Kashif Saleem, previously Michael Jones (December 26, 1959 β September 25, … Read Full Bio ↴Kashif Saleem, previously Michael Jones (December 26, 1959 β September 25, 2016), was an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, record producer, artist, composer, author, director and educator from New York City. Kashif first taught himself to play a $3 song flute at age seven and later the piano in the basement of his church. At age 15, Kashif joined B. T. 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.
Together with Stevie Wonder he is considered a pioneer in urban music thanks to his specific synthesizer technology approach and the introduction of MIDI in his production.
Kashif was born Michael Jones on December 26, 1959, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. His only connection to his birth family is his birth certificate, which indicates that his biological mother was incarcerated when he was four months old. He was immediately put in foster care. He was constantly abused physically and mentally by his foster parents, and at the age of six, he moved into a more stable foster home. His introduction to music came in the form of a $3.00 song flute when he was in elementary school. He was instantly hooked and insisted on playing his flute all throughout the school day. His teacher encouraged him and delivered on her promise that she would help to enroll him at a junior high school that had a great music program. That is where he first learned to play trumpet, piano, flute, saxophone, and tuba. By age 12, with the mentoring of his junior high school music teacher (Robert Wedlaw) he had mastered several musical instruments and began performing in some of New York's finest night clubs (The Copacabana and Lloyd Price's Turntable).
In 1974, at the age of 15, Kashif was recruited as a keyboard player and vocalist to join the funk band B. T. Express, whose credits included the hits "Here Comes The Express" and "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)", among others. Seeking a more challenging musical assignment in 1978, Kashif exited B. T. Express and landed a job as a keyboardist for R&B musician Stephanie Mills.
In 1983, Kashif signed with Arista Records as a solo artist and continued with hits like "I Just Got To Have You, Lover Turn Me On", "Stone Love", "Help Yourself to My Love", and the Grammy-nominated instrumental "The Mood". In 1984, his second album, Send Me Your Love resulted in two Grammy nominations, "Edgartown Groove", featuring Al Jarreau, and the instrumental "Call Me Tonight" along with the hits "Baby Don't Break Your Baby's Heart" and "Are You the Woman". Introduced to Arista by Milton Allen, its artist development director in 1983, his self-titled debut Kashif (1983) spawned the hits "I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)", "Stone Love", "Help Yourself to My Love", and "Say Something Love". With this release, Kashif was well received as an innovator in music, as R&B artists were only beginning to experiment with synthesizers and other electronic instruments. He is said to have been Arista Records' attempt to respond to Warner Bros. Records' Prince.
In 1981 Kashif wrote and produced the hit "I'm in Love" for Evelyn "Champagne" King, which was a shift in sound from King's "Shame" to a minimalist becoming Kashif's signature sound. The song revitalized King's career and branded Kashif as one of the most sought-after producers of the day. Over the next ten years, he created hit after hit including "So Fine" for Howard Johnson, "Love Come Down", "Betcha She Don't Love You". and "Back To Love", among many others.
His other albums include Send Me Your Love and Condition of the Heart. On the album Love Changes, ExposΓ© provided background vocals. 1989's Kashif, with the cover of the Four Tops' hit "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got", "Baby Don't Break Your Baby's Heart", and "Are You the Woman",
Kashif can be heard on releases by Kenny G, George Benson, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Johnny Kemp, Melba Moore, Dionne Warwick, Giorge Pettus, Stacy Lattisaw, Meli'sa Morgan, ExposΓ©, The Wootens, Freda Payne, Whitney Houston, and others. His Grammy nominations are for the instrumentals "The Mood", "Call Me Tonight", "Edgartown Groove" featuring Al Jarreau.
In 1985, he received another Grammy nomination for another instrumental entitled "The Movie Song". He also wrote and produced "Inside Love" for his musical idol, George Benson. It was during this time that he met and launched the career of then unknown Kenny G with "Hi How Ya Doin" and "Nighttime in Tribeca".
In 1985, Kashif teamed up with then newcomer, Whitney Houston. The result was the hit "You Give Good Love". Kashif also produced and was her duet partner on "Thinking About You", a single track from Houston's 17-million selling (30 million until current day) debut album. The album became the bestselling debut album by a female artist. Kashif also produced "Where You Are" on Houston's second project, the result, a 15-million selling (25 million until current day) album entitled Whitney.
In 1987, he produced "Love Changes", a chart topper in which Me'lisa Morgan was his duet partner and that name was taken from his bestselling album, which had the same name. The track also appears on Meli'sa Morgan's album Good Love. Also contained on that album was another duet that yielded yet another international hit, the song "Reservations For Two" with Dionne Warwick. Between 1987 and 1989, Kashif continued to churn out the hits for Jermaine Jackson, The Stylistics, Melba Moore, George Benson, Stacy Lattisaw, and many others.
