DELRAY

'Stop the violence' is the message of Delray, a former Annapolitan who is now a popular rapper.

Last school year, Delray performed a concert at Annapolis High School and this year, he came back for round two. He held a concert promoting anti-violence for Annapolis High students in September with various rappers such as Melle Mel from Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five and Flawless.

At the concert, Delray had everyone getting out of their seats screaming and throwing up their hands. In addition, Delray kept the audience up by throwing out CDs and shirts.

Flawless, a local Annapolis rap group, opened for Delray and Melle Mel closed the show. At the end of the concert, Melle Mel had everyone come to the front and crowd the stage.

Delray is a role model for all Annapolitans, for he has shown that people from Annapolis can approach whatever career they want — no matter where they come from.

He started rapping at age 6 on the streets of Robinwood, Delray is now a Hollywood rapper who has co-written songs with Tupac, Eminem, The Game, Melle Mel, Dr. Dre and Lina.

He has become a platinum songwriter for writing songs on albums 'Tupac Resurrection' and 'The Documentary.' He was also a Los Angeles Music Award Winner for Best Hip Hop and R&B artist in 2001 and 2004.

Delray's first album, 'Pay Close Attention, 'was released in 1999 by DelFunkBoy Music, Inc. and his second album, 'Who Would've Thought Part 2' won a Los Angeles Music Award for Best Hip Hop and R&B Album.

Backstage, I was able to interview Delray and Melle Mel.

Q: What do you love so much about music? What is your passion?

Melle Mel: Dance.

Delray: I love freedom of expression and pleasing people.

Q: Why do you find yourself coming back to Annapolis?

Melle Mel: To promote the anti-violence program for kids all over the country.

Delray: I am from Robinwood and I am trying to uplift Annapolis from the troubles.

Q: Who is your influence?

Melle Mel: James Brown, Kool Herc and others.

Delray: Melle Mel, Rakim and many other people.

Q: What is your motivation?

Melle Mel: To do something different.

Delray: My son.

Q: What do you want Annapolis High students to understand?

Melle Mel: To get a good education.

Delray: Life is not a game.

Q: What advice can you give directly to Annapolis High students?

Melle Mel: Learn all you can and stay off the streets.

Delray: Go for your goals, set dreams and stay focused.

Q: Where do you go from here?

Melle Mel: We are going to keep influencing people and I am helping Delray.

Delray: I am working on a new album, going to go back to California, and keep the inspiration going on.

Q: Who is your favorite NFL team?

Melle Mel: Dallas Cowboys, I follow T.O (Terrell Owens).

Delray: My favorite team is the Baltimore Ravens but on 'Madden,' I play with the Kansas City Chiefs.

- Copyright © 2007 Capital Gazette Communications, Inc.

Dead prisoner's brother, prominent rap artist, questions autopsy
Associated Press
January 9, 2008 10:28 AM
ANNAPOLIS - A prisoner, who authorities say hanged himself at the Anne Arundel County jail, was the brother of prominent song writer and rap performer Delray Richardson.

An autopsy concluded 37-year-old Monteray Hastey committed suicide. He was pronounced dead Friday after county police say he hanged himself with bed sheets.

He had been jailed two days earlier for alleged probation violations stemming from three drug and assault cases.

Police say detectives found no evidence of foul play. However, family members say Hastey was not suicidal. Richardson, who now lives in California, says Hastey asked family members the day before he died to bring his medication to the jail and to call the phone company so they could accept collect phone calls.

- No Jumps-

- Associated Press

Delray & Melle Mel Make it Happen for the Kids.





By E.B. FURGURSON III, Staff Writer



Published September 29, 2007

The campaign to calm violence in the city's neighborhoods took the form of a rap concert at Annapolis High School yesterday.

Ninth graders filed into the school's auditorium for last period where they soon whooped it up, danced and waved to hip-hop raps meant to underscore the message to stay in school, and take care of themselves and others.

In between they got a few monologues about responsibility, reaching potential, learning and listening. But scarcely a word about stopping violence.



