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Points of sale at a Target store

Point of sale (POS) (also sometimes referred to as Point of purchase (POP) ) or checkout is the location where a transaction occurs. A "checkout" refers to a POS terminal or more generally to the hardware and software used for checkouts, the equivalent of an electronic cash register.

A POS terminal manages the selling process by a salesperson accessible interface. The same system allows the creation and printing of the receipt.

History[link]

Software prior to the 1990s[link]

McDonald's POS device by Brobeck

Early Electronic Cash Registers (ECR) were controlled with proprietary software and were very limited in function and communications capability. In August 1973 IBM announced the IBM 3650 and 3660 Store Systems that were, in essence, a mainframe computer used as a store controller that could control 128 IBM 3653/3663 point of sale registers. This system was the first commercial use of client-server technology, peer-to-peer communications, local area network (LAN) simultaneous backup, and remote initialization. By mid-1974, it was installed in Pathmark Stores in New Jersey and Dillard's Department Stores.

One of the first microprocessor-controlled cash register systems was built by William Brobeck and Associates in 1974, for McDonald's Restaurants.^[1] It used the Intel 8008, a very early microprocessor. Each station in the restaurant had its own device which displayed the entire order for a customer—for example: [2] Vanilla Shake, [1] Large Fries, [3] BigMac—using numeric keys and a button for every menu item. By pressing the [Grill] button, a second or third order could be worked on while the first transaction was in progress. When the customer was ready to pay, the [Total] button would calculate the bill, including sales tax for almost any jurisdiction in the United States. This made it accurate for McDonald's and very convenient for the servers and provided the restaurant owner with a check on the amount that should be in the cash drawers. Up to eight devices were connected to one of two interconnected computers so that printed reports, prices, and taxes could be handled from any desired device by putting it into Manager Mode. In addition to the error-correcting memory, accuracy was enhanced by having three copies of all important data with many numbers stored only as multiples of 3. Should one computer fail, the other could handle the entire store.

ViewTouch POS widget-driven touch screen GUI

In 1986, Gene Mosher introduced the first graphical point of sale software under the ViewTouch trademark on the 16-bit Atari 520ST color computer. It featured a color touchscreen widget-driven interface that allowed configuration of widgets representing menu items without low level programming.^[2] The ViewTouch point of sale software was first demonstrated in public at Fall Comdex, 1986, in Las Vegas Nevada to large crowds visiting the Atari Computer booth. This was the first commercially available POS system with a widget-driven color graphic touch screen interface and was installed in several restaurants in the USA and Canada.

Modern software (post 1990s)[link]

In 1992 Martin Goodwin and Bob Henry created the first point of sale software that could run on the Microsoft Windows platform named IT Retail.^[3] Since then a wide range of POS applications have been developed on platforms such as Windows and Unix. The availability of local processing power, local data storage, networking, and graphical user interface made it possible to develop flexible and highly functional POS systems. Cost of such systems has also declined, as all the components can now be purchased off-the-shelf.

The key requirements that must be met by modern POS systems include: high and consistent operating speed, reliability, ease of use, remote supportability, low cost, and rich functionality. Retailers can reasonably expect to acquire such systems (including hardware) for about $4000 US (2009) per checkout lane.

Hardware interface standardization (post 1990s)[link]

Vendors and retailers are working to standardize development of computerized POS systems and simplify interconnecting POS devices. Two such initiatives are OPOS and JavaPOS, both of which conform to the UnifiedPOS standard led by The National Retail Foundation.

OPOS (OLE for POS) was the first commonly-adopted standard and was created by Microsoft, NCR Corporation, Epson and Fujitsu-ICL. OPOS is a COM-based interface compatible with all COM-enabled programming languages for Microsoft Windows. OPOS was first released in 1996. JavaPOS was developed by Sun Microsystems, IBM, and NCR Corporation in 1997 and first released in 1999. JavaPOS is for Java what OPOS is for Windows, and thus largely platform independent.

