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Khia is best known for her international hit song
"My Neck, My Back." One thing for sure, this
entrepreneur and business woman is not a one hit wonder.
Khia knows the industry game and she sold over 800,000
copies of her first album which was an independent release.
Now she is back with Gangstress. Her new album
arrives in stores on July 11th.
I read in the press release that you have been taking
your show around the world. What places have you performed?
Khia- Paris and France
and Greece, Brazil, Africa, I went to Kenya, all over
Japan, Amsterdam, London, just as huge as the record was
in the states it was huge overseas and they kind of respect
and have more love and respect for hip-hop. They show
a lot of love and some countries they don't even know
English but they know all of your music word for word
so it was definitely overwhelming and a great experience
for me.
The new album is Gangstress and I read you recorded it
on your own what made you go that route verse the major
label route I'm sure you could have went that route if
you wanted to.
Khia- The first album
I put out independently and I did all the writing but
I worked with different producers so this time I did all
the production myself. I worked with some great engineers
here in Atlanta its something I always wanted to do and
I'm putting the album out under my own label T.M.E. and
under my own label imprint this time so I was definitely
hands on with everything with this album and I'm really
excited about it being my first album doing all the production
and doing everything myself independently. I didn't want
to go with a major and I have so much love and my fan
base is so solid I definitely wanted to keep it that way.
To sell 800,000 independently with the Thug Misses album
was unheard of just coming out. So I'm definitely excited
about this.
Since you finished touring overseas and working on the
album what else have you been working on?
Khia- Well I have
my book "Gangsta Love," which is coming out Christmas
time. It's a great book of my life everything If you are
a Thug Misses fan you will definitely love the book. You
will be able to see where all of the music comes from
other than that just writing. I'm trying to do a lot of
writing for other artists and let sought me out when they
wanted music for their album so I've been doing R&B and
hip-hop and gospel and country. When I am not on the road
which is most of the time I am on the road or in the studio
so I'm just surrounded by music.
I also read in the press release that you have transplanted
from Florida to Atlanta. What's it like being in Atlanta?
Khia-It's the same
thing. It's still the south. It's only a 4-5 hour drive
so it's still home for me. I love Georgia I'm a Southern
girl all the way I love anything that's in the south.
Everything is like 3-5-6 hours away so definitely the
South is united. Florida is like our next door neighbor
so its still like I'm home I'm back and forth from both.
I did a lot of my recording, well all of my recording
for this album in Atlanta. Just by Tampa being small they
don't have as many studios or avenues for music. So Florida
is home and Georgia is work.
You said you did all of the producing on the album. Is
that something that you had to learn how to do?
Khia-No. I've always
done production. I played keys and Pro Tools is definitely
the technology to use and I had to work with engineers
for different things like mixing I can't go into a studio
and work a mixing board but the engineers were great.
Just doing everything on Pro Tools coming up with my own
initial beats and then going in and letting the engineers
do placement and bring everything to life. Its really
like orchestrating everything but when the real mixing
and mastering goes on I definitely had to work with engineers
and other producers who were familiar with that. I'm kind
of with the old school thing but everything is so different
with all the different programs and different files so
if you aren't familiar with it all producers will have
to get engineers who are trained for that type of field.
Definitely the production everything was hands on and
everything initially came through me and I just went in
and let the engineers place everything and bring everything
to life. It was definitely a first time experience for
me and It was why I hadn't been doing it for so long because
I didn't know that it could be done so easily but now
you can put so many keys and strings and you can just
get a program and everything will pop up on your laptop.
Its definitely some millennium stuff going on but its
millennium made production.
What was behind your decision to not have any major
features on your album?
Khia-I just feel like
a lot of female artists they ride features coat tails
and they don't really have a lot of talent. Not just females
artists period. It's like so many artists… Kanye's last
album had like 9 or 19 feature songs and I feel that artists
should showcase their own talent and its just my opinion
I have worked with other artists on their projects but
for mine I didn't want anyone to be like I'm piggybacking
off of a guy or he's writing her stuff or if it wasn't
for him the only singles that you have that are hot are
singles that you needed features to do so where is your
talent? If the big name wasn't on your feature or your
single that you are promoting no one would even buy your
album or if the only album on your album is the single
which is featured by other artists that's not showcasing
your own talent. I didn't do any features on the first
album and I didn't do any on this one and I won't be doing
none. I work with other people but for me I think they
are definitely fooling people with that feature, feature,
feature and I don't feel like I need features to showcase
my talent.
