Khia Shamone Finch ( ; ' Chambers; born November 8, 1976)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, media personality, and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

. She is best known for her highest-charting single "

My Neck, My Back (Lick It) "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" is a song by American rapper Khia, released in April 2002 as the lead single from her debut studio album, ''Thug Misses''. Owing to its sexually explicit lyrics, an edited version of the song was released to mainstre ...

" as well as other notable street hits such as "Snatch the Cat Back", "Respect Me", "K-Wang", and "Next Caller".

Early life

Khia was born Khia Shamone Finch Chambers in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and was raised in its

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ger ...

neighborhood, and she moved to

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

when she was 11. Khia attended Dowdell Middle School and Hillsborough High School. She was expelled from Hillsborough during ninth grade and attended an alternative school afterwards. In 1991, Khia had her first child, a daughter also named Khia. In 1992, she moved to

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

when the father was stationed there and had her second child, a son named Rashawn, while she was living with him. Before becoming a rapper, she worked as a bartender at Club XS in

. Her mother Carol Belinda Chambers, who was a data entry specialist, died in 2001.

Music career

2000–2002: ''Thug Misses''

Khia released her debut album, ''

Thug Misses ''Thug Misses'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Khia. It was originally released on October 30, 2001, by Divine Records, followed by a wider release on April 23, 2002, by Dirty Down Records and Artemis Records. The album spawned the ...

'' in 2002 on Dirty Down/Artemis Records as a re-release from the original version by Divine Records. The lead single "

" became a breakthrough single, charting at #42 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart and #12 on the

Hot Rap Tracks Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio statio ...

chart. MTV News reported that she wrote "My Neck, My Back" in 15 minutes.

2003–2006: ''Gangstress''

In 2004, Khia appeared on a track with

Trick Daddy Maurice Samuel Young (born September 27, 1974), better known by his stage name Trick Daddy, is an American rapper from Miami's Liberty City (Miami), Liberty City. Early life Trick Daddy was born on September 27, 1974, at Jackson Memorial Hospita ...

and Tampa Tony called "Jump On It" from Trick's album '' Thug Matrimony: Married to the Streets''. Khia's second album was supposed to be released in 2003 by the title "Street Preacher". The album was complete by mid-2003, and was set for released by the end of 2003, but the album got shelved for unknown reasons. In 2006 Khia recorded another album to be her second album, Gangstress. Khia's second album, ''

Gangstress ''Gangstress'' is the second studio album by American rapper Khia. The album was released by Thug Misses Entertainment and Warlock Records on July 11, 2006 in the United States. The album was fully produced by Khia. It debuted at #67 on the ''Bill ...

'', was released on July 11, 2006, on Phase One Communications. It debuted at #67 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. Later in 2006, Khia also collaborated with

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

on her hit " So Excited", which peaked at #90 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart.

2007–2008: ''Nasti Muzik, Boss Lady Mixtape''

After signing to

Big Cat Records Big Cat Records is a British independent record label. It launched around 1990 and originally specialized in industrial and noise-rock releases. Big Cat operated a US office in New York City for a few years. Integrated with V2 Records in 1996, ...

, and still with her own label Thug Misses Entertainment, Khia finished working on her third studio album, ''

Nasti Muzik HD 68988 is a star in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. It has been given the proper name Násti, which means star in the Northern Sámi languages, Sami language. The name was selected in the NameExoWorlds campaign by Norway, ...

'', released on July 22, 2008. " What They Do" was the first promotional single on the album, which featured Atlanta rapper

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...

. The first single, "Be Your Lady", was produced by Tampa's Push-a-Key Productions. Khia promoted the up-and-coming album by releasing a mixtape entitled ''The Boss Lady'', which was hosted by DJ Scream. Khia participated in the

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

reality show ''

Miss Rap Supreme Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as "Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, i ...

'' in 2008. Khia was eliminated from the competition for rapping a song recorded prior to the show, "Respect Me".

2009–2012: ''Motor Mouf/Khia Shamone''

Khia began working on her fourth album, ''

MotorMouf aka Khia Shamone ''MotorMouf a.k.a. Khia Shamone'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Khia and was released digitally on July 12, 2012, on her own label ThugMisses Entertainment. Background Speaking to hip hop website HipHopDX in 2010 Khia s ...

'', in 2009. On May 4, 2010, she released the lead single from the album, "Been a Bad Girl". A video for the single was shot in New York by Clifton Bell. The song showed a different, more sensitive side of the rapper. Following its release, Khia stopped by a local ABC News show to promote the single. In 2010, she told the website ''HipHopDX'' that the album will feature her singing instead of rapping on some of its cuts. A second single, a smooth R&B song, "So Addicted", followed "Been a Bad Girl". That track was compiled on the ''Khia Shamone'' section of the album. She's since released the singles, "Pay Your Pussy Bill" and "Georgia" from the album.

Discography

* ''

'' (2001) * ''

'' (2006) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2012) * ''

Love Locs ''Love Locs'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Khia and was released digitally on July 4, 2014, on her own label Thug Misses Entertainment. Track listing All songs written by Khia Khia Shamone Finch ( ; ' Chambers; born November ...

'' (2014) * ''QueenDomCum'' (2016) * ''TwerkAnomics'' (2018) * ''Don't Trust No N****s'' (2019)

Bibliography

*''Love Yourself Hoe'' (2014) *''Ignoring the Signs'' (2014)

References

External links

Khia
on Myspace * {{Authority control 1977 births Living people American women rappers African-American women rappers Epic Records artists American hip hop singers Rappers from Hawaii Rappers from Philadelphia Musicians from Tampa, Florida Rappers from Florida Southern hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American women 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century women rappers