There are several communication protocols POS systems use to control peripherals. Among them are

• EPSON Esc/POS
• UTC Standard
• UTC Enhanced
• AEDEX
• ICD 2002
• Ultimate
• CD 5220
• DSP-800
• ADM 787/788
• HP.

There are also nearly as many proprietary protocols as there are companies making POS peripherals. EMAX, used by EMAX International, was a combination of AEDEX and IBM dumb terminal.

Most POS peripherals, such as displays and printers, support several of these command protocols in order to work with many different brands of POS terminals and computers.

Industry[link]

Retail industry[link]

The retailing industry is one of the predominant users of POS terminals.

A Retail Point of Sales system typically includes a computer, monitor, cash drawer, receipt printer, customer display and a barcode scanner, and the majority of retail POS systems also include a debit/credit card reader. It can also include a weight scale, integrated credit card processing system, a signature capture device and a customer pin pad device. More and more POS monitors use touch-screen technology for ease of use and a computer is built in to the monitor chassis for what is referred to as an all-in-one unit. All-in-one POS units liberate counter space for the retailer. The POS system software can typically handle a myriad of customer based functions such as sales, returns, exchanges, layaways, gift cards, gift registries, customer loyalty programs, BOGOF (buy one get one free), quantity discounts and much more. POS software can also allow for functions such as pre-planned promotional sales, manufacturer coupon validation, foreign currency handling and multiple payment types.

The POS unit handles the sales to the consumer but it is only one part of the entire POS system used in a retail business. “Back-office” computers typically handle other functions of the POS system such as inventory control, purchasing, receiving and transferring of products to and from other locations. Other typical functions of a POS system are to store sales information for reporting purposes, sales trends and cost/price/profit analysis. Customer information may be stored for receivables management, marketing purposes and specific buying analysis. Many retail POS systems include an accounting interface that “feeds” sales and cost of goods information to independent accounting applications.

Hospitality industry[link]

Hospitality point of sales systems are computerized systems incorporating registers, computers and peripheral equipment, usually on a computer network. Like other point of sale systems, these systems keep track of sales, labor and payroll, and can generate records used in accounting and book keeping. They may be accessed remotely by restaurant corporate offices, troubleshooters and other authorized parties.

Point of sales systems have revolutionized the restaurant industry, particularly in the fast food sector. In the most recent technologies, registers are computers, sometimes with touch screens. The registers connect to a server, often referred to as a "store controller" or a "central control unit." Printers and monitors are also found on the network. Additionally, remote servers can connect to store networks and monitor sales and other store data.

Newer, more sophisticated, systems are getting away from the central database "file server" type system and going to what is called a "cluster database". This eliminates any crashing or system downtime that can be associated with the back office file server. This technology allows 100% of the information to not only be stored, but also pulled from the local terminal. Thus eliminating the need to rely on a separate server for the system to operate.

The efficiency of such systems has decreased service times and increased efficiency of orders.

Another innovation in technology for the restaurant industry is Wireless POS. Many restaurants with high volume use wireless handheld POS to collect orders which are sent to a server. The server sends required information to the kitchen in real time.

Hair and beauty industry[link]

Point of sale systems in the hair and beauty industry have become very popular with increased use of computers. In order to run a salon efficiently it is essential to keep all appointments, client, employee roster and the checkout in a system where you can create performance reports for. The nature of salons and spas vary depending on the setup of the business and products offered in addition to the business. This is why POS comes along with most salon software.

Restaurant business[link]

Restaurant POS refers to point of sale (POS) software that runs on computers, usually touch screen terminals or wireless handheld devices. Restaurant POS systems assist businesses to track transactions in real time.

Typical restaurant POS software is able to print guest checks, print orders to kitchens and bars for preparation, process credit cards and other payment cards, and run reports. In addition, some systems implement wireless pagers and electronic signature capture devices.

