Michael Khalfani aka DISCO DADDY

Michael Khalfani aka DISCO DADDY is the west coast's first dj/mc and 'rap' recording artist. He also was a member of the 'original' 'Soul Train Gang'.n August1981 at the Carolina West niteclub in Los Angeles Ca. he entered a 'rap' battle against an unknown rapper calling himself 'Tray’ sponsored by am radio station kgfj...he lost to this unknown rapper the first week but came back the second week and won and was offered a recording contract with the west coasts' first 'rap' record label .......

ORGANIC ZONE

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Those of you who know or follow ‘Disco Daddy’ know that I am an ‘organic’ ‘vegan’…meaning not only do I not eat meat but everything I do consume if possible is ‘organic’. 

But what does ‘organic’ really mean? And is there really a difference between an ‘organically’ grown fruit or vegetable and a ‘non-organic’ food? U BET THERE IS!!!

Most food bought and consumed by Amercians in there local markets are not ‘organic’ although many markets in the country now have ‘organic’ food sections. The demand for ‘organically’ grown food has risen dramatically in the past decade as revelations about ‘pesticides’ fertilizers and other chemicals used to keep pests at bay are having deleterious effects on the human body. In fact many people don’t know that their favorite foods and juices if not ‘organic’ may have the residue of hundreds of different’ pesticides in them or on them as well as other chemicals used to protect the plants on the farm.

Some of the most popular produce like ‘kale’ and ‘spinach’ are the most ‘contaminated if not bought in their ‘organic’ form.. Also strawberries apples cherries peaches are highly contaminated by a variety of ‘pesticides’.

So what’s the problem? The problem is that many of the latest scientific studies into food safety and the effects chemicals we use to protect out foods as they grow are turning out to have serious effects on human health…Studies are linking these substances to a variety of human cancers birth defects liver and kidney damage hormonal changes and changes and damage to human ‘DNA’ at the molecular level.

Many people don’t realize that many of the chemicals are ‘cumulative’…meaning they stay in the body in the liver or kidneys and damage these organs over time or trigger cancers…after years of consuming these substances many of the body’s’ defensive and repair mechanisms are influenced by these toxic substances resulting in ‘rare’ cancers’ and other abnormalities to the human genome.

‘Organic’ foods that have been grown without these chemicals have been shown to be healthier in the long run because there is minimal buildup of these substances and the body’s’ normal processes of turning the food we eat to fuel and energy can run smoothly…

Don’t just take my word the knowledge is out there…Google ‘the fifteen most contaminated foods(produce)…see if your food is on the list lol…then Google the ten least contaminated foods… Remember one ‘non-organic’ apple or strawberry won’t kill you…but a lifetime of eating food that has been contaminated with pesticides and ‘fertilizers’ can affect your health and the health of your children…

Organic foods cost more which may be a problem for families but if possible choosing what your families favorite foods are and then buying just those things you eat regularly is a start. Scientists are finding out there is much truth in the phrase: YOU ARE WHAT U EAT!!!…WORD…(below) a ‘peek’ into my ‘organic kitchen)

Hip-Hop originated in 1973 from a legendary block party in South Bronx and grew to become what is now a worldwide culture. Unsurprisingly, the biggest global audience for hip-hop music is found in the United States. The genre is so popular that in 2019, 52% of the top 100 most streamed songs were hip-hop. Virtually every country has some kind of local variation of hip-hop with its own characteristics built from the genre's American foundation in the early 1980s to the present. As we celebrate a half-century of hip-hop culture we must also celebrate its spread around the world and its’ effects to the various cultures it has influenced.

AFRICA…Hip-hop came to Africa as dance music with DJs in the 80s but became rap as we recognize it now in the early 90s with Nigerian artists Junior and Pretty who infused local languages into their music. Then once hip-hop started playing on tv and radios, young people all over the country started getting into it and it began popping up in essentially every city. It is now such an integral part of Nigerian culture, that when searching Nigerian hip-hop there are multiple websites made by and for Nigerian hip-hop fans. Hip-hop took root mostly in Lagos, the country's capital, when Nigeria was under oppressive military control. The genre then became used as an outlet for these experiences. Uganda and Ghana also have flourishing hip-hop cultures which is indicative of every African state which all have active hip-hip influences.

Europe…France is the second-largest market for hip-hop in the world behind only the United States, so it is no surprise that French hip-hop takes a form of its own. French rappers share similar pains of growing up in impoverished, urban areas with gang culture that face racism and other forms of oppression. The adaptation of hip-hop to speak to struggle has been carried out by and large by the minority group that faces the most oppression in France: Muslim people. This makes the content of French rap incredibly similar to its American counterpart, where African Americans have used hip-hop platforms to speak out politically about their societal positioning since the genre's inception. 

