Kia Shine

Southern producer and rapper Kia Shine, also known as Kinfolk Kia Shine, leveraged his drive and talent for crafting infectious beats and hooks to escape hardship. Raised in Memphis, TN, he departed the rough Frazer neighborhood in search of better prospects, taking a corporate role with a large casino operator. Offered a promotion and $80,000 salary at the firm’s Las Vegas headquarters, he declined in favor of music. Drawing on his business acumen, he financed and produced his younger brother’s rap group L.I. near 1998. Then recording under the name Nakia Shine, he attempted to pitch L.I.’s tracks to New York labels, yet ended up selling the instrumentals instead. Securing a production agreement with Ruff Ryders and a publishing deal with Universal, he returned to Memphis, assembled local producers, and launched Rap Hustlaz, the production crew and imprint he co-owned with Jack Frost. Distribution via TVT followed in the early 2000s, enabling him to sign Memphis standouts Yo Gotti and Gangsta Blac. The label moved hundreds of thousands of units while Shine placed tracks with prominent Southern artists such as Juvenile, 8Ball, and Ludacris. Complications with TVT later prompted his roster to exit Rap Hustlaz, leaving Shine without housing and residing in his car. Forced to record solo material for a comeback, he released the 2006 Memphis breakout single “Respect My Fresh,” which secured a new contract with Universal Motown. Additional club tracks “Stunt Glasses at Night” and “Krispy” soon gained national radio play. His debut album, Due Season, appeared in summer 2007.