Prof

Throughout his recordings Prof exhibits extravagant and playful degrees of indulgence alongside mockery, operating as an underground rapper whose output has appeared on the Stophouse imprint he established as well as through Rhymesayers Entertainment. Since the 2006 full-length collaboration Absolutely with Rahzwell, his steady gift for buoyant nonsense has called for loosely thematic alter egos and projects including Kaiser Von Powderhorn in 2008, King Gampo in 2011, and Pookie Baby in 2018. Though references to a demanding Midwest childhood surface at times, the Minneapolis native remains identified chiefly with his whimsical catalog—frequently labeled “trash-rap” by various publications—and his explosive stage shows, the most recent example being the buoyant Horse that arrived in 2023.

While still enrolled at a local high school, Jacob Anderson, who performs as Prof, teamed with classmate Rahzwell to form a duo. Their first release, Absolutely, reached listeners in 2006. Although Prof later pursued a solo path on paper, the pair maintained close creative ties. After Project Gampo surfaced in 2007 as his initial official solo effort, he helped launch Stophouse Music Group, which served as his main platform into the early 2010s. Solo Stophouse titles from that span encompass three installments of the Kaiser Von Powderhorn series issued between 2008 and 2012—named for the Powderhorn neighborhood of his upbringing—plus King Gampo in 2011, which included guest spots from Brother Ali and Riff Raff; he also partnered with St. Paul Slim on Recession Music in 2009.

Steady growth in visibility came through successive records and concerts, then received an additional boost courtesy of Slug and Siddiq at Rhymesayers Entertainment. Once signed to the Minneapolis label, Prof delivered the singles “The Reply” and “Farout” before unveiling Liability in 2015, an album that featured Tech N9ne, Petey Pablo, and Waka Flocka Flame. Three years later he returned with his fourth solo set, Pookie Baby. Powderhorn Suites had been slated for Rhymesayers in 2020, yet the imprint parted ways with the artist over lyrics and social-media statements viewed as misogynistic together with claims of sexual misconduct; the project instead surfaced on Stophouse later that year and reached the upper half of the Billboard 200. Horse, which includes contributions from Method Man, Redman, and Kevin Gates, followed in 2023.