Khia

Khia Shamone | Create Your Badge
In 2002, Khia entered the hip hop fray with her sexually assertive "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)." Since then, her name has been synonymous with pure, unadulterated spunk and she has been regarded as an artist who was brash, bold and unapologetically risqué. Little did people know, however, that there is much more to Khia, who not only wrote, produced and sang on all of her earlier songs but was also tapped by Janet Jackson as a writer and collaborator on "So Excited" from Jackson's 2006 CD, "20 Y.O." "People didn't really know me because I came out so hard core," Khia says. "But I'm not just a rapper; I love music and I love learning everything I can about music. Nobody ever showcased that about me -- it was just always about the drama."



Khia's new CD, the musically diverse "Khia Shamone| Motor Mouf," proves that the Philly-born, Florida-bred rapper/singer/songwriter is still calling her own shots and is not the least bit squeamish about rewriting the rules of the music game.



"Khia Shamone| Motor Mouf" continues what she began in 2008 on her "Nasti Muzik" project. It is "racy", "sexy", "electric", and gives listeners a good idea of what to expect when they insert the CD and push play. Says Khia, "I'm singing and the melodies take it to another level." It is a compilation of growth and it's about me being in a comfortable place in my life and feeling blessed. Khia's shift in her music is reflective of her growth both creatively and personally. What most people don't know is that behind the tough exterior, behind the naughty lyrics and the sexy persona is a woman who, more than anything else, just wants to be an artist and express herself freely and honestly."



The double-sided album boasts a 16-piece set of songs all recorded with live instrumentation. The music on "Motor Mouf" is a drastic departure from her debut single, "My Neck, My Back," which drew its first breath in a Florida studio in 2002 and spread like wildfire across the southeast and, ultimately the nation, making Khia a hip-hop diva of note and setting the stage for her debut CD, "Thug Misses." Four years later, she would follow up with "Gangstress," which spawned the singles "Snatch the Cat Back" and "For the Love of Money." "You're gonna find something on both sides of the CD," Khia says. From the lead single, "Been a Bad Girl" and the female empowerment anthem "Fall Back," to the rock-flavored "Heart on Her Sleeve" and the sexy underground club favorite "Touch Me," Khia delivers an album that she describes as being "full of thoughts and ideas."



Like her previous albums, "Khia Shamone| Motor Mouf" doesn't include any cameos. "This is my fourth album and I have not had any features. Though I have not, I am not closing any doors for any such opportunity. I've learned that all of your songs are you so why are you holding on to certain songs and ideas just because you're a rapper? You're an artist. You create art through words and melodies and music. In music there are no boundaries. There is so much you can do and so many different ways that you can create music and express yourself."



Slated to be released in spring 2010, "Khia Shamone| Motor Mouf," Khia looks forward to performing the songs in front of a live audience and adds that even though she hopes her music will inspire her peers to step up their game. Khia is happy to know that she has achieved what she set out to achieve: total creative and personal freedom.