Search - Positive K :: Skills Dat Pay Da Bills

Excuse me Miss, what your man gotta do with me

Steve Silk | Germany | 05/01/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I first got into Pos, back in the day when he got down with MC Ltye with the excuse miss joint, he had a decent flow, nice skills and when his solo joint dropped I had to scoop it up I gave this album 3 stars because the remixes that came out after the release were on point. (car hoppers and nightshift) featuring Big daddy kane are worth it alone. I'd recommend this to any real hip hop fan, at discount prices though."

Slept on rapper

90s hiphop professor | London, UK | 08/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first got into pos k on brand nubians 1st album when he did a wicked duet with puba. There are 5 or 6 good songs on this cd and i dont know how that didnt warrant a 2nd cd. This got mad airplay on Tim Westwoods capital rap show. Unfortunately this was his first and last release. I like his lyrics, upbeat, and as his name suggests, positive. 1992 has to be one of the best years for hiphop surely!"

"In the midst of everything so negative, there's always some

ctrx | 'bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks... | 08/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Positive K will forever be known as a one-hit wonder for his classic "I Got a Man," an irresistably catchy song that to this day is one of my favorite old school singles. With a danceable beat drawing from Funky Four Plus One's "That's the Joint" and lines aimed at a stingy woman sure to bring a smile to anyone's face, Pos won the hearts of the hip hop community with a certified gem and likable persona. Unfortunately, this didn't translate into album sales, and his sole LP, 1992's "The Skills Dat Pay da Bills," came and went quickly and was heavily slept-on, which is too bad, because the album as a whole succeeds just where "I Got a Man" does.



Pos is a great old school MC: goodnatured, clever, multi-dimensional, and talented. His style could be likened to a somewhat less substantial Big Daddy Kane or a smoother K-Solo, as well as his approach of exploring a wide variety of concepts. In fact, the variety is a strength of the album--Pos could have made a good album of strictly party cuts, but he flexes his rap muscles with an impressive flow, battle raps, punchlines, and storytelling. The quality is extremely consistent, and the production is excellent, perfectly capturing the 1992 East Coast sound with upbeat basslines, soaring horn samples, and breakbeat hooks. Pos is quite appealing and delivers potent lines and rhymes over the 16 tracks.



There isn't a subpar song on the tracklist, no guests, and in addition to "I Got a Man" there are multiple cuts equally single-worthy. Both "Carhoppers" and "Nightshift" (as well as the remix) boast a level of cleverness and execution comparable to the classic. The triple-tongue verses of "Shakin'" and the insightful "How the F Would You Know" are both good, and the openers "Pass the Mic" and "One 2 the Head" display his quick lips and style over nice beats. "Ain't No Crime" and "Friends" are sunny highlights, and "A Flower Grows in Brooklyn" and "It's All Over" close strongly.



"The Skills Dat Pay da Bills" is straightforward and satisfying: just dope beats and a dope MC. Sadly, Pos would be shoved aside by 1992's conceptual visionaries, and the follow-up would never arrive. Still, this album really nails the East Coast formula to produce an immensely enjoyable hip hop record that should not be forgotten. Although out-of-print, it's still in pretty wide circulation and I highly recommend it. An album of unreleased material is coming later in 2008 (Back to the Old School)."