Rare Gems: Kashif- Don't Stop Your Love

Yassss…..The 80’s and all its synthesized, post-disco goodness. You know- songs that only 5 years earlier would have been considered Disco, if the entire genre wasn’t all but outlawed by the dawn of The Eighties. There’s something about this sound that I’ve always been fond of….Perhaps because it reminds me of childhood- because everything sounded like this back then, and that’s because of this guy right here.

Chances are that you may or may not have heard of Kashif. I won’t hold it against you if you haven’t- but make no mistake, you’ve certainly heard his work. His sound was all throughout 80’s R&B. In fact, it helped to shape the sound of 80’s R&B. Billed as Arista Records’ answer to Warner Brothers’ Prince, Kashif wrote/produced some of the biggest hits of the decade, such as “I’m in Love” & Betcha She Don’t Love You,” for Evelyn ‘Champagne King; “You Give Good Love,” for Whitney Houston; and the memorable duet “Love Changes” with Meli’sa Morgan.

For all his contributions to the industry, he never really got the credit he deserved for being at the forefront of the synthesized revolution that defined the day. So much so that even the folks at TV One gave him his own UnSung Episode. But for me, it was this cassette tape, Kashif’s self-titled debut album, that used to get major play on my boombox back in the day. Every song is a good song, complete with some funky, yet subtle guitar riffs. Take a listen….