"This is just the beginning," said Troy Stansbury of Glimpse of Paradise, one of the organizations working to create solutions to problems facing young people in Annapolis. "We have to keep at it, day in and day out, to break the barriers."



He told the audience of students, all anxious to hear the hip-hop show, that all of them have a purpose in life, and now is the time for learning.



"The more you know, the more life's choices increase. The less you know the less choices you will have," he said.



He warned the students that many who were talking had some rough times. He himself had done time on federal drug dealing charges, he admitted.



"We are here so you won't follow us, you won't (suffer) the same result. Everyone of you has a responsibility, not to go hang out on the street."



Rapper Mele Mel, front man for the legendary Grandmaster Flash and the Fabulous Five - the ground breaking rap group that brought social issues into the early rap scene - talked to the young crowd for a few minutes before retreating backstage to await his concert finale.



"I never finished school, but I got lucky," the 46-year-old said. "If you go out on the street you are going to lose. It is not a joke. I care about our people. This is an "our" people thing," he said to the predominantly black crowd.



"Stay in school. People say (they're) gonna make money on the street," he continued. "No. You can make more money working at McDonald's than you will on the street."



He urged the students to get a life long plan.



"Because if you lose, you can lose forever. You go back to your neighborhood and you see some grown-ass man on the corner. He lost."



Then came the music.



Local rap group Flawless took the stage to squeals from the girls in the crowd.



Lines from one of their songs spoke to the question of violence, urging kids to take a moment to think through a situation before it gets out of hand.



"Take a deep breath, and just think about it," they sang.



The crowd went a little crazy with Flawless, billed as a cleaned up alternative to some rap charged with denigrating women and glorifying violence. They rocked and waved in their seats at first then, when they couldn't stand it anymore, many jumped up and danced as members of the group moved up and down the aisles.



DelRay Richardson, who grew up in Robinwood and now lives in Hollywood where he has carved out a living writing songs for the late Tupac Shakur and other artists along with some movie tracks. He has also won several awards.



He got a similar response from the crowd, girls gone wild - but in a good way. There was almost a stampede when he started tossing out CDs of his latest work, "Robinwood to Hollywood, An Intellectual Property."



Next up was Mele Mel. At first some in the audience looked at him, like, who is this old guy?



But soon they knew.



He asked if they liked hip-hop, to which they raised their hands.



"Okay I'm going to give you a hip-hop test," he said.



For the next 10 minutes he sang the first line or two of a song, then stopped. And the audience shouted out the next line. He did it over and over again, song to song.



After a few takes the crowd realized they were all his songs, all recorded before they were born - legendary rap tunes.

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They learned, perhaps, that some times "old-school" guys often wrote the book.



Within minutes he invited the kids to come down to the stage. The 9th-graders rushed the stage hollering and dancing their hearts out. Soon they were on the stage itself. What a party.



Not a word about non-violence, directly. Not a word about strife between neighborhoods.



But organizers hope they sowed a seed.



"Look, we just brought the communities together," Career Connections teacher Eric Elston said.



"They were partying, celebrating education. But kids from all those different communities were sitting together, in the same rows, laughing and having a good time."



"These are the things we need to do in school. And I think we'll see less going on in the neighborhoods.



This is not a neighborhood problem. It is an Annapolis problem and we have to take ownership of it."



Former Board of Education member Tony Spencer was satisfied they had struck a cord.



"This is something to build on. They saw people who have come before them and the price they paid, and how much it hindered their growth," he said.



" Only they can change what is happening in their life. It is not just the future for them, but also society."







- The Capital

Mayor signs Green Building Law



City Hall:
Mayor signs Green Building Law


ADVERTISEMENT
By RAY WEAVER
Published March 24, 2008
On March 10, Mayor Ellen O. Moyer signed into law 0-56-07, the City of Annapolis Green Building Law. Annapolis joins approximately 60 other communities around the country in adopting Green Building standards.
The Green Building law will impact all new construction and major modifications to residential and commercial structures of greater then 7,500 square feet; all new construction and major modifications of public buildings regardless of size, and private buildings that receive 30 percent public funding; and all new construction single family residential dwellings of five or more homes and individual single family homes of 3,200 square feet or greater.
Commencing Jan. 1, 2009, all public buildings under the legislation would have to be U.S. Green Building Council LEED certified Silver, or the equivalent and affected commercial construction would have to be LEED certified, or the equivalent. Commencing July 1, 2009, all included single family residential construction would have to be LEED certified, or the equivalent.

