When did you first fall in love with music?

For me, I still remember the day I got my first boom box. It was pink. I couldn’t wait to get it out the box so I could commence to “letting my tape rock ’til my tape popped.”

Salt and Pepa talking about “Push it real good!”

Big Daddy Kane the “Smooth Operator” used to get “Raw” through my speakers.

And of course I had the requisite LL Cool J poster from “Word Up” magazine on my wall. I would stare at it and pretend I was the only “Around the Way” girl he needed. I tell you, he wouldn’t be talking about needing love if only he would find me.

I wanted to go and talk to Devante Swing. Write a “4 Page Letter” with Aaliyah. I felt Dru Hill’s pain as if I had found someone sleeping “In My Bed.”

I didn’t think it could get any better.

That is, until I first heard D’Angelo crooning something about that “Brown Sugar.” I sure did get high up off his love and didn’t know how to behave!

It was as if Mary J. Blige was my girl helping me through the pain of unrequited love because she knew all about “going down” if he wasn’t around.

Who remembers wondering just what Erykah Badu had under that head wrap as you grooved to “On and On?”

I vividly recall the day an old high school friend told me to run, not walk and pick up this hot new album that would bless me the moment I pressed play. Skeptical, I asked, “Who is Jill Scott?”

Music has and always will be a part of me. A year ago, I created my own blog, Songs in the Key of Life, because I needed a space to share my deep passion for music and how it has impacted my life. I never would have imagined the journey ahead of me as I pressed “publish” on the first post.

Now I am considered a tastemaker in the music industry. My You Tube channel has over 500 videos of concerts I’ve attended and reviewed over the past year. I’m invited to private artist events where my opinions on the music are heard and respected.

My long standing love affair with artists on the B-Side has grown with each new discovery of underrated talent that you won’t likely hear on the radio every hour on the hour. Their music soothes, stimulates, lifts, focuses, inspires, drives and several other emotions that I hope to share in this space as I shine the spotlight on these artists and introduce you to some new music to add to your collections.

So, share some of you favorite B-Side artists in the comments. They just may show up in a future post!

Danielle “Vivrant Thang” Hatchett is a freelance writer and blogger living life like it’s golden in the DC Metro area. She is the creator of Songs in the Key of Life, a music blog (with the occasional personal element) that spotlights underrated soul artists who “don’t be gettin no airplay.” She also maintains a companion You Tube channel where you can view footage of all of her concert adventures. Vivrant Thang has a regular spot here on Urban Thought Collective, and can be contacted at vivrantthang8@gmail.com.

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Despite a procession of witnesses who identified Kelly and the alleged victim, Roshonda Landfair, in the kinky home video, jurors decided that they couldn’t tell who the young female in the tape is (although most were convinced that the man is Kelly). “You want to be 100 percent sure… (and) what we had wasn’t enough,” said one juror.

That’s deep. “110%” sure was the term used by R. Kelly’s former personal assistant, Lindsay Perryman, one of several witnesses who recognized the alleged victim. Along with Perryman, a handful of Ms. Landfair’s former classmates and longtime friends, plus an adult guardian, two of her former basketball coaches and a retired Chicago PD detective were all certain that Roshonda Landfair is the underage girl on the tape. But the jury was confused.

Following the script of so many previous sexual misconduct cases, the R. Kelly trial shifted away from the accused exploiter of teenage girls and onto those pointing the finger at him. The defense made a huge deal out of claiming that prosecution witness Lisa Van Allen (the woman who said she had threesomes with Kelly and a teenage Landfair) tried to shake Kelly down for big money in exchange for her silence. Jurors apparently fell for the defense argument that the case was “all about extortion” and factored that into their non-guilty verdict.

I don’t doubt that Van Allen may have tried to squeeze R. Kelly for money. Just like I don’t doubt that Kelly offered her $250,000 to recover a different sex tape. But even if Van Allen was an extortionist, what does that prove? That she was out to get him? Maybe. But it does not prove that of all those other witnesses were wrong. And it sure as heck doesn’t prove that Kelly is innocent.

According to the Associated Press, R. Kelly was “visibly stunned” when the not guilty verdicts were read. O.J. Simpson had the same look on his face when he got off. Michael Jackson may have had the look, too, but it seems that his face is no longer capable of registering visible expressions. Guilty people are often stunned when they get away with mess – especially when a convincing case has been built against them. Make no mistake, the case against R. Kelly is more than convincing and in the Court of Common Sense. He’s guilty as sin.

This is the same guy who settled three similar cases out of court, married a 15-year-old girl (Aaliyah) and was cold-busted with explicit photos of an underage girl on his still camera (that case didn’t reach Florida courts because an appeals court ruled that the search warrant the cops used when they found the pics was issued improperly).

But the Pied Piper will no doubt play on – in the studio, onstage and probably behind closed doors. His fans don’t care and the Hip Hop Nation will probably give Roshonda Landfair a merit badge for “not snitching.”

Cameron Turner is graduate of Stanford University whose editorials, entertainment news features and audio documentaries have appeared on national radio networks, online and in print for over 20 years.

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The 41-year-old has plead not guilty, and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Over the last six years, I have spoken out and led protests against R. Kelly at his Los Angeles concerts, as well as the NAACP Image awards. This is an organization that had the audacity to nominate a pedophile for an “image” award in 2005.

So, the fact that I led a protest against R. Kelly outside the courthouse on Friday morning in Chicago came as no surprise to anyone that has followed this saga. I have been the target of hate e-mail and criticism by R. Kelly’s management and his ghetto supporters who claim the Kelly is innocent and deserves his day in court.

I believe Kelly is guilty. However, I agree that he deserves his day in court. We have waited six long years for this day. If he was really innocent, and wanted to clear his name, he wouldn’t have allowed his high-priced legal team of lawyers to drag this out for several years with delay after delay.

My criticism of Kelly (I deem him the “world’s greatest pedophile”) begins from the fact that he married the late R&B singer Aaliyah in 1995, when she was just 15 years old. The couple’s marriage certificate was published in “Vibe Magazine” and newspapers world wide. The marriage was later annulled by her parents. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel that it is wrong for a grown man to marry and have sex with a 15 year-old?

Over the years, Kelly also has settled at least four out of court settlements in Chicago with other underage teens and their families for undisclosed amounts of cash.

No one can dispute that R. Kelly is a musical genius. But, he has a proven track record of being a pedophile. If black men can’t stand up and defend our children and family from sexual predators, who do we expect to do this for us?

R. Kelly needs to brought to justice and locked up. His fame will not save or help him in prison if he’s convicted. Kelly will be washing someone’s socks and drawers if he’s put away. I don’t have any sympathy for Kelly or other child molesters. I have waited six years for Kelly to be brought to justice. Let the trial begin!

Najee Ali is Executive Director of Project Islamic H.O.P.E, a national civil rights organization that advocates for the human rights of oppressed people regardless of race, gender or religion. He was selected by Wave Newspapers and Our Weekly Newspaper as one of the 25 most influential black leaders in Los Angeles. More information is available at: www.islamichope.org.

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