Mixerr Album Reviews #754

This is Michael Mixerr. Today I will review Sha'Key - Adidi Skizm. This album was released on Imago Records in 1994. 

Sha'Key - Adidi Skizm was released on Imago Records in 1994. A majority of the album was produced by Earl A. Blaze. His production sound can be heard throughout the album. Adidi Skizm itself was distributed by BMG Entertainment. BMG was the financial backer for the album. 

The track Soulsville is a standout track! On Soulsville, Sha’Key explains in lyrical detail how she is living her life for the Soulsville. The raunchiness in her makes her sound like a male rapper instead of a female rapper. Sha’Key proves she is politically conscience and aware of urban despair on the track Soulsville. Most of Soulsville deals with poverty, violence, isolation, drug paraphernalia, abuse, life, and urban sprawl. Soulsville was ahead of its time. Spoken word poetry was not common in rap at that time. Earl A. Blaze produced Soulsvile.

Sha'Key describes Soulsville as ”laid back G music”. (G Music is G-funk basically.) Soulsville is one of those track you will want to loop over and over again. Soul and rap meet each other on this track. The beats are tight!

Sha'Key takes us first thought the perspective of a drug addict. Some will be in the front slicing up a blunt. We’ve got many in the house just calling out. The pieces of the drug unfold and the blood runs cold. Of course this is the ghetto. The trouble starts where the money rolls. It looks like another brother is washed up on the unhealthy effects of narcotic drugs. He’s out of work again. On that smoke again. Onto the streets where people make bad choices. There is too much pressure in the struggle. 

Onto the streets where young girls make bad choices. Choices of a better life relent. There is too much pressure in the struggle. Young girls giving birth to a woman's world. Staying together in a relationship is too much pressure in a struggle.

The money doesn’t come smoothly when it comes to welfare. Many get welfare. Conscience falls when it comes to your kids. Their clothes don’t always fit. They had the same shirts since they were 6. The children don’t have enough food to eat. Downstairs, a women spends money from what change she went snooping around for at the laundromat. The money she gets isn’t enough to provide for her kids.

Now you step onto your own block, you hear gunshots. First it’s quiet and calm. Now it’s Vietnam starting off just a like a battleground. Bullets are on the rebound. You have to get down! This is a nation Janet Jackson don’t know jack about. Young girls giving birth to a woman's world. The drama goes on and on.

A little baby is being shifted around from household to household. From man to man. The kid is your task. How can anyone do that? How can a mother do that? Putting personal needs before your own children. That is an example of priorities over people.

Pedicure deals with the black-on-black disrespect that plagues the black community. Sha’Key tells us there is such disrespect towards in the black community. Such disrespect leads to decline in morality which is considered degrading to many others. Such disrespect is considered to be degrading. Pedicure also deals with the hypocrisy of black-on-black disrespect along with its double standards. 

Pedicure deals with the black-on-black disrespect in the black community. Sha’Key wishes there wasn’t so much disrespect in the black community towards each other. To her, such disrespect is considered degrading. It’s degrading to others.

From the East to the West, this is not a contest because Hip Hop has it going on with the track Bicoastal Holdup. Sha’Key tells us we will overcome wack MC’s! The beginning starts off with human beatboxing and Sha’Key rapping off a freestyle. Notice the killer cuts and scratches on the turntables. The beats are off the hook on this track! 

The way Sha’Key was rhyming on A Headnoddas Journey was truly unique and creative. You will only find this type of  creativity in artists such as Sha’Key. A Headnoddas Journey takes on a spoken word tour of rap and poetry while the rhythmic sultry funk plays smoothly.  

This album was criminally slept on. It was so good! Especially the song Soulsville! This is one of those albums you have to have on vinyl. If this album was on Atlantic, RCA, Pay Day Records, Columbia Records, Rounder Records, Blue Note, and London Records, the album would have gotten more recognition and sold more units. 13 tracks of soulful music, spoken word poetry, and G-Funk best describes this album! Sha’Key showcases her Afrocentric agenda with political conscienceness and is not afraid to do so. Sha’Key will remind you of Nefertiti, Bahamadia, Poetess, Jessica Betts, MC Lyte, Snow Tha Product, Lin Que,  and Brandy.

[Sha'Key still does musical poetry. Sha’Key now goes by the name Hanifah Walidah.]

I rate this album, Adidi Skizm, 5/5*****!!