In 1996, with an invitation from the UCLA Extension program, Kashif created "Contemporary Record Production With Kashif". He also wrote and self-published the book "Everything You'd Better Know About The Record Industry"; it has sold over 375,000 copies worldwide.
In 2000, Kashif produced the theme song for the Para-Olympics, and wrote and produced "Brooklyn Breezes" for R&B great Will Downing. He also co-produced along with George Duke the Duke Ellington Tribute CD for The Duke Ellington Foundation. On November 14, 2004, Kashif was inducted into the R&B Hall of Fame as a "Living Legend". That year Janet Jackson's hit "R&B Junkie" used a sample of "I'm in Love" written and produced by Kashif.
Growing up in the foster care system has inspired Kashif to lend his time and energy to help find ways to improve the lives of the more than 518,000 young people who are in foster care every day in America. In 2006, he created and founded Team iCare Foundation and produced the very first Walk/Run for Foster Care at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. The result was 247 individuals signed up to become foster parents. He also created the Mentorship Dinner Cruise for youth in foster care, an event where 200 youth went on a cruise in Marina Del Rey, California and were paired with 250 professionals in various industries for the purpose of creating mentoring relationships.
Kashif has received community awards from the California State Senate, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villariagosa, all five Los Angeles County members of the Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Children & Family Services and others. In 2006, Kashif founded Kashif University, which was located on the campus of Morningside High School in Inglewood California. It is an integrated education and arts training program for at-risk-youth ages 8β18.
Kashif has also added Producer/Director to his list of talents. He has written, directed, and produced commercials and corporate films for Hyundai Motors America, Casey Family Programs, UPS, St. Joseph Health System, Patten Academy, and many others. Kashif is currently producing and directing a ten-part documentary series entitled "The History of R&B Music and Its Influence on World Culture" for worldwide distribution.
Together with Stevie Wonder he is considered a pioneer in urban music thanks to his specific synthesizer technology approach and the introduction of MIDI in his production.
Kashif was born Michael Jones on December 26, 1959, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. His only connection to his birth family is his birth certificate, which indicates that his biological mother was incarcerated when he was four months old. He was immediately put in foster care. He was constantly abused physically and mentally by his foster parents, and at the age of six, he moved into a more stable foster home. His introduction to music came in the form of a $3.00 song flute when he was in elementary school. He was instantly hooked and insisted on playing his flute all throughout the school day. His teacher encouraged him and delivered on her promise that she would help to enroll him at a junior high school that had a great music program. That is where he first learned to play trumpet, piano, flute, saxophone, and tuba. By age 12, with the mentoring of his junior high school music teacher (Robert Wedlaw) he had mastered several musical instruments and began performing in some of New York's finest night clubs (The Copacabana and Lloyd Price's Turntable).
In 1974, at the age of 15, Kashif was recruited as a keyboard player and vocalist to join the funk band B. T. Express, whose credits included the hits "Here Comes The Express" and "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)", among others. Seeking a more challenging musical assignment in 1978, Kashif exited B. T. Express and landed a job as a keyboardist for R&B musician Stephanie Mills.
In 1983, Kashif signed with Arista Records as a solo artist and continued with hits like "I Just Got To Have You, Lover Turn Me On", "Stone Love", "Help Yourself to My Love", and the Grammy-nominated instrumental "The Mood". In 1984, his second album, Send Me Your Love resulted in two Grammy nominations, "Edgartown Groove", featuring Al Jarreau, and the instrumental "Call Me Tonight" along with the hits "Baby Don't Break Your Baby's Heart" and "Are You the Woman". Introduced to Arista by Milton Allen, its artist development director in 1983, his self-titled debut Kashif (1983) spawned the hits "I Just Gotta Have You (Lover Turn Me On)", "Stone Love", "Help Yourself to My Love", and "Say Something Love". With this release, Kashif was well received as an innovator in music, as R&B artists were only beginning to experiment with synthesizers and other electronic instruments. He is said to have been Arista Records' attempt to respond to Warner Bros. Records' Prince.
In 1981 Kashif wrote and produced the hit "I'm in Love" for Evelyn "Champagne" King, which was a shift in sound from King's "Shame" to a minimalist becoming Kashif's signature sound. The song revitalized King's career and branded Kashif as one of the most sought-after producers of the day. Over the next ten years, he created hit after hit including "So Fine" for Howard Johnson, "Love Come Down", "Betcha She Don't Love You". and "Back To Love", among many others.
