31 Minutes to Takeoff

Mike Posner recorded his first mixtape in his dorm room. His second one included an appearance by electro-hip-hop knuckleheads 3OH!3. That should give you a pretty good idea where this 22-year-old native of Southfield is coming from on his debut — which, by the way, solidifies him as one of the top three biggest things out of Detroit this year, alongside Kem, behind Eminem. His breathy vocals are pleasant enough, and his poppy R&B beats are made for maximum college-club bouncing. But Posner comes off like the big asshole on campus, shocked that a girl has the audacity to ignore him in the hit "Cooler Than Me" and brushing off a summer love in "Gone in September." And why is it that the best song on 31 Minutes to Takeoff is the one with the dumbest title ("Bow Chicka Wow Wow")? In "Cheated," Posner sings, "Nobody told me I was dating a whore." Fair's fair: Nobody told her she was going out with a douche bag.