Kelvin Mercer

• Name — Kelvin Mercer • Alias — * Posdnuos • Mercenary • Plug One • Sop Sound • Plug Wonder Why • Pos • Born — 17 August 1969 • Birthplace — New York City, New York, U.S. • Genre — Hip-hop • Occupation — Rapper, record producer • Years Active — 1988–present • Label — Tommy Boy, Sanctuary, AOI • Current Member Of — De La Soul • Illustration — Posdnuos and Maseo of De La Soul at Gods of Rap 2019 in Berlin, Germany Kelvin Mercer (born August 17, 1969), also known by his stage name Posdnuos, Plug 1 and occasionally Pos, is an American rapper and record producer from East Massapequa, New York, 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 in 1989, Mercer has gone on to release nine albums with De La Soul.

Mercer was born on August 17, 1969, in The Bronx, New York City, U.S.

• Year — Artist — Album — Track — With • 2000 — Rawkus Records — Hip Hop for Respect — One Four Love (Part 1) — Various Artists • 2002 — Mint Royale — Dancehall Places — Show Me • 2006 — Oh No — Exodus into Unheard Rhythms — Smile a Lil Bit • 2007 — LA Symphony — Unleashed — Universal • DJ Jazzy Jeff — The Return of the Magnificent — Let Me Hear U Clap • 2008 — Jake One — White Van Music — Oh Really — Slug of Atmosphere • J-Live — Then What Happened — The Upgrade — Oddisee • 2009 — Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip — (single) — Thou Shalt Always Kill • Master Ace and Edo G — Arts and Entertainment — Good Music • 2010 — Slum Village — Villa Manifesto — Scheming — Phife Dawg, J Dilla and Vice Verse • 2011 — DJ Shadow — The Less You Know, the Better — Stay the Course — Talib Kweli • Mac Miller — (remix) — Of the Soul — Raekwon • 2013 — Statik Selektah — Extended Play — Game Break — Lecrae and Termanology • Marco Polo — PA2: The Director's Cut — Glory (Finish Hard) — A.G., Masta Ace and Dion Jenkins • Wrekonize — The War Within — Church Road • Yancey Boys — Sunset Blvd. — Beautiful — Botni Applebum • 2014 — Statik Selektah — What Goes Around — God Knows — Bun B and Jared Evan • 2015 — Slum Village — Yes — Right Back • Hot Chip — Why Make Sense? — Love Is the Future • 2018 — The Black Eyed Peas — Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 — All Around the World — Phife Dawg and Ali Shaheed Muhammad • 2019 — Grand Analog — (single) — Mutations • 2020 — Potatohead People — Mellow Fantasy — Baby Got Work — Kapok • 2022 — Robert Glasper — Black Radio III — Everybody Love — Musiq Soulchild • Phife Dawg — Forever — 2 Live Forever — Little Brother and Darien Brockington • Diamond D — The Rear View — Flyin' High • Ibrahim Maalouf — Capacity to Love — Quiet Culture • Wildchild — Omowale — Father's Day — Big Daddy Kane • 2023 — Planet Hemp — JARDINEIROS: A COLHEITA — NUNCA TENHA MEDO • Statik Selektah — Round Trip — Round Trip (for Dave) • 2024 — Ana Tijoux — Vida — Tu sae — Talib Kweli • Common & Pete Rock — The Auditorium Vol. 1 — When the Sun Shines Again — Bilal • 1999 Write the Future — hella (˃̣̣̥╭╮˂̣̣̥) ✧ ♡ ‧º·˚ — LONG in the tOOth — The Budos Band • 2025 — Talib Kweli, J. Rawls & Javotti Media — N.A — Native Sons Part II — Maseo, Black Thought, Mike Gee, Afrika Baby Bam & Busta Rhymes • Sean Kuti & Egypt 80 — Heavier Yet Lays the Crownless Head — Stand Well Well (Grand Stand Version)

All three members of De La Soul have used a number of aliases. The following are Mercer's most significant: • Posdnuos/Pos – 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 [i.e., operative]" is intentional. • 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 would be shortened to a homophone of the original, Plug Won. • Mercenary – Derived from the last name, "Mercer". This name was given to him by DCQ, brother of Mos Def. • P-Pain – Caricature of the rapper T-Pain. He uses this alias in the song "Supervillainz" by DOOM.

The canonical record carries the following identifying particulars.

The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count. It is also recorded that kelvin Mercer is classed in the genre hip-hop. Recorded with the occupation composer. The register further records that kelvin Mercer is recorded with the occupation musician. Recorded with the occupation singer. Recorded with the occupation lyricist. The register further records that kelvin Mercer is recorded as a citizen of United States. Recorded with the gender male. Born on 17 August 1969. Institutional cataloguing adds that kelvin Mercer is recorded with the occupation rapper. Recorded with the occupation record producer.