His other albums include Send Me Your Love and Condition of the Heart. On the album Love Changes, ExposΓ© provided background vocals. 1989's Kashif, with the cover of the Four Tops' hit "Ain't No Woman Like the One I Got", "Baby Don't Break Your Baby's Heart", and "Are You the Woman",
Kashif can be heard on releases by Kenny G, George Benson, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Johnny Kemp, Melba Moore, Dionne Warwick, Giorge Pettus, Stacy Lattisaw, Meli'sa Morgan, ExposΓ©, The Wootens, Freda Payne, Whitney Houston, and others. His Grammy nominations are for the instrumentals "The Mood", "Call Me Tonight", "Edgartown Groove" featuring Al Jarreau.
In 1985, he received another Grammy nomination for another instrumental entitled "The Movie Song". He also wrote and produced "Inside Love" for his musical idol, George Benson. It was during this time that he met and launched the career of then unknown Kenny G with "Hi How Ya Doin" and "Nighttime in Tribeca".
In 1985, Kashif teamed up with then newcomer, Whitney Houston. The result was the hit "You Give Good Love". Kashif also produced and was her duet partner on "Thinking About You", a single track from Houston's 17-million selling (30 million until current day) debut album. The album became the bestselling debut album by a female artist. Kashif also produced "Where You Are" on Houston's second project, the result, a 15-million selling (25 million until current day) album entitled Whitney.
In 1987, he produced "Love Changes", a chart topper in which Me'lisa Morgan was his duet partner and that name was taken from his bestselling album, which had the same name. The track also appears on Meli'sa Morgan's album Good Love. Also contained on that album was another duet that yielded yet another international hit, the song "Reservations For Two" with Dionne Warwick. Between 1987 and 1989, Kashif continued to churn out the hits for Jermaine Jackson, The Stylistics, Melba Moore, George Benson, Stacy Lattisaw, and many others.
In 1996, with an invitation from the UCLA Extension program, Kashif created "Contemporary Record Production With Kashif". He also wrote and self-published the book "Everything You'd Better Know About The Record Industry"; it has sold over 375,000 copies worldwide.
In 2000, Kashif produced the theme song for the Para-Olympics, and wrote and produced "Brooklyn Breezes" for R&B great Will Downing. He also co-produced along with George Duke the Duke Ellington Tribute CD for The Duke Ellington Foundation. On November 14, 2004, Kashif was inducted into the R&B Hall of Fame as a "Living Legend". That year Janet Jackson's hit "R&B Junkie" used a sample of "I'm in Love" written and produced by Kashif.
Growing up in the foster care system has inspired Kashif to lend his time and energy to help find ways to improve the lives of the more than 518,000 young people who are in foster care every day in America. In 2006, he created and founded Team iCare Foundation and produced the very first Walk/Run for Foster Care at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. The result was 247 individuals signed up to become foster parents. He also created the Mentorship Dinner Cruise for youth in foster care, an event where 200 youth went on a cruise in Marina Del Rey, California and were paired with 250 professionals in various industries for the purpose of creating mentoring relationships.
Kashif has received community awards from the California State Senate, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villariagosa, all five Los Angeles County members of the Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Children & Family Services and others. In 2006, Kashif founded Kashif University, which was located on the campus of Morningside High School in Inglewood California. It is an integrated education and arts training program for at-risk-youth ages 8β18.
Kashif has also added Producer/Director to his list of talents. He has written, directed, and produced commercials and corporate films for Hyundai Motors America, Casey Family Programs, UPS, St. Joseph Health System, Patten Academy, and many others. Kashif is currently producing and directing a ten-part documentary series entitled "The History of R&B Music and Its Influence on World Culture" for worldwide distribution.
Are You the Woman
Kashif Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Will you love me when the chips are down?
I thought that I should know
Are you the woman to love me here tonight?
And can you love me like your loving's on your mind?
And are you the woman
And would you swear to me?
You wouldn't take advantage
Of the love I give sincerely
So come on woman, make this love full time
Take this love into your heart
Make it the best that you can get
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Will you love me when the chips are down?
I thought that I should ask
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me to the end of my time?
Will you be mine if the chips are down? Oh, baby
I thought that I should know
Are you the girl to
Make me promise you that night?
Are you the woman
Can you make things come to life?
'Cause if you're the woman
And you're really into me
You gotta make me this promise
That you'll never wait for security
If you love me, baby
Lay me down to sleep
Take this love I give you, honey
And say that it's always for keeps
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Will you love me when the chips are down?
I thought that I should ask, oh
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me till the end of my time?
Will you be mine if the chips are down? Down now, baby
I thought that I should know
'Cause if you love me, baby
And you lay me down to sleep
Take this love I give to you, honey
And say that it's always for keeps
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Every time
Are you the woman?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the one?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Will you love me when the chips are down?
I thought that I should know
Are you the woman to love me here tonight?
And are you the woman
And would you swear to me?
You wouldn't take advantage
Of the love I give sincerely
So come on woman, make this love full time
Take this love into your heart
Make it the best that you can get
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Will you love me when the chips are down?
