Adina Howard, Freak Like Me | After Dark

On the 27^th edition of After Dark, we explore the naughty, risqué & utterly sexual vibes behind, “Freak Like Me” by Adina Howard.

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nnuendo? More like full-on sexual vibes! Welcome to After Dark , a column featuring songs that are best suited for nighttime, specifically, the bedroom.  Like Controversial Tunes , the records featured here raise eyebrows.  The difference between the songs of CONTROVERSY and DARK? These songs specifically focus on the universal topic of S-E-X. The dark records gracing After Dark are old and new alike, with all genres of music welcome.  On the 27^th edition of After Dark, we explore the naughty, risqué & utterly sexual vibes behind, “Freak Like Me” by Adina Howard. 

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Theme & Lyrics

“Let me lay it on the line / I got a little freakiness inside.” Woo! Adina Howard cemented her place in music history with one hit: “Freak Like Me.” The success of this standout from her 1995 debut album, Do You Wanna Ride, extends beyond the urban chart. On the Billboard Hot 100, “Freak Like Me” peaked at no. 2. The groove is infectious AF with the sound embracing those West Coast vibes – G Funk.  “Freak Like Me” samples four songs: Bootsy’s Rubber Band ( “I’d Rather Be with You”), Kool & The Gang ( “Summer Madness”), Sly & The Family Stone ( “Sing a Simple Song”) and Mary Jane Girls ( “All Night Long”). Great fuel for the fire to say the least!

“I don’t care what they say / I’m not about to pay nobody’s way / ‘Cause it’s all about the dog in me.” The best fuel for “Freak” is Howard, who serves up plenty of personality and amplifies SEX.  Quite risqué at the time, Howard doesn’t cross the lines many artists do today, but she certainly serves as a proponent for women to express themselves sexually. “I’m packin’ all the flavor you need,” Howard sings on the second verse, continuing, “I got you shook up on your knees / ‘Cause it’s all about the dog in me.” Woof, woof! The best moment of “Freak Like Me,” however, comes courtesy of the catchy chorus:

“‘Cause I will be a freak until the day until the dawn
And we can boom-boom all through the night ‘til early morn
Come on and I will take you around the hood on a gangsta lean
‘Cause we can boom-boom
Any time of the day, it’s good for me.”

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Final Thoughts

Females express themselves sexually more freely these days. Back in the heyday of Adina Howard, she was ‘pushing the envelope.’ Sure, “Freak Like Me” has a home on After Dark because it’s sexy AF, but, it could’ve appeared on Throwback Vibez too.

Also appears on :
13 Hella Freaky Freak Songs

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Adina Howard • Do You Wanna Ride? • Elektra • 1995 
Adina Howard, “Freak Like Me”: After Dark No. 27 [: Brent Faulkner, cottonbro from Pexels, Elektra,  KoolShooters from Pexels, Luan Queiros from Pexels, The Musical Hype]

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