Khia 'Gangstress' album

Successfully returning to the rap game after a long hiatus can be a difficult process, even for an artist who has had a major hit. While Khia hasn't been directly in the spotlight for the past four years, she has been touring due to the staying power of her smash hit “My Neck, My Back” and grinding in the studio. Khia is hotter than ever now, with the July 11, 2006 release of her new album, Gangstress , on Thug Misses Entertainment/Warlock Records. She also has a new book and a 40-city tour in the works.

Naturally self-motivated, Khia took a hands-on approach to jumpstart her career while she was bartending at the hottest clubs in Tampa, Florida. She came into contact with artist managers, radio personalities and DJ's, which gave her an edge in getting her music heard. Even with the growing support from the industry, Khia was intent on making things happen on her own. “I stand on my own two feet,” she says. “I feel like a lot of the female artists in the game have been introduced to the Hip-Hop world through men. I came out by myself. You can't really depend on people to do stuff for you, you really have to get out there and do it for yourself.”

Since the release of her 2002 debut album Thug Misses , Khia's experiences have taught her invaluable lessons. “You can't depend on a lot of people in the industry - you have to build relationships with your fans. It's always about performing and being out on the road networking. You have to be up on your business.”

In as much as she wants to be respected as an artist, Khia also wants her music to be taken seriously. “I'm not just an entertainer or somebody that's in it for the fame,” she explains. “Music is really what I love to do - I eat sleep and breathe music. A lot of people look at females in the rap industry as sex symbols, they get it twisted thinking it's just about sex. I really want them to respect me as a creative writer, composer and a person that creates music for people to enjoy.”

With Gangstress about to drop and the new single “Snatch The Cat Back” picking up steam, Khia is sticking to her ‘do it yourself' formula. “I produced the whole album, only working with engineers J.A.and John Miller in Atlanta,” she says. “I was in control getting my own partnership with Warlock Records - they love the CD. I'm real excited about everyone seeing that I was hands on with the production. This was my first time going in and orchestrating, having live musicians and different engineers to come in and really bring everything to life. I'm not the type of artist where people put a piece of paper in front of my face and tell me how to read it. I'm in control of everything that I do.”

Khia has grown artistically over the years, and the music on Gangstress demonstrates that she can't be pigeonholed as a one-dimensional artist. “I had fun when I wrote this album, it's real versatile. I did a lot of different types of tracks. The first album was kind of sexual, a lot of different stuff with relationships. This album I did club tracks, fun party tracks. I took different avenues and mixed it up this time. The people that thought I was a one hit wonder will see the different range that I went in with this album, and see that I am a lyricist.”

In addition to her album, Khia will be putting out a book this Christmas titled Gangsta Love , her life story dealing with love and relationships discussed in her music. She is also set to work on developing new artists, writing and producing Hip-Hop and R&B, which was her first love before rapping. For the rest of this year, fans can look out for her national 40-city tour.

When all is said and done, Khia never takes her audience for granted. “Thank you to my fans - the wait is over! It's really because of them that I'm here. The album is dedicated to them, I'm excited to give them more of what they've been waiting for.”

Do you also would like to share your opinion? If so, please register or login here.

Tags

Details

Popular Songs

New Songs

Tracklisting

Khia - Gangstress