I thought that I should ask
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me to the end of my time?
Will you be mine if the chips are down? Oh, baby
I thought that I should know
Are you the girl to
Make me promise you that night?
Are you the woman
Can you make things come to life?
'Cause if you're the woman
And you're really into me
You gotta make me this promise
That you'll never wait for security
If you love me, baby
Lay me down to sleep
Take this love I give you, honey
And say that it's always for keeps
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Will you love me when the chips are down?
I thought that I should ask, oh
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me till the end of my time?
Will you be mine if the chips are down? Down now, baby
I thought that I should know
'Cause if you love me, baby
And you lay me down to sleep
Take this love I give to you, honey
And say that it's always for keeps
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Every time
Are you the woman?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the? Are you the?
The song "Are You the Woman" by Kashif is a soulful love song that expresses the singer's desire to find a woman who will love him unconditionally. The repeated question "Are you the woman?" emphasizes the importance of finding the right person to share his life with. Kashif asks the woman if she will love him through thick and thin, and when the chips are down, showing his vulnerability and need for support.
The singer also wants to make sure that the love he gives is not taken advantage of by the woman he loves. He asks her to promise him that she will never wait for security before expressing her feelings. He wants her to take his love and keep it for always.
Overall, the song conveys the message that finding the right person takes time and effort, and when you find someone who loves you unconditionally, it's worth holding onto them.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one that I am looking for?
Are you the one?
Are you the person that will make me happy?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Will you stand by me no matter what happens?
Will you love me when the chips are down?
Will you still love me when things get tough?
I thought that I should know
I need to be sure about your feelings for me
Are you the woman to love me here tonight?
Are you the one that will love me tonight?
And can you love me like your loving's on your mind?
Can you show me that you love me with all your heart?
And would you swear to me?
Can you promise me?
You wouldn't take advantage
You won't use me for your own benefit
Of the love I give sincerely
Of the love that I give you wholeheartedly
So come on woman, make this love full time
Let's make our love a full-time commitment
Take this love into your heart
Accept my love and keep it in your heart
Make it the best that you can get
Make our love the best it can be
Are you the girl to make me promise you that night?
Are you the person that will make me promise something tonight?
Are you the woman?
Are you the one for me?
Can you make things come to life?
Can you make our dreams come true?
'Cause if you're the woman
Because if you are the one
And you're really into me
And you truly love me
You gotta make me this promise
You need to make me this commitment
That you'll never wait for security
That you won't wait for assurance before loving me
If you love me, baby
If you truly love me
Lay me down to sleep
Stay with me and comfort me
Take this love I give you, honey
Accept my love, my dear
And say that it's always for keeps
And promise me that you will keep it forever
Are you the woman?
Are you the one for me?
Every time
Always
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL JONES, MICHAEL KASHIF JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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GloomyMilk
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Will you love me when the chips are down?
I thought that I should know
Are you the woman to love me here tonight?
And can you love me like your loving's on your mind?
And are you the woman
And would you swear to me?
You wouldn't take advantage
Of the love I give sincerely
So come on woman, make this love full time
Take this love into your heart
Make it the best that you can get
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Will you love me when the chips are down?
I thought that I should ask
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me to the end of my time?
Will you be mine if the chips are down? Oh, baby
I thought that I should know
Are you the girl to
Make me promise you that night?
Are you the woman
Can you make things come to life?
'Cause if you're the woman
And you're really into me
You gotta make me this promise
That you'll never wait for security
If you love me, baby
Lay me down to sleep
Take this love I give you, honey
And say that it's always for keeps
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Will you love me when the chips are down?
I thought that I should ask, oh
Are you the woman, the woman?
Are you the one?
Will you love me till the end of my time?
Will you be mine if the chips are down? Down now, baby
I thought that I should know
'Cause if you love me, baby
And you lay me down to sleep
Take this love I give to you, honey
And say that it's always for keeps
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Are you the woman?
Will you love me through my thick and thin?
Every time
Are you the woman?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the? Are you the?
Are you the? Are you the?
Ryan Hndrxx
β10 Freaky Girlsβ - 21 savage π€£π₯
Alice Dandara
In peace ββ may you're rest π΅ππ»
cary goldsberry
Me too
Haziq
same
Ricardo de Groot
metro boomin*
John Hendrickson
RIP Kashif, a great producer who helped launch a lot of careers, including Whitney Houston (who's singing in the background on this track)..... Gone 2 soon!
Romano Reid
OmgβI was actually young and in love..
sergio pp
I m from spain ....and i love this songgg ....yeahh kashif and dearest whitneyy rip 4 ever....
Antonia Shinn
Wow just heard her.
Daniel Porter
Unky Unk Yes He Launched Kenny G's Career But Got No. Credit