In the fast food industry, registers may be at the front counter, or configured for drive through or walk through cashiering and order taking. Front counter registers take and serve orders at the same terminal, while drive through registers allow orders to be taken at one or more drive through windows, to be cashiered and served at another. In addition to registers, drive through and kitchen monitors may be used by store personnel to view orders. Once orders appear they may be deleted or recalled by "bump bars", small boxes which have different buttons for different uses. Drive through systems are often enhanced by the use of drive through wireless (or headset) systems which enable communications with drive through speakers.

POS systems are often designed for a variety of clients, and can be programmed by the end users to suit their needs. Some large clients write their own specifications for vendors to implement. In some cases, POS systems are sold and supported by third party distributors, while in other cases they are sold and supported directly by the vendor.

Wireless systems consist of drive though microphones and speakers (often one speaker will serve both purposes), which are wired to a "base station" or "center module." This will, in turn broadcast to headsets. Headsets may be an all-in-one headset or one connected to a belt pack.

Hotel business[link]

POS software allows for transfer of meal charges from dining room to guest room with a button or two. It may also need to be integrated with property management software.

Hardware Stores, Building Supply, Lumber Yards[link]

POS software for this industry is very specialized compared to other industries. POS software must be able to handle special orders, Purchase Orders, Repair orders, Service and Rental Programs as well as typical Point of Sale Functions.

Special equipment is usually needed because of the environment that the Point of Sale System is exposed to. Wireless Devices, Battery Powered Devices, all in one units, and internet ready machines are typical in this industry.

Checkout system[link]

A Checkout in a Mexican supermarket.

A checkout system generally involves the following components:

• General computer hardware
• General computer software
• Checkout hardware
• Checkout software
• Miscellaneous store hardware

Because of the expense involved with a POS system, the eBay guide recommends that if annual revenue exceeds the threshold of $700,000, investment in a POS system will be advantageous.^[4]

POS systems are manufactured and serviced by such firms as Fujitsu, IBM, MICROS Systems, Panasonic, Radiant Systems, and Squirrel Systems (see the point of sale companies category for complete list).

Point of sales systems in restaurant environments operate on DOS, Windows or Unix environments. They can use a variety of physical layer protocols, though Ethernet is currently the preferred system.

Checkout hardware generally includes a credit card reader, a receipt printer, a cash drawer, a barcode scanner, and a PIN pad with integrated card swipe.

Accounting forensics[link]

Tax fraud[link]

POS systems record sales for business and tax purposes. Illegal software dubbed "zappers" is increasingly used on them to falsify these records with a view to evading the payment of taxes.

See also[link]

• EFTPOS
• ISO 8583
• JavaPOS
• Point of sale companies category
• Point of sale display
• Self checkout
• Standard Interchange Language
• UnifiedPOS

References[link]

dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip
Scroobius Pip (left) and dan le sac (right) at Coachella
Background information
Origin	Stanford-le-Hope, England
Genres	Electronic, Hip hop
Years active	2007-present
Labels	Sunday Best Recordings Strange Famous Recordings
Website	http://www.lesacvspip.co.uk LesacVsPip Myspace
Members
dan le sac Scroobius Pip

dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip are a hip-hop duo, combining electronic beats with sung, spoken, and rapped lyrics. The pair are Daniel Stephens (aka dan le sac; production, programming, keyboards, guitars and backing vocals), and David Peter Meads (1981-) (aka Scroobius Pip; vocals/rapper). The name "Scroobius Pip" is an intentional misspelling of the Edward Lear poem, The Scroobious Pip. dan le sac originally hails from Corringham and Scroobius Pip from neighbouring Stanford-le-Hope in Essex. Their first single was "Thou Shalt Always Kill". Signed with the Sunday Best record label, dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip released their debut album in 2008.^[1] Titled Angles, it reached 31 in the UK album chart. They released their second album entitled The Logic of Chance on 15 March 2010 on the Sunday Best label. Scroobius Pip released his debut solo album, Distraction Pieces on 19 September 2011.