Speaking features are you featured on a song with
Janet Jackson?
Khia-Yes. I'm so excited.
It's coming out on her new album. It's her label is handling
all of that so they are going to be doing the promotion
for that when her album drops. It was definitely great
to work with her she's a beautiful person.
I have to ask about album cover. It's original. What made
you decide to flip the spin on all the arrest photos and
use that as your album cover?
Khia-Its kind of to
show people there are thugs and there are thug misses.
Its gangsta's and gangstresses. Girls ball, we ride 24's
we hustle, we go to jail, Lil Kim aint the first chick
to go to jail. Its girls in the hood so I definitely wanted
to show them that it's not all glitz and glamour, its
not about pretty sex sells me but naked its about real.
Its about you can be from the hood and be the CEO of your
own company. You can still open up businesses you can
still change your life and better your ways and be successful.
I kinda wanted to show them that with the rumors and all
the shit I don't know if they thought I was going to go
into rehab or be like "Ahh they put my mug shots up,"
especially when you hood and you from the streets you
aren't going to run and hide from that. This is my life
and I rap about it in my music. I wanted to show them
that I'm not ashamed of it and to kind of show the hood
that yeah I been locked up and I have been in trouble
but I'm still successful and I still changed my ways and
that shit ain't cool. You do some shit you going to jail
but when you ready to change your life don't let that
stop you. So I kinda wanted to show them its hood and
it's thug misses and definetly the streets are going to
be able to relate and respect that and I'm hoping they
will be able to see that they can overcome anything from
their past and be successful. They are definitely going
to respect that in the hood.
That's a good message but when the mug shots first came
out at the time what was your feeling.
Khia-See I knew.
I was supposed to sign with Artemis and they did the distribution
for the album but when I decided not to do a five and
six album deal with them and it was just the one album
deal and I decided to stay independent all of the rumors
started "Oh she's dead," here come the mug shots, I definitely
knew where it was coming from and I knew it was hate so
I wasn't surprised. I mean a lot of artists when you decide
you can't trust people and you don't want to deal with
people and you are having problems at your label and you
decide to leave and then rumors come up stuff like that
happens. I knew where the mug shots were coming from.
When you are independent and doing stuff on your own you
are going to have haters and people who are rooting against
you. So I knew where it was coming from so it didn't bother
me but when the rumors started escalating to "Oh she got
shot," "her boyfriend killed her," "her mugshots were
all over" and "didn't she die?" it kind of got annoying.
Ya'll seen the video you know darn well I aint dead. People
just spread rumors and spread rumors but that's hip hop
so it definitely help me sell records so didn't bother
me.
I notice you have several websites and a Myspace
profile how have you been using the Internet to promote
yourself? Khia-Well
I always used the Internet. I guess being independent
its always been about my fans. It's always been about
building a relationship with the clubs with the DJ's and
the fans because I never had a major label so I never
had street teams and promotion I paid for my video just
one little low budget video I didn't have three or four
videos and I still sold 800,000 copies. From using the
Internet to fans they hit my websites, from sending them
photos to sending them CD's getting with them and letting
them know "Hey what city are you from you need to holla
at these people at this club so I can come down there
and perform and it's just the fans have been so much of
exposure for me. I've had fans that have done printing,
I've had fans that have done street teams and marketing
that goes to clubs in their neighborhood that hold 10,000
people that's uncle is the manager and that put so many
plugs in for me.
I never really had a major support with a major label
so its always been about networking through the Internet
and through my fan base. Its really been about them that
I'm here and they have been keeping me afloat. Mainstream
is like "okay she is a one hit wonder we haven't seen
from her or heard from her," but when it comes to the
clubs and it comes to touring and comes to the streets
its I've always been here and they've always been a big
support and come to every show. And they've always bought
every CD. Its definitely a good tool when you are an artist
and you really care about what you are doing and you are
about your business and not just wanting to be on TV.
