5 out of 5

Label: Stophouse Music Group

Produced by: ?

While Prof’s persona as a sexed up all-star rapper was years in the making before he’d land at fellow-Minnesotan’s Rhymesayers label, the fact that that ultimately proved to be an improper fit is countered by how much of the Atmosphere DNA is also detectable in Prof’s early works, sharpening the sarcastic confessionals of Slug’s works into the sleeker bars and barbs on this early EP/mixtape – Kaiser Von Powderhorn.

Presumably referencing where Prof (aka Jacob Anderson) grew up, and thus defining himself as its king, the silly kid-like title Prof has granted this title is indicative of how quickly he slips between self-effacing swipes at bids for fame or relevance, battle-rooted tracks like the hype on opener Style Thus Far, or the half-smiling / half-frowning narrative of Baby Jacob: Prof is all about swagger, but will give you a wink to acknowledge that his jewels may be of a costume variety.

So the lyrical sharpness is there, alongside the childishness and some standard hip-hop themes (e.g. money and girls) that Prof has juggled throughout his career, and does so with some understandable naievety the earlier you go in his works – though, again, this EP really balances that out with a sense of innocence that gets somewhat masked behind being an out-and-out joker and/or baller once we get to the Rhymesayers stuff. Billed as a mixtape, the beats admittedly sound familiar (as do some of the melodies) against later Prof tracks, but Anderson and his crew keep it so lively – Prof switching it up between singing and rapping and battle raps on a whim; lot of gang vocals adding to the party – that it’s all fresh, and the production is properly bouncy.

This is a perfect way to speedrun through the rapper’s different sides, with the comparative rawness of the work versus the guest-star-riddled, bigger-scaled projects which were then to come only enhancing how shockingly skilled Prof has been and is, as it’s fully evident he’s able to carry this with just his local crew (Rahzwell and the like) and some quick cuts.