History[link]

Both dan le sac and Scroobius Pip worked as solo artists before forming this duo, dan le sac as a laptop musician, DJ and promoter, Scroobius Pip as a spoken word artist.

David Meads began writing poetry in about 2005; he adopted the pseudonym "Scroobius Pip" from Edward Lear's poem, The Scroobious Pip. In a 2010 interview with Beatdom, Meads explained why he chose the name: "I loved the story. It's about a creature that doesn't know what it is ...By the end [of the poem] he realises that he is simply The Scroobious Pip. He doesn't fit into any one category and can just be his own creature."^[2]

In 2006 Scroobius Pip undertook his "Relying on the kindness of strangers tour" which took him round the UK in a Toyota Space Cruiser performing in various venues and also saw him doing street performances outside gigs for the likes of Buck 65 & DJ Shadow.

The duo formed in 2006 after dan le sac booked Scroobius Pip to play at a gig he was promoting at the Fez Club (now Sakura) in Reading, around this time dan le sac started remixing Scroobius Pip’s solo album No Commercial Breaks, a selection of the remixes form the core of their debut album Angles but the band didn’t garner any commercial success until they wrote the original song "Thou Shalt Always Kill" at the end of 2006. Although it is commonly thought that Rob Da Bank of BBC Radio 1 gave the band their first radio play, it was actually John Kennedy of XFM London, the band sent a demo CD to John Kennedy in December 2006 and he played it on his Xposure show within 2 hours of receiving it.^[3]

"Thou Shalt Always Kill" was re-released in 2009 with additional vocals by Pos Plug Won (Posdnous) of De La Soul.^[4][5] In 2007 the duo released 2 singles on Lex Records, "Thou Shalt Always Kill" and "The Beat that my Heart Skipped" but it wasn’t until early 2008 that they signed for Rob da Bank’s Sunday Best record label and released their debut album Angles; the album was later released on Sage Francis’s Strange Famous Records in the USA and Traffic in Japan.

On Christmas Eve 2007, whilst still unsigned, the duo released a free download of "Letter From God To Man" which includes a sample of Radiohead's "Planet Telex". To promote this, the duo created and posted a spoof video on YouTube showing the pair auditioning for The X Factor in front of Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh. A montage of clips of judges' comments are added to their profanity-laden performance of what Scroobius Pip says is "'It Ain't No Fun' by Snoop Dogg, featuring Warren G, Nate Dogg and Kurupt." The clip, titled "Le Sac Vs Pip Letter from X-factor", was featured in "The 10 Best Clips of the Month" in the October 2008 edition of Q magazine.,^[6][7] the video also included a voice over from Zane Lowe.

They have also appeared on the BBC's Sound, NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, with Scroobius Pip appearing by himself on the BBC's Newsnight Review and Setanta Sport Channel, he has also been interviewed and performed live on Stephen Merchant's show on BBC 6 Music.^[8]

They spent 2009 recording their second studio album, The Logic of Chance which was released in March 2010, preceded by the single "Get Better".

In September 2011 Scroobius Pip released his second solo album Distraction Pieces through the label Strange Famous Records (USA) and Scroobius Pips own Speech Development Records (UK). It debuted at #35 in the UK album charts.

Music and influences[link]

The duo’s music includes Hip-Hop, Electronica, and Pop. On the duo's Facebook page they cite many influences including Sage Francis, Gil Scott-Heron, Chilly Gonzales, KRS-One, Rakim, Atmosphere, Purple Ronnie, Joy Division, Kraftwerk, Clark, El-P, Gorecki, Devendra Banhart, Beta Band, and Mogwai.^[9]

Live gigs and tours[link]

Since March 2007, they have undertaken multiple UK, US and European tours. The band have also appeared at the Glastonbury Festival '07, '09, '10 and '11. Reading and Leeds Festival '07 and '08, Lounge on the Farm '09, Bestival '07, '08, '09 and '10 Camp Bestival '08, '09 and '10, Beat-Herder festival in '10, Lowlands '08 and '10, Pukkelpop, Fuji Rock Festival, Coachella, Monolith Festival, Dour Festival, Beatherder '10, Pohoda festival '10, Electric Picnic '10 & Beach Break Live '10, Greenbelt Festival '09, they played their first headline festival slot at 2000 Trees '11.

