We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shaadie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shaadie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

All the time. Because I look how I look, black male, dreads, gold teeth, tattoos etc., I get viewed a certain way as soon as I walk in the door of any environment. I either seem too rough or just another “one of them” until they begin to interact with me or see the role I am in within the room. My energy and my aura can’t be denied, but because I’m not overly cocky in my presences yet have an undeniable unique quality that can be seen and felt, people tend to thing I am suppose to act a certain way. I like to observe the room in my cool and calm reserved way until it’s time to active the stage presence. It’s something you can’t really comprehend and fully appreciate until you see me in action and then miss me in action because I set a new standard of being an entertainer of star quality yet humble and hungry to give back positivity.

Shaadie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m an all around Swiss Army Knife of Entertainment services. All aspects of events and entertainment I can consult and assist with ensuring the experience desired is achieved is what my goal is for brands, companies, festivals, venues, families and anyone wanting to have an entertaining event. From there, I then use my on stage talents where needed as an event MC host, music performer and DJ to make sure the attendees are engaged and entertained by those booked for the entertainment aspects.

Though my entertainment company MAC LIFE LLC. and nonprofit organization MAC LIFE Community (501(c)3) that I co-founder with my brother Brandon “KB” Henry, we operate with all of those from the Bay Area and beyond with our entertainment services and community outreach events. MAC LIFE is an acronym for Minds Achieving Change Living In Forgotten Environments and was created to provide music from Shaadie to the public through publishing and distribution as well as service the community with outreach events such as back to school drives, business expos and resources to underprivileged families and youth while also providing entertainment services and workshops.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

That’s easy. To continue and not stop. Staying positive, focused, resilient and persistent while navigate life and all the changes that come within life shows others that it can be done. Going through my journey and overcoming the trials and tribulations that come along as I perfect and improve in my craft and status shows my kids, my family members and those unseen and unknown that it can be done if you continue to do so with honesty and integrity.

Believing in yourself, but also being open to listen to those willing to share loving and positive constructive feedback that may allow you to pivot into a better position than you may have originally planned.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yea I wish the internet was around with social media like it is now when I was ten years younger lol. NIL deals, ways to be seen and heard by the masses with younger mentality that’s open to being more accessible would have had me in a whole different stratosphere when I was already in a different galaxy without it. Just being able to have the tools of today back then to go with what I was already doing would only highlight the talents and skills sooner and to more people as opposed to just those in the areas of word of mouth or certain publications of subscriptions that were available back then to begin the know.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linqapp.com/shaadie
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamshaadie
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaadiemusic
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/rashaadnunnally
• Twitter: https://x.com/teamshaadie
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@shaadie707
• Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/shaadieb