Prof w/ St. Paul Slim, AWTHNTKTS
Gabe’s — Saturdary, Feb. 7 at 10 p.m.
Minneapolis rapper Prof, known for proudly wearing his immaturity on his sleeve, takes his act to Gabe’s on Saturday. It’s noteworthy that he’s gotten a lot of flack for his “get stupid” party rap anthems getting too stupid, and celebrating drinking and sex with unrepentantly juvenility. Though one writer labeled his music as having “no artistic value,” it’s a style that’s won him a legion of fans that regularly turn out to pack his shows.
Prof counters his critics by claiming they miss both point and the joke. Likening his rap to what shock comedians do, the rapper has suggested his more inane lyrics, often delivered in the form of his rap alter-ego Gampo, are about parodying the brainless side of hip-hop rather than reveling in it.
While songs like “Gampo” and “The Reply,” exude a moronic quality that will no doubt have backpack-rap types lifting their noses, maybe those are just the folks who need their noses tweaked so they don’t spend all day looking down them at everyone else. Indeed, the fact that Rhymesayers — a label so heavy (and, at times, heavy-handed) with conscience rap — wants to include Prof on its roster underscores a recognition that rap can become too insular when it neglects its roots as party music.