Buildings are significant consumers of energy and other resources, and can contribute to local microclimates. According to the EPA, as of December 2004, in the United States buildings account for 39 percent of the total energy use, 12 percent of the water consumption, 68 percent of the electricity consumption and 38 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions. Given the long lifetime of most buildings, amending local building codes to include minimum energy efficiency requirements and periodically updating energy efficiency codes could provide long-term GHG and energy consumption savings. Green Building standards also address indoor air quality and low impact site design considerations.

If you should have any questions, contact Michael D. Mallinoff, Director, Neighborhood and Environmental Programs at mdmallinoff@annapolis.gov.

Record release/youth summit fundraiser

Join Platinum Singer/Songwriter DELRAY and friends at Pesce Grande Italian Grill and Bistro at 2019 West Street tonight at 7:30 p.m. as they celebrate the release of DELRAY’s highly anticipated new CD "The Bigger Picture." Proceeds from the event help raise funds for The Mayor’s Youth Summit. "The Bigger Picture" features Grammy winner Melle Mel & Lina.

Also on the bill is jazz artist Tony

Spencer. This is an Over 21, "dress to impress" affair with a donation of $10 at the door.

Ray Weaver is the public information officer for the city of Annapolis.
- The Capital - Published March 24, 2008

From Robinwood to the White House, local man achieves his dream


Wendi Winters - For The Capital
Former Robinwood resident Tony O. Sims of Edgewater has traveled to many countries in the five years he's been with the U.S. State Department.


ADVERTISEMENT
By WENDI WINTERS, For The Capital
Published February 19, 2008
Tony O. Sims of Edgewater has followed his dream all the way to Washington and beyond.
Mr. Sims, a former Robinwood public housing resident, works inside the White House frequently - when he's not riding a yak in Mongolia or adjusting the translation earpieces on President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during an important press conference in Europe.
The 36-year-old is an audio-visual production specialist, employed by the U.S. State Department. He works in Washington in a section that handles all the department's audio and visual production needs

"We go to work when there are 'joint press avails,'" he said. "That's when Secretary Rice is meeting with foreign dignitaries, or there are conferences and meetings within the State Department."

Among his duties are helping set up the sound equipment for those events, as well as for the daily press briefings with department spokesman Sean McCormack. "Our biggest job is doing the simultaneous translations," he said. "We're the only ones in the government who know how to do it. They used to have specialists at the Pentagon, but we now support the State Department, the White House and even the Pentagon when they need the translations."

Simultaneous translations are like those that occur at the United Nations General Assembly. A speaker talks in one language and people can hear the speech translated - just a few words behind the speaker, he said.

"The State Department has translators. We send the speeches instantly to the interpreters and, as they listen, they talk. We do this a lot for the president when he travels abroad."

In Mr. Sims' five years with the department, he's traveled the world as part of his job - from Camp David in Frederick County, to the U.N. General Assembly in New York, and as far away as Mongolia.

His passport has been stamped in Latvia, Georgia, Germany, Thailand, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Mexico, Jordan, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Albania, Poland, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

That doesn't include countries like the Philippines and Japan, where he was stationed while in the U.S. Army. He enlisted after high school.

"I have diplomatic status, so I'm always treated well going through airports," he smiled. "No matter where we go, I feel safe. There's so much security around the president."

He has little room in his baggage for the usual souvenirs, so he collects refrigerator magnets and memories.

A brigade of magnets marches across the top door of his fridge in the Edgewater home he shares with his wife, Victoria Sims, an optician, and his stepson, Sammy Corporal, 20, who is assistant manager of the Nordstrom's shoe department.

Mrs. Sims runs the optical department in the commissary at the Naval Station.

"We grew up together," said Delray Richardson, also a former Robinwood resident.

