Don+: Hip Hop, Islam and The Golden Girls

<p>Welcome to <a href="https://www.inthekeyofq.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In the Key of Q</a> the weekly podcast where I chat with inspiring Queer musicians from around the world as they share stories, inspirations and of course their music.</p><p>Don+ is an independent artist and writer who has been writing and making music since 2013. He gained recognition with his first EP Raw Rhythm and Words (<a href="https://music.apple.com/us/album/r-a-w-rhythm-and-words-ep/1575238032" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple</a> / <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4iJjvlAv5JL04Sx9MSO19L?si=42a451c8b6454c13" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>), which debuted in the top 40 on the <a href="http://www.itunescharts.net/uk/charts/songs/rnb-soul/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">iTunes RnB charts</a>.</p><p>He grew up in a house surrounded by music, from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNj9bXKGOiI" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Luther Vandross</a> to gospel and learned to make peace with the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/09/dababy-steps-is-hip-hop-finally-conquering-homophobia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">homophobia in some of Hip Hop</a>. With loved artists such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-wBxMcBpSY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">R Kelly</a> it was tough to separate the music from the man.</p><p>Christianity and Islam were highly influential, not an easy combo for a Black kid growing up in America's South. Despite attacks from many religious sides, he went on to find peace in his own sense of spirituality.</p><p>After testing HIV+ in what he thought was a monogamous relationship, Don+ took this news and ran with it. He became an advocate for people with HIV, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXBT6uzqQqU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">giving lessons in schools</a> to fight ignorance and stigma.</p><h2>Additional Material</h2><ul><li>Don+ on <a href="https://open.