Remixes[link]

dan le sac also works as a remix producer, he has to date been commissioned to remix Biffy Clyro, Bat for Lashes (feat Scroobius Pip), Eddy Temple Morris's Losers (feat Riz Ahmed (AKA Riz Mc) and Envy), The Maccabees, King Blues (feat Scroobius Pip), Dub Pistols, This is Radio Freedom, Micachu, Tired Irie, Playdoe, Producers with Computers, Yila and has undertaken unsolicited remixes of Elastica, Radiohead, Florence And The Machine, Joy Division, Tricky and Bob Dylan.^[10]

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Albums[link]

References[link]

Notes

Bibliography

External links[link]

• Official website

Sage Francis
Background information
Birth name	Paul Francis
Born	(1976-11-18) November 18, 1976 (age 35) Miami, Florida
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, Spoken word artist
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Strange Famous Records, Anticon, Epitaph Records, ANTI-
Associated acts	Non-Prophets, Joe Beats, B. Dolan, Art Official Intelligence
Website	www.sagefrancis.net

Paul "Sage" Francis (born November 18, 1976) is a hip hop artist from Providence, Rhode Island. He is a founder of Strange Famous Records.

History[link]

Born Paul Francis in Miami, Florida, Sage Francis is a rapper, writer and performer from Providence, Rhode Island. He is a founder and CEO of the independent hip hop record label Strange Famous Records. The label first began as a way for him to release his previously unreleased songs in the late 1990s. It has since evolved into an official enterprise with an expanding roster of like-minded artists. He released several Sick Of mixtapes available only on his tours and website.

Sage Francis won the Scribble Jam emcee battle in 2000. In 2001, the song "Makeshift Patriot," recorded on October 11, 2001, became an Internet hit for its critique of American media during, and immediately following, the September 11 attacks. He released the critically acclaimed first solo album Personal Journals in 2002. He signed to Epitaph Records, making himself the first hip hop artist to sign with the punk rock label. He subsequently released three albums with Epitaph Records; A Healthy Distrust, Human the Death Dance and Li(f)e.^[1][2]

Sage Francis is also part of the contemporary spoken word movement. His relationship with the Providence poetry slam community (he was on their 1998, 1999 and 2002 national poetry slam teams^[3]) led to it being called "The House that Sage Francis Built."^[4] From 2000 to 2002, he also DJ-ed for the NYC-Urbana poetry slam, a weekly slam series held at the legendary punk rock venue CBGB.^[5]

Sage Francis has done extensive live shows as well, whether it was battling during Scribble Jam, as well as doing live shows for the past two decades. He has done shows with Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Eyedea & Abilities among others. Most recently, he has toured with B. Dolan and Buddy Wakefield who are both artists on Strange Famous Records.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Personal Journals (2002)
• A Healthy Distrust (2005)
• Human the Death Dance (2007)
• Li(f)e (2010)^[6]

[edit] Sick of mixtapes

• Sick of Waiting... (1999)
• Still Sick... Urine Trouble (2000)
• Sick of Waiting Tables (2000)
• Sick of Waging War (2001)
• Sickly Business (2004)
• Still Sickly Business (2005)
• Sick of Wasting (2009)

Live albums[link]

• Dead Poet Live Album (2004)
• Road Tested (2003–2005) (2005)

DVDs[link]

• Life Is Easy (2005)

References[link]

External links and further reading[link]

• Official website
• Strange Famous Records
• Sage Francis on Twitter
• Strange Famous Forum
• KnowMore: The People's Corporation Watch Project
• Interview for Slap Magazine (Dead Link)
• Interview for Scene Missing Magazine
• Sage Francis Interview with Chuck D.
• Interview with Sage Francis 2010
• Interview: Sage Francis | The Find Magazine (2010)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2010)