Mr. Richardson, who is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, lives near Hollywood, Calif., and is the founder of the record label Delfunkboy Music Inc., which specializes in hip-hop and rhythm and blues music.

"His mom and mine used to work together," said Mr. Richardson. "He lived across the street and we played together. When we were kids, we got into everything. Every playground in Robinwood."

Mr. Sims lived in Robinwood until his parents purchased their own home in the Whispering Woods neighborhood of Arnold. "It used to be more of a family place," he remembered of Robinwood. "It was not as violent."

Mr. Sims, known as "Tone" was in seventh-grade when he transferred mid-year from Annapolis Middle School to Magothy River Middle School. He is a member of the Broadneck High School Class of 1989.

"It was a good move," he said. "Mom, Donna Love Johnson, was a hard worker for the State of Maryland. She handled security in the State House buildings. My stepfather, Clarence Johnson, is retired, but he used to work for the State Archives and later had a job with the county. My father, Bernard Sims, was not in the picture raising me, but I would visit him in Alabama during summer break."

He grew up with four half-siblings, all his mother's children. He has three more half-siblings - his father's children.

While serving six years in the Army as a preventive medicine specialist, he was deployed overseas for Operation Desert Storm.

"Even if I had stayed in Robinwood, I would have gone into the Army, not to college. College wasn't an avenue I knew. No one sat me down as a kid and talked to me about college. No one in the family had gone that route. A cousin was in the Army. He was like my big brother, a major influence in my life."

In 1995, his stint ended and he enrolled in Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts, in Winter Park, Fla., to earn an associate of science degree in recording arts.

After graduation, he went to Los Angeles, where he polished his skills in the area's recording studios as a sound engineer.

He returned to Annapolis in 1999 and quickly found a job at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, handling the live sound for bands and shows. "The gubernatorial debates were held there, and I did the sound. That's when I realized - Wow! - the government needs sound people, too!"

Mr. Sims clicked on to www.usajobs.com and quickly found two that looked promising. The first one didn't pan out, but the second ad, placed by the State Department, was the charm.

"It's the best job I've ever had. My job fell on me because of my military background and my training," he said. "People always say, 'How could you leave L.A. recording studios to work for the government?' But nothing beats working for the President of the United States and the secretary of state, whether it's a joint press conference in Bucksport, Maine, or in Thailand."

- By WENDI WINTERS, For The Capital

Annapolis native Delray Richardson dropped his second album, "From Robinwood to Hollywood" earlier this year and the singer / songwriter has been all over the place.

In addition to garnering gold and platinum records for work on the "Tupac Resurrection" soundtrack and a song popping up in the scenes of John Travolta movie "Be Cool," Mr. Richardson recently passed the 2 million mark for The Game`s "The Documentary." The album features the song "We Ain`t," which samples a song Mr. Richardson helped write. Check him out as he makes annapolis proud. - The Capital

DELRAY RICHARDSON at Annapolis High promoting anti-violence along with Melle Mel from Grand Master Flash. Delray has co-written songs with Tupac, Eminem, The Game, Melle Mel, Dr. Dre and Lina. - Ascap Playback Magazine -Spring 2008

Smooth, seductive grooves with a velvety vocal approach is what makes this Los Angeles California resident ready for label attention. Guest artist and Rock-n-Roll Hall of Famer Grand Master Melle Mel show that Richardson knows the right people, but more importantly it sounds like more of the right people will soon know him.
- Music Connection Magazine 2008

The March 24 event centered on the release of Mr. Richardson's 14-track album "Delray: The Bigger Picture." But the release party was held in Annapolis to help raise funds to cover $10,000 in costs for a Youth Summit. The summit, sponsored by Mayor Ellen Moyer, will be held May 23 at Annapolis High School.

Mr. Richardson was once a Robinwood resident and drug dealer. Caught and jailed, he turned his life around, becoming an award-winning recording artist based in Los Angeles. Anthony "Tony" Spencer is a former Marine and retired firefighter who is the City of Annapolis' coordinator of Community and Social Programs.