You know about your marketing and promotion.
I manage myself. I do my own tour support I do my own
booking its like I do so much. Its like I'm Misses during
the day and thug at night. I'm Khia during the day and
I'm handling and I'm calling clubs and booking clubs and
at night I'm performing so it's definitely work. Its not
all about rapping and wanting to be on TV. People is just
robbing you blind you not up on your business you aren't
educating yourself about your publishing on your royalties
on your tour support whose getting paid you have an entourage
of 50 people but somebody has to pay those 50 people.
You end up owing the record label for all of this styling
and promotion and you aren't communicating with your fans
and your not building relationships with your fans and
people with position and power to help you and you think
its all about being on TV and its not. So definitely I've
used the Internet as an avenue for exposure and just communication
with my fans and other people who are in position I need
to get my music out there. Its definitely the new era,
the Internet is what you need to know about your business.
I also have an 80's site and I talk to a lot of artists
who were popular in the 80s and I'm just mentioning this
because you brought up the one hit wonder thing but a
lot of artists a huge hit is a blessing because you can
perform that song for the rest of your career. So what
would you say to critics who would say you are a one hit
wonder?
Khia-You know
what, like I said the streets don't lie. If you get love
in the hood and you got a fan base out here and people
listen to your music in the clubs its like the industry
is they let in who they want to let in and if you are
not doing what they are doing or hanging at their parties
and they don't have a visual of you, you are just a one
hit wonder, and we ain't seeing you know more because
you aren't under a spotlight or under a microscope. Its
not really about the fame you need to be about your money.
One hit wonders if they handle they business they can
still be performing.
A lot of the 80s hip hop artists are so huge overseas
and they get so much respect overseas whereas in the United
States they so programmed its like the majors can go in
and pay for radio all they artists that's all your going
to hear all day, they gonna pay BET and they are going
to pay MTV so its like they are just programmed "This
is whose hot," and if the mainstream don't say you are
hot you ain't hot and your just a one hit wonder. If you
believe that and you settle for that, that's all you are
going to be but for me I know better than that cause I
am still performing five years later off my one album
when some albums don't even get five months before another
hit comes and nobody even listens to there shit anymore.
"My Neck, My Back," gon be here forever. So its like ya'll
don't know what ya'll talking about I'm always going to
eat off of "My Neck, My Back." So for me to be able to
perform that song five years later I don't think that's
like "Where have you been," to me its "Girl, you are still
working you ain't had time," no I'm over here, I'm over
here. Its definitely not a one hit wonder thing. If you
say because I don't have 4 or 5 videos I'm a one hit wonder
its like look at those artists that do have 4 or 5 videos
and only sell 100,000 copies, they are stuck in a label
and they are shelved they cant do stuff so I definitely
don't even see that it's always about networking.
Anything you want to tell me about the new album?
Khia-Just that
it's a must have, its great, I'm just excited because
I did all the production so I'm just excited and thanks
to the fans Gangstress July 11th, I'm just excited it's
just thankful for the fans because I'm still performing
so it's all about that to me.
Related Links-
http://www.khiathugmissesent.com/
http://www.myspace.com/khia
Khia interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler,
and Thabiz.com 2006
Dorrie Williams-Wheeler is the author of Be
My Sorority Sister Under Pressure and the Unplanned
Pregnancy Book for Teens and College Students. She is
the founder of Thabiz.com
and Imissthe80s.com
and writes for the Rap,
Teen, and 1980s
section at Bellaonline.com. She is an ASCAP member as a
writer and a publisher. Please contact Dorrie for advertising
inquiries, lyric writing inquiries, reprint rights,
paying
entertainment jobs, or general comments.
Visit Dorrie on the web at www.sparkledoll.com
or add her as a friend at MYSPACE.
Khia interview
may not be reprinted, copied or distribute without permission.
You may link to this interview.Interview copyright Dorrie
Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com June 2006.
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