the chal banz blog

"Freak Like Me" was the debut single from Michigan native Adina Howard. The song was released in 1995 and appeared on her Gold debut album "Do You Wanna Ride?". Nowadays Adina is a chef and she tours every now and then. Do you all remember this song? I definitely remember it because I was 11 at the time and my sister and our cousin was always in the car playing it. That was back when the cassette singles were popular.

Adina Howard may of never exhibited the same success as some of her peers but in the R&B community she forever lives on. She has had a lot of urban hits and a lot of those songs were about sex; its her stock in trade and no other singer can pull it off like she has. I remember when this video first came out. I was so surprised to see her grinding and half dressed but then again what do you expect from Adina Howard? I'm not sure what Adina Howard is up to these days but she should come back soon.

These albums were either shelved by the record companies or they simply have yet to materialize. Ill Na Na 2: The Fever by Foxy Brown When Foxy Brown wouldn't conform to what record label honcho, Lyor Cohen wanted(dying her hair among other things), Foxy rebelled and in return Def Jam leaked her album and shelved it indefinitely. Black Roses by Foxy Brown It is a shame when you have two albums that have either been shelved or held up. Blame Foxy's hearing loss and possible record label woes for the hold up in production. Welcome To Fantasy Island by Adina Howard This album featured the underground hit, "T-Shirt & Panties". Adina's label at the time, Elektra had a reputation for shelving albums. Elektric Blue by Nicole Wray It was to be the follow up to Nicole Wray's debut album, "Make It Hot" but it never happened. Nicole Wray was also signed to Elektra Records. Detox by Dr. Dre Over the years Detox has become an industry legend in itself. M...

You heard the new version with Brooke Valentine and Jamie Foxx right? Well if not I posted it a few days ago. Anyway here is the original version. This song appeared on Adina Howard's shelved album, "Welcome To Fantasy Island". This song was never intended to be a single(to my knowledge)but substantial radio play let it to become a classic R&B gem and a strip club anthem. Freaky indeed! Enjoy!

Audio: Brooke Valentine feat Jamie Foxx - T-Shirt & Panties This is a remake of the Adina Howard classic which featured Jamie on the original song as well. This makes the second song to be covered by Adina. The first song covered was "Freak Like Me". "T-Shirt" was never an official single but radio made it into an underground hit. Jamie Foxx - Rainman Newly leaked track from "Intuition" in stores next month. Music Biz: D'Angelo's Workout Plan! R&B singer D'Angelo looks to be well on his way to a comeback next year.Currently at work on the follow up to "Vodoo," his Grammy Award winning album, D'Angelo is said to be heavily immersed in making the as-yet-untitled album a classic."This is the next level of his artistic expression. He is like a proud father and this album is his musical child. This album will be well worth the wait," says Dyana Williams, D'Angelo's spokesperson.In addition to the album, D'...

I came across this video while viewing one of the many message boards I frequently visit. I have a lot of memories regarding this song. One of those memories include my sister and cousin always blasting this song. The song, released in 1995 was Adina's one and only(Pop)hit peaking at #2 on the R&B charts as well. Adina's second album, "Welcome To Fantasy Island" was never released in the US. Adina's label at the time Elektra developed a reputation over the years for shelving albums. Most notably the CEO at the time Sylvia Rhone later became head of Motown Records. She most recently shelved Mya's "Liberation" album.