R&B Producer/Musician and Recording Industry Entrepreneur
It is a short subway ride from Brooklyn's ghetto to the famed Radio City Music Hall. For foster care alum Kashif, this would become the journey of a lifetime transporting him from the despair of his childhood into the brilliant limelight of center stage.
Kashif is a versatile musical performer and innovator who first gained recognition as a member of the popular 70's R&B/funk band, BT Express. He also is the talented songwriter and record producer behind the smash hits of artists such as Whitney Houston, Kenny G., George Benson, Barry White and Lil Kim. His recordings have sold over 70 million copies worldwide and earned him top industry honors including six Grammy nominations and induction into the R&B Hall of Fame as a "Living Legend."
Like so many with a foster care background, Kashif's story is one of perseverance, youthful resilience and transformation. Never knowing his real parents, he endured an early life of abandonment and abuse. He grew up living in eight different foster homes in the poorest neighborhoods of Brooklyn. He recalls:
"I was four years old and had no idea that the family I was with was not my biological one. I found out the truth after I was removed from my home with no warning or time to emotionally prepare. They placed my sister and me with different foster families. I would never see her again."
Kashif discovered his artistic gifts at age seven when he first taught himself to play a $3 song flute and later the piano in the basement of his church. As he moved from family to family, music became a comforting refuge and the only common thread in the young boy's unstable life. At age 15, Kashif's musical skills took him through the door to a brighter future. He joined BT Express and performed on stages around the world. He studied Islam and changed his name from Michael Jones to Kashif, which means discoverer and inventor. He crafted his own distinctive sound and later signed with Arista Records enjoying success as a solo artist.
Today, Kashif lives in California and is CEO of Brooklyn Boy Entertainment where he is guiding the next generation of aspiring musical artists via his best-selling books, educational courses and software programs. In 2005, he established the iCare Foundation to raise awareness and funds for local foster care agencies and to help change the public perception of foster care. This year, he is opening a summer camp and releasing a clothing line for foster youth.
As a foster care alum and mentor to two adopted boys, Kashif understands firsthand the rewards that come from giving back. He says:
"Every child deserves and needs the love of a caring adult. There are so many single women and men who are unaware that they are eligible to foster a child, let alone become adoptive parents. Music helped me find my way. If I can share my knowledge and my heart, maybe other young people will grow up to realize their dreams, too."