Interview: Kia Shine talks losing his mother to cancer & working with 2 Chainz on his next project

People know Kia Shine, but they may not really KNOW Kia Shine. He recently lost his Mother to cancer, but is flipping the energy and using it as motivation to release a summer project titled, Limitless. You can expect 2 Chaaainz, India Arie, and T-Pain on it, as well as something you may have never heard from Kia — his singing voice.

See below for our interview with the So Crispy artist.

Where are you in your career?
I feel limitless. Ever since my mom passed, it was a wake-up call for me. I was already grinding, trying to live life to the fullest, but once I lost my mom to cancer, I realized that time don’t wait for no one. Tomorrow it may end.

I’m in a good place now. My mom’s not in pain anymore, she’s in a better place. Now I can move forward with things that I knew she’d want me to do. The acting thing, with television film…. You’ll see me moving in that direction and in that lane. I’m just taking that to another level because that’s what she wanted me to do.

People may know me as So Crispy — but I’m also that dude that got the co-publishment on a Drake record for Best I Ever Had, and I also published Yo Gotti’s 5 Star Chick. I’m just taking all limits off.

What’s next for you?
The next project is Limitless. I feel limitless right now, and I’ma show the world that.

I have a new single with me and India Arie. I’m on a different diverse genre with my new music. I’m gonna have the club bangers for my hip hop audience, the neo soul for those people. I don’t listen to just one type of music, so my music is gonna represent that.

Is there a release date for that?
July 4th

I read somewhere that you have a new video dropping on Mother’s Day?
Yeah, It’s called Always Love Momma, it’s a video to my mom. It shows about her life, and I’m actually singing the whole song. She dug when I rapped, but she really liked my singing voice. It really helped me with my healing process. I made it for my family, but then again I made it because so many other families have members that have died of cancer. I feel like it help me, hopefully it’ll hope someone else.

You mentioned your Mother having cancer — how did it change your life, and the family around you?
My aunt died of cancer in January. My mom died of cancer in February. Two of my other aunts died two years prior. It’s been running through my family. I’ve got to do something about it. Make people aware, early testing is important. Especially with women.

Do you plan to keep raising cancer awareness?
I’m gonna use my talent, whatever God blessed me with and I’m going to use whatever “celebrity” I have and use it in the promotion of individuals to get tested early.

That’s great that you’re using you’re star-power for a better purpose.
Yeah, what’s wealth with out your health? I’m using my power of my tongue to spread positivity.

Can you share your last moments with your Mother?
I was in the hospital with my mom every day, my friend told me I should step out since I had been with her every day. So I went to see my favorite basketball team play in Oklahoma, and my mom and my brother got to see me on the courtside on ESPN – this was two days before she passed. When I got back, she was already crossing over. She was asking for my grandmother, and talking to my grandmother as if she was there. That was incredible to me. After that she’d come in and out, she called for me, called for my brother. Then I left to go home, the next morning I was on my way back to see her and they called me to say she stopped breathing at 7:38. I just rushed over there – and she was gone. But it was a sigh of relief because it was peaceful moment.

I was more concerned for my brother cuz he’s in the 10th grade – but he’s a trooper and so was she. She left us with a lot of instructions, and now I’m on top of the business.

Do you feel like you’re missing out on the rush of southern artists like Ca$h Out, Future, 2 Chainz, who are rising to the spot light in the industry?
2 Chainz is my family, I actually have a record with him and T-Pain on my Limitless project. There’s always a record from the South every year from someone, I don’t feel like I’m missing out. I’m not tryna be like them. I like their music, and I like them but I can’t emulate what they do. I don’t want a click or a team, I came out on my own. I just wanna be able to express.

Anything else you’d like to add?
In music, you have an option. You can either emulate what everyone else is doing and what seems to be working — or you can do what’s true to you in your heart and what’s true to you and make your minority the majority. 2 Chainz was not the hottest rapper two years ago, but he was definitely rapping and doing his thing. He kept pushing music to his minority, and his fans are now the majority. I’m gonna keep serving my base of individualas and keep doing what im doing and eventually they will be the majority.

I feel like the individuals who do different music and stand out, have bigger blessings in the end. I don’t even wanna be looked at as a rapper any way, I wanna be looked at as an artist, a producer and one who does the biz’ of music. I’m just doing what God has me doing in my heart with my music, just keep walking on faith and keep going. Whatever God has for me – he got for me.