In 2008 Sadistik made his name with the provocatively fearless debut album "The Balancing Act." This record has been heralded by many critics as "hip hop's answer for winter albums" (SputnikMusic.com) for its fearlessly emotional potency because "after you are done listening to [it] you feel as though you have the world's strongest drug in your veins." When this sound was combined with the collaborations with Rhymesayers recording artist Mac Lethal and Vast Aire from Cannibal Ox fame, it becomes clear why so many have considered this to be an underground classic. Following the release of "The Balancing Act" was the release of the music video for the single titled "Searching for Some Beautiful" which was accepted by MTVu and well-received by fans and new listeners alike.
Following the success of "The Balancing Act" was 2010's operatic opus "The Art of Dying" with Chicago-bred producer Kid Called Computer. Again displaying his relentless knack to stray from rap music's norms, Sadistik and Kid Called Computer opted to create a conceptually unique album more akin to progressive rock than what is accepted as hip-hop with "beautifully married gloomy progressions with [...] gorgeous chaos in the music" (RapReviews.com). Whether it be the grandiose live rock crescendo of "Save Yourself" or the nearly 8 minute epic tale of school violence in "Bed of Flowers," Sadistik showed that he was not aiming to meet expectations but to shatter them into as many pieces as possible with a sound that "goes inside of you and eats it's way out from the inside [...] by being beautiful and painful at the same time" (GutsandGrog.com).
Sadistik's efforts are not limited to recordings, however, as he can be found performing his intimate yet intensely energetic shows around his home of Seattle and around various cities in the United States as well as internationally. In 2011 alone, Sadistik has independently toured in nearly every region of The United States as well as nine countries in Europe including: Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, France, and Austria. Sadistik has also shared the stage with hip hop icons such as: Tech N9ne, Slaughterhouse, Bone Thugs N Harmony, D12, Cage, Eyedea & Abilities, The Grouch, Zion I, etc.
Currently, Sadistik is preparing his official follow up to "The Balancing Act" titled "Flowers for My Father" that will be released on Fake Four Records, as well as finishing a collaborative album with Emancipator and penning his first poetry book.
For all booking and press inquiries please contact: Sadistikpro@gmail.com.
1984
Sadistik Lyrics
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Everybody's talking in that newspeak
Hiding all my thoughts in a loose leaf
1984
You can always find me where the goons creep
Underneath the solace of the moonbeams
There's a bluebird on my shoulder, can I kill it?
Watching ceiling fans go ‘round, trying to catch the feelin' off instrumental
Got my indo, and plus my papers for crescendos
Headphones against my temples
Pencil in my clutches, Jackson Pollack while he's stenciling a subject (BANG)
And now I'm splattering the pain and such
Apple on your head and my aim is Naked Lunch
Stain-faded Chucks from the roads that I cross
Roads not taken, but no Robert Frost
So pale flames when I go Nabokov
With the inner-thought dialogue
I keep the steps quiet, inside my head's riot
My heart beats (BANG), I leave the rest silent
Test driving pilot Kamikaze tired
On the Rockies watch me die in slow-motion like it's 1984
I sit inside my prison like I'm Winston with the gin
To scribble my addictions, or I'll kill ‘em with the pen
Figurative or literal, I'll stick it in the femoral
This devil won't ever fall the victim to a trend
A penny for your thoughts at the bottom of a wishing well
Hit ‘em with the uppercut, they're falling on a pit of nails
Fighting off the reptiles, Thompson on a Psilocybin
Binge been buzzed, molotovs are lit as well, their (eyes)
Are like a hawk when they writer's block
Big brother's always there, creeping in the shadows with their (eyes)
That like to watch when I try draw a
Piece like Frida Kahlo while I'm sleepless in Seattle
The skies here cry 365
Black clouds above me sing, "Eat shit and die!"
I'll acquiesce, but I won't give ‘em what they want
Or dignify their shit with a response, ‘cause it's
Sadistik's "1984" is a song that reflects his personal feelings of being constantly monitored and silenced by those in power. The chorus is an allusion to George Orwell's novel 1984, which is a dystopian novel about a totalitarian state that controls every aspect of its citizens' lives, even their thoughts and language. Sadistik is saying that he feels like he is always having to hide his thought and speak in a way that is acceptable to those in power. The line "you can always find me where the goons creep" is a reference to the fact that those who speak out against the government in 1984 are quickly punished and sent to "room 101" for reeducation.
Sadistik's verses are filled with vivid imagery and wordplay. The line "there's a bluebird on my shoulder, can I kill it?" is a reference to the old saying "a bird on your shoulder" meaning a burden, but Sadistik is questioning whether or not he can get rid of this burden. He then goes on to describe his creative process, using his headphones to block out the noise of the world and focus on his music. He compares himself to Jackson Pollock, who was known for his abstract painting style. Sadistik then describes himself as a Kamikaze pilot, willing to take risks and push the limits of his creativity, even if it means failing.
Overall, Sadistik's "1984" is a poignant commentary on the state of society and the difficulties of being a creative in a world that seeks to silence those who dissent.
Contributed by Tyler W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.