber that is rare in today’s scene, but if he doesn’t take himself seriously, how can we?