Adina Howard

Adina Howard is an American R&B and hip-hop soul singer who emerged in the mid-1990s as one of the genre's boldest and most sexually candid voices. She broke through with her 1994 debut album Do You Wanna Ride?, anchored by the massive hit «Freak Like Me», which became a defining song of the New Jack Swing-to-R&B transition era and was later famously reworked by TLC and sampled by other artists. Her frank, unapologetic lyrical style set her apart from many of her contemporaries and influenced the more explicit strand of 1990s R&B.

After her debut success, Howard continued working on new material, including «(Freak) And U Know It» in 1997, though a planned sophomore album for her label was ultimately shelved. She returned years later as an independent artist, releasing The Second Coming, which featured collaborations such as «Crank Me Up» with Missy Elliott and the duet «T-Shirt and Panties» with Jamie Foxx. She followed this with the album Private Show in 2007.

Beyond music, Howard has remained connected to her audience through sex-positive advocacy and a parallel culinary career during periods away from recording. She returned to music with the 2017 album Resurrection, updating her sound while staying true to the confident, sensual persona that made her a distinctive figure in R&B history.