MC Lyte
Background information
Birth name	Lana Michele Moorer
Born	(1971-10-11) October 11, 1971 (age 40) Brooklyn, New York
Genres	Hip hop, R&B
Occupations	Emcee-songwriter, narrator, mentor, actress
Years active	1986–present
Labels	DuBose Music Group[1] First Priority Music Elektra Records
Website	MC Lyte.com

MC Lyte (born Lana Michele Moorer; October 11, 1971) is an American rapper who first gained fame in the late-1980s becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock.

Early life[link]

Lyte was born Lana Michelle Moorer in 1971. Raised in Brooklyn, Lyte began rapping at the age of 12. Two of her brothers later formed the hip-hop duo, Audio Two, which later helped to collaborate on Lyte's records. Lyte recorded her first song, "I Cram to Understand U (Sam)", in 1986. Lyte had originally written the song in 1984. The song, about a relationship that fell apart due to the protagonist's lover's crack addiction, got her notice from First Priority, who signed Lyte in late 1987. Soon after she was signed with Atlantic Records by its VP Sylvia Rhone.

Musical career[link]

Her first album, Lyte as a Rock, was released in September 1988 and was noted for the hit "Paper Thin" and the battle rap, "10% Dis", which was a response from then-Hurby Azor associate Antoinette. Both rappers released battle records against each other. Lyte followed her debut with 1989's Eyes on This, which spawned the hits "Cha Cha Cha" and "Cappucino". Both albums were notable for Lyte's uncensored lyrical matter. Lyte sweetened up a little on 1991's Act Like You Know, noted for its new jack swing sound and the hit single, "Poor Georgie". Lyte's fourth album, 1993's Ain't No Other, became her first to reach gold status and was notable for her first top 40 pop hit, "Ruffneck". Lyte became a featured artist on hits by Janet Jackson and Brandy in 1994.

Two years afterwards, Lyte's fifth album, Bad As I Wanna B, featured production from Jermaine Dupri and Sean Combs and featured the hits "Keep On, Keepin' On" and "Cold Rock a Party", which featured then up-and-coming rapper, songwriter and producer Missy Elliott. This album was her first with East West Records and became successful after the aforementioned singles became big hits with "Keep On Keepin' On" peaking at the top ten and "Cold Rock a Party" peaking at number-eleven. It was her second gold album. Her 1998 follow-up, Seven & Seven, however, wasn't as successful and she left East West by the end of the decade. Lyte released the independently produced record The Undaground Heat featuring Jamie Foxx, in 2003, notable for the song, "Ride Wit Me". The single was nominated for both a Grammy and a BET award.

Acting career[link]

Lyte has been featured on television as herself on such shows as MTV Unplugged, In Living Color, Moesha, New York Undercover, My Wife and Kids, and Sisters in the Name of Rap. She has also acted on TV as a character (not as "MC Lyte") in such shows as In the House, Get Real, Half & Half, and The District.

Her first acting role was in 1991, an off Broadway theater play entitled Club Twelve, a Hip-hop twist on The Twelfth Night alongside Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Lisa Nicole Carson. After she acted in a film was in the 1993 movie titled Fly by Night, starring alongside Jeffrey Sams, Ron Brice, and Steve Gomer. Since then she has also starred other films, such as A Luv Tale (1999), Train Ride (2000), Civil Brand (2002) and Playa's Ball (2003). She guest starred with Tyler the Creator and Childish Gambino on Regular Show.

Other activities[link]

In 1996 Lyte began what is now a very successful voice over career. She has voiced campaigns with several corporate brands. Lyte also voiced a short-lived BET show called "The Boot"^[2] and has just signed on to become a voice for the branding of the STARZ network.