Usually, when he releases an album through his production company, Delfunkboy Music, Mr. Richardson rents a soignee hotel suite in Hollywood, brings in a caterer, a wet bar and a bartender and calls his friends in the industry to celebrate. They pack the place.

This time, with Tony Spencer's help, Mr. Richardson wanted to release the album, first, in Annapolis and use the event as a fundraiser. "The record is doing well," he informed one well-wisher at Pesce Grande. "It sold out on the internet. It's way up on iTunes."

The Youth Summit is a worthwhile cause, Mr. Spencer said. "The kids attending this event," he said, "are leaders or need some encouragement to be good leaders. They will come from all races and genders, including some with problems."

The summit at the school will be followed by a banquet at the Stanton Center, he said. Eric Elston, facilities coordinator for Annapolis High's Business Advisory Board and InterAct, connected with the Annapolis Rotary, is selecting the 80 to 100 students who will participate in the day-long event.

Those attending want to discuss teen-on-teen violence, peer pressure and bullying, teen sex, school and community safety, as well as cultural respect and sensitivity, Mr. Spencer said.

Bullying is a familiar experience, Mr. Richardson said. "I know what the bullying feels like. I used to get teased because I didn't have the right clothes or have my homework done."

Mr. Richardson said he did not know 17-year-old Annapolis High student Kwame Travon Johnson, who was shot to death on a street in Robinwood this month, but "I knew his father. I went down to Robinwood today and looked at the memorial to Kwame and thought how sad it was that he's gone. Robinwood was different when I was young. Where do they get access to pistols today? How did the killer get access to a gun so fast?"

Peter Priola, owner of Pesce Grande, loaned the two the Music Room for the evening. Justin Myers, the restaurant's manager, greeted every guest upon arrival.

Plans for the Summit include an evening banquet at the Stanton Center, from 6 to 9:30 p.m., to which the parents and participating youth will be invited. Most adults can travel to and from the center via regularly scheduled city bus routes. Grandmaster Mele Mel is joining Mr. Richardson for a rousing rap performance.

Mr. Spencer pointed out that Girl Scouts of Central Maryland has a model for the Youth Summit program called "Tools FOUR Success," administered by Margaret Chippendale and Cathy Herbert.

Ms. Chippendale directs Beyond Bars, a Girl Scout program for incarcerated mothers and their daughters at state correctional centers, and Ms. Herbert is the Project Anti-Violence Education coordinator. Tools FOUR Success workshops offer training and information on peer pressure, conflict and problem solving, prevention of gangs, confidence and self esteem.

The city, Mr. Spencer said, is offering the Tools FOUR Success workshops from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 17 at the Stanton Center. Girls and boys ages 11-18 can call Chuck Weikel for information at 410-919-8147, or Tony Spencer at 410-295-5519.

To make a donation to help defray the costs of the Youth Summit, checks can be mailed to the City of Annapolis Finance Department, 160 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis, MD 21401. The memo line should reference "Annapolis Youth Summit."


"Let's not wait until the bullets go astray or somebody breaks into your home before you decide to do something about it. Because then it will be too late. All those groups should be here to be involved and get to know people in all the communities," he said referring to community groups that have been formed to help ease violence.

"Let's not just talk it out, let's walk it out."

Wendi Winters is a freelance writer who lives on the Broadneck Peninsula.


- The Capital - Published April 1st, 2008

Main speaker urges teens to avoid 'dream stealers' and negative people
By WENDI WINTERS, For The Capital
Published May 23, 2008
"Don't let your color stop you from achieving anything," Jeffrey A. Penn told approximately 80 youths gathered at the Stanton Center last night for the first city-sponsored Youth Summit Banquet.
"I believe in us. "I believe each of you has a powerful destiny. Just reach out," said the executive director and chief operating officer of the Philadelphia-based charity Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a 104-year-old nationwide mentoring organization. Mr. Penn, 47, is a former owner of the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Eastport and a resident of Annapolis.


"The crisis in high schools isn't the war, the cost of gas or the economy," said Mr. Penn. "It's the high school graduation rate. If you don't graduate, companies won't hire you. You can't achieve the American dream."