Politically conscious content is often produced by artists in the South of France, particularly from the city of Marseilles. In the north rappers often directly confront themes of drugs, gangs, and poverty. In addition to speaking out about oppression as well as struggles, the easy-going, boisterous, and flaunting themes of money, sex, and status are also featured in french hip-hop. Additionally, French hip-hop has a noticeable amount of African influence (emphasis on bass and drums with upbeat dance music) due to their large Sub-Saharan African immigrant population. Because of this, African French rappers will often discuss their struggles with invisibility within french society. Regardless of the heavy influence of American culture on French hip-hop, the lyrics are mainly in French. Often the only English in their songs are swear words or simply the song's title.

United Kingdom…Hip-hop in the United Kingdom is startlingly different from American hip-hop regardless of them both being performed entirely in English. A clear, immediate distinction between Americans and Britons is their difference in accent. UK hip-hop consistently features a heavy British accent, which contrasts heavily with mainstream expectations of British singing (that audibly isn't much different from American singing). This heavy accent is a key part of the genre, so much so that a sub-genre of UK hip-hop called grime is distinguishable purely by the thickness of this accent. In tandem with the thick accent, the bass in British hip-hop is central to the music and incredibly heavy. 

Using these few examples it is easy to extrapolate the effects of hip-hop culture thruout the rest of the world. 

What began as an American creation has touched every continent. And this article deals only with the influence of hip-hop music. Addressing the other components of hip-hop culture and their worldwide impact would require a whole separate article.

So as we begin hip-hops’ 50th celebration let us not forget the other cultures around the world that have embraced this uniquely American creation…The celebration should be and must be ‘WORLDWIDE’…PEACE

On Wednesday June 29,2022 R&B singer R.Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison following his conviction last year(2021) in Brooklyn on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. Charged and convicted on all nine counts the disgraced singer is now back in Chicago where he faces charges of running a years long scheme to buy back ‘sex’ taped he allegedly made with 5 underage girls. Prosecutors are also charging ‘Kelly’ and two associates including his manager Derrel McDavid with a decades long conspiracy to silence victims and witnesses.

Kelly has been imprisoned now for almost 3 years following his jailing on July 11,2019 in New York on the federal sex crimes and racketeering charges.

Now being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago his trial is expected to begin there on August 15th 2022.

The singer is appealing his New York conviction and the judges’ sentence(30years). In addition four other  indictments alleging sexual abuse by him in Cook county in February 2019 have yet to be scheduled for trial.

So as the sun seems to be setting on the R&B legends’ career there really are more questions about his legal situation than there are answers and a surprising new twist in an already complicated and convoluted case.

Although he was found not guilty in 2008 on child pornography charges in Cook county the county prosecutor is pursuing charges claiming he and associates tried to ‘rig’ the case possibly generating new charges.

All of this follows the release in 2019 of the documentary ’Surviving R. Kelly’ which sparked renewed interest in his alleged crimes involving underaged girls and his sex life.

It also didn’t help that his ex-wife ‘Drea Kelly’ who was married to the disgraced singer for 13 years and has three children by him came out and detailed years of ‘abuse’ by him during their marriage. She is now being sued for breaking a ‘non-disclosure’ agreement signed during the couple’s divorce. She says now that she is concerned about the future of her 3 children who will have to “live with the legacy of shame created by their father”. “I feel my heart is in two places”, she says,”my heart definitely goes out to the survivors and the courage that it takes to even come forward fbut my heart breaks as a mother because this is now the legacy that my children will have to deal with and their childrens children”.

Whatever the outcome of the new trial in Chicago it is clear that ‘R. Kelly’ will be spending the rest of his life or a good portion of it behind bars state and federal unless his appeals are successful.

Now a new twist in this sordid tale…a former victim aspiring singer ‘Jocelyn Savage’ says she is ‘engaged’ to R.Kelly. 

In a letter to a judge dated June 13th, before he was sentenced in New York she shared that she and the singer are ‘engaged’ and asked the judge to be ‘lenient’ in sentencing him. “My name is Joycelyn Savage, and I’m R. Kellys’ fiancé”, she says in the letter. “I’m writing this letter in support of Robert in advance of his sentencing,so I can explain to the court that I am not the victim that the government has portrayed me to be.” She went on in the letter to describe her relationship with Kelly as “amazing” and called him the “best thing that ever happened to me”

Jocelyn’s parents meanwhile believe that their daughter is still under the control of R.Kelly and expressed reservations about the ‘engagement’. Her family wishes to ‘reconnect with her to get the full story. They have not had much contact with their daughter since she left to be with the singer years ago.

So while no one knows where this story goes it is so far a lesson in life…’the higher u rise’ the ‘deeper u can fall’…

I personally can’t judge ‘R.Kelly’. I have always loved his music however and still do.

He was after ‘Marvin Gaye’ and ‘Luther Vandross’ the heir to the ‘R&B throne…now it seems his fate is one in which he will be sangin’ the ‘prison blues’…for a long time.

-- 

Michael T Smith

Sentenced
to 30 years

R. Kelly