In 2007 Lyte joined the cast of MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar^[3] and coached Shar Jackson to a hip hop mc victory in a mere 8 weeks. During that same time Lyte hit the road in between shooting and joined The Roots for a nationwide VH1 House of Blues Tour.

She has also recently opened Shaitel, a Los Angeles boutique that specializes in accessories from belts to sunglasses. "We sell a mixture of new and vintage [items]," explains Lyte. "We also have a few signature pieces that are done just for the store. We boast to bring a little New York flavor out here to California." ^[4]

In February 2006, her diary, as well as a turntable, records, and other assorted ephemera from the early days of hip hop, were donated to the Smithsonian Institution.^[5] This collection, entitled "Hip-Hop Won’t Stop: The Beat, The Rhymes, The Life" is a program to assemble objects of historical relevance to the hip hop genre from its inception.^[6]

In October 2006, MC Lyte was one of the honored hip hop artists on VH1's annual award show Hip Hop Honors.^[7] She was joined by fellow female MC's Da Brat, Remy Ma, and Lil' Kim as they performed some of her tracks, "Cha Cha Cha," "Lyte as a Rock," "Paper-Thin," and "Ruffneck." She previously took part in the MTV reality series Celebrity Rap Superstar as the mentor of Moesha actress Shar Jackson. She is also an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

In 2005, she released two songs produced by Richard "Wolfie" Wolf called "Can I Get It Now" & "Don't Walk Away" (with Meechie), both available at the iTunes store. In 2007, she released a song called "Mad at Me" available at the iTunes store. In 2008, she released two songs called "Juke Joint" (on both UK & US) & "Get Lyte" (exclusive to US) available at the iTunes store. In 2009, she released a song at the iTunes store called "Brooklyn."

MC Lyte's song "My main aim" is the title song for the console and computer game 'NBA Live 2005' by 'EA sports'.

Discography[link]

See also[link]

• Kalamazoo, Michigan

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• blog
• blog
• MC Lyte Interview, 9/15/09

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2011)

Darryl Gibson, better known by his stage name Positive K (sometimes stylized as +K), is an American emcee from the Bronx, New York City, New York, and is one of the original artists of the First Priority Music camp. He is best known for his hits "I'm Not Havin' It" (a duet with MC Lyte) and his 1992 hit "I Got a Man",^[1] which borrows its male/female dialogue format from the aforementioned "I'm Not Havin' It".

Music career[link]

Positive K started his career in 1986, making his debut on a Hip-Hop showcase album Fast Money for a small, short-lived independent label called Star Maker. Aside from featuring a track by Hip-Hop legend Disco Dave, Fast Money also featured the debut recording of Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock. Later on, he was picked up by Nat Robinson's First Priority Music under the management of Lumumba Carson (the son of activist Sonny Carson) before Carson would become better known as X-Clan founding member Professor X The Overseer.

Positive K scored a major hit with 1992's "I Got a Man." The song peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1993. Leading up to that, he made appearances in underground compilations including one called "I'm Not Havin' It," a duet with MC Lyte—that raised his profile. A guest spot on Brand Nubian’s One for All and another on Grand Puba's Reel to Reel, along with a self-released, Big Daddy Kane-produced single, "Nightshift", set the stage for The Skills Dat Pay Da Bills, his full-length debut, released on Island Records. The album balanced themes of Nation of Gods and Earths with gangsta-isms and more pop-based moments. Meanwhile, he kept his Creative Control label in operation, signing and cultivating new talent. He was featured on WYBE's Old School Show, where he was awarded the #3 slot on the list of early hip-hop pioneers.

In 1993, Positive K appeared with Beavis and Butt-head on The Beavis and Butt-head Experience in a remix of "Come to Butt-head." The song is hidden at the end of the album on the same CD track as "I Got You Babe," which Beavis & Butt-head performed with Cher. The same year, Positive K briefly appeared in the Robert De Niro film A Bronx Tale as one of the angry protesters.

In 2006, Positive K appeared on Nas' "Where Are They Now" '90s remix.

Discography[link]

References[link]

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