The event wraps up today with a Youth Summit Concert from 7:30 to 11 p.m. at the Stanton Center. Featured performers are Delray Richardson, Grammy winner Melle Mel, R&B Diva Lina and Tony Spencer, also coordinator of the city's Human Services. Suggested donation at the door is $7 to help defray the costs of the summit banquet.

About 80 youths, plus city officials and religious leaders were treated to a casual barbecue feast catered by Famous Dave's. The attendees listened to a rousing gospel vocal performance by eight members of Annapolis High School's Vocal Ensemble and to speeches and personal testimonials. There was also an opportunity to ask questions.

Mr. Penn's message was clear: "When you do nothing and are average, no one notices. When you try to leave the pack, they'll throw stones at you. Don't hang around with 'dream stealers,' the negative people."

Mr. Penn joked about how some Mercedes-Benz customers could not believe a black man owned the dealership. "They thought I was a mechanic. Heck, why not? An automotive technician at Mercedes-Benz can earn upwards of $80,000 a year."

A native of a western Pennsylvania coal-mining town and the sixth of eight children in his mother's household, Mr. Penn was a toddler when his biological father was murdered and robbed of his trench coat. His mother, now 83, has only a sixth-grade education.

"Athletics was my ticket out of the projects," he told the audience. He got accepted as part of a program for economically disadvantaged teens at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania and graduated second in his class in 1984. "I've gone from making $23,000 a year to over $23,000 a month," he stated to gasps from the teens.

Once a worker in the mines, he announced he'd just closed on a $10 million sponsorship agreement with Comcast, the largest sponsorship in the charity's history.

"Every day you walk out the door, you are marketing yourself," Mr. Penn said. "Pay attention to how you look when you go out of the house."

He urged the teens to always "be on time. Forty-eight percent of people are always late.

"What's your plan for your future? Write it down and stick it in the bathroom where you can see it. What do you really want to do? You know what you don't want to do. Find a mentor in a field that you want to be in."

His advice for the teens was "buy property. For every dollar you spend, put 25 cents away." Mr. Penn observed, "No African-Americans are in on this and people will be making a gazillion dollars soon on this trend. We need to get into energy-efficient light bulbs, solar panels, windmill energy, hybrid cars and green products. We're not in the game and it's going to explode."

The crowd included Mayor Ellen Moyer; Alderwoman Sheila M. Finlayson, D-Ward 4; composer-rapper Delray Richardson; Ruby Singleton Blakeney, director of the city's Minority and Small Business Enterprise Division; the Rev. Sheryl Menendez, associate pastor of Light of the World Family Ministries; Boys & Girls Clubs youth director Kenyatta Rowell; Pamela Bukowski, chairman of the Mayor's Educational Advisory Commission; and Eric Elston, Annapolis High Schools Career Connections coordinator.

The Rev. Menendez, assisted by youth ministers Raymond Medley, Adrian Williams and other young adults, shepherded participants from two of the church's after-school programs to the event. Gems & Jewels is an after-school program for Bates Middle School students. According to Mr. Williams, the second group, Y.E.S. or Youth Empowerment Services, "is for young men first offenders or for young men whose parents want them to be around a positive group of males and not on the streets."

Teens from Annapolis High School were in the crowd, along with youths from after-school programs at the Stanton Center and Boys & Girls Clubs.

Bywater resident Timothy Green, 15, who is home-schooled, learned: "You can achieve goals as long as you believe you can achieve."

"The summit is a step toward change and awareness in this community," noted Roslyn Smith, 16, president of the junior class at Annapolis High School. "I hope the students here were inspired tonight."

"Things I heard tonight were about confidence, credibility, concern and choices," Mayor Moyer said. "Talk through your concerns. There is somebody out there to support you."

"You cannot look toward the future unless you have hope," Mr. Spencer said to the crowd. "Everyone has a reason for being on earth."

Mr. Penn, who commutes two days a week via Amtrak to Philadelphia, offered to help conduct leadership and conflict resolution training among the city's teens. Another part of the summit, a previously announced August workshop to help develop leadership and conflict resolution skills, is being moved into the fall because of conflicts.

- The Capital - Published May 23, 2008