Kia Flow
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Kia Flow

Columbia, South Carolina, United States | SELF

Columbia, South Carolina, United States | SELF
Band Spoken Word Comedy

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"The Evolving Transformation"

Seeing Takia “Kia Flow” Dickens stand on stage with a gleam in her eye and a boost of confidence, wearing skinny jeans and a short natural haircut makes it hard to believe that just 6 months earlier she was 50lbs heavier, lacked confidence and was known for her big hair wigs. Right after high school Kia went through a series of events that would lead to the transformation of an extraordinary woman. Kia, raised by her grandma, was always thin and always practiced good eating habits. However, moving out on her own and working late hours aided in her gaining more weight than she had anticipated.

Even with these noticeable issues, Kia carried the weight for over 6 years. It wasn’t until her grandma, her biggest inspiration, started getting sick that Kia decided it was time to change her eating habits and change her life.

In 2012 Kia’s grandmother passed away shortly after suffering a stroke. Constantly in and out of the hospital seeing her grandmother’s health decline made Kia decide to really focus on rebuilding her image and her health. Kia started eating healthier, working out at the gym and even doing body cleanses. She encouraged others to go on this same path by posting health facts along with her health journey on social media sites. Kia also took her transformation a step further by removing the big hair wigs she often wore and revealing her short natural hair. “I wanted to tap into my inner self and my inner beauty.” Just as her inner beauty was flourishing, so were her dreams of performing all over the world one day.

Kia enjoyed singing but could never really dive completely into it. She often practiced singing with her talented brother Antwan when they were young, but that never stopped her from being extremely nervous on her solo performances at church. After a huge break-up from a serious relationship, Kia put singing on the backburner and focused on writing. This break-up became a blessing in disguise when she wrote a poem about it. Although she was a little stage frightened, she managed to stir up the courage to perform this poem at The Poetry Spot in Jacksonville, Florida. A week later she decided to perform again, this time adding another poem she wrote called Bring Those Days Back at an open mic venue called The Cypher. “I was amazed at the response I received. The audience interacted with me and laughed at the funny parts. I can be self-centered sometimes so I liked the attention,” she joked. Performing her poetry helped build her confidence and she began to write more and more.

The realness in her poetry, along with her witty, comedic, and genuine personality made her become an instant hit with the venues and it wasn’t long before Kia Flow became a regular name on the poetry scene. Immediately doors began to open for Kia and she started hosting and featuring at various venues through-out Florida. At one of these shows was play writer Jana Bradley of Be Dynamik Productions who offered Kia a chance to audition for one of her monologue plays after seeing her perform. Although Kia had never acted before, she was intrigued and wanted an opportunity to explore her hidden talents. “When I got the part and performed my own monologue in the play Blak.Woman.Dynamik-ReBorn, it was an amazing experience and taught me how to put more passion and emotion in my words.”

In 2012 she was chosen to perform at the Savannah Urban Arts Fest, featuring her talents to an even larger crowd. Because this venue was on a different scale, she wanted to provide the audience with a CD to purchase. Kia spent countless hours in the studio creating her first CD entitled Just Use It as a Coaster. The CD consists of her most popular pieces and a little singing to remind her audience of the other talent that she rarely displays. After her CD was released, she had a desire to indulge in her singing a little more. In doing so, she started singing back up for the Free Quincy band and for the group Reflections in the Room.

Currently, Kia is due to release the first of 8 YouTube web series entitled Going with the Flow. This will be a web series following Kia Flow in her everyday life, filled with characters and comedic plots to have her audience laughing and looking forward to the next episode. The series, produced by Sozo Jaxson, will also highlight footage of other artists performing through-out the scenes. Kia, born and raised in Jacksonville, FL. has immediate plans to relocate to Charlotte, NC. to further her networking and entertainment ventures. Kia Flow’s transformation is still evolving and she is actively seeking elevation on physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels. Her grandmother always pushed her to go after her dreams and to live her life to the fullest and that’s exactly what she’s doing. “If you have a dream, go after it. It won’t be easy and even when you feel like giving up – don’t. It’ll all pay off in the end, just never give up.”

To order Kia’s CD and/or to learn more about Ki - NToU Magazine


"SPOTLIGHT ON TREACHEROUS: ill Clinton"

THE MUSIC:
ill Clinton


[1] What up Ill! Such an honor to have the beats wizard himself once again in the hot seat! You are like on of the most sought after cats in the game…real talk when I was thinking of music for the movie, you were the first to come to mind. So what has been going on since the last time we chatted?

Hmm… Couple of things come to mind. First, we wanted to make sure that when we make good music, it has the proper avenues to reach people outside of Jacksonville and our circle. We have been working on forming GiveLove Ent. & GiveLove Records to produce, promote, and release our projects.

One project we just finished is Reformed Butterfly’s poetry album. It’s going to be released on July 11th at Three Layers Cafe. This is not going to be your average poetry project. I produced music for many of the poems/songs and it features some of Duval’s most talented lyricists!

Oh and I definitely can’t leave out Takara Houston. We have been working on some stuff that people will be hearing soon. She has like a jazzy fresh style I think people will really like

[2] Give Love Entertainment. The IGive shared with us that your organization has under its umbrella some of the most talented people in Jacksonville, such as, Reformed Butterfly, Love Reigns and Monsta….wow! That’s just hot! Tell us what your vision for your organization and what are your plans for the near future?

Well basically, sheeeesh I could go on and on about this… Here is the bottom line: Jacksonville has a lot of great people and talented folks, but I don’t think there are the same kind of support systems here in this city compared to other cities that are considered
entertainment centers. What we, myself, The Igive, and Love Reigns, want to do is create that. I think it is crucial for us here to work together as a team with complementary components. So with GiveLove we have everything we need…. Production, musicians, recording studio, song writers, poets, visual design, vocalists, DJ, and promotions. In GiveLove Ent. Everyone has ambitions and we all support eachother. I also feel that in order to really make waves and attract business relationships with organizations that can help market and distribute our projects we need to put out a bunch of quality projects under one banner.

Oh and a special shout out to GiveLove visual design artist Ben Dodd for the amazing logo! Yall need to hit him up for pictures and logos! He wont give you that cookie cutter stuff, he’s real original

[3] You are one busy dude. In addition to creating some of the hottest beats around, you are also a multi-talented musician in your own right. Drums, the electric and acoustic guitar…damn man, you a savant or something!? Now I hear you’re playing with the band EvenStill. LOVE THEM!! Tell us what that experience has been like playing in a band with an existing fan base and does EvenStill have any upcoming performances that you want to share with our readers?

Hahaha yea right.. I am a decent guitar player.. I started making beats because I knew I would never be like a great guitarist. I have no chops and no training, but I was always good at constructing a groove. I just got back into guitar playing reluctantly, but it’s been really fun.

Working Tommy Bridgewater and EvenStill has been great! Evenstill backs up The IGive and other GiveLove artists at live shows and I play with them whenever I am free. We have just started doing monthly tribute shows to iconic soul and R&B artists. So far we have done Erykah Badu (a personal fav), Mary J, and Chaka Khan. Starting in July we will be doing a new tribute every 4th Fri at Cafe 331.

I can’t go without mentioning some people here… The guys from EvenStill are awesome! Bryant Wesley on drums, Howard Green on keys, and DeSean Kirkland on keys. We have some amazing singers that do shows with us: Eboni Star, Akia Uwanda, Takara Houston, Fatima Kargbo, Sumeka Jackson, Chris Williams, and even Monica Monet comes out now and again.

[4] ill, you are responsible for creating and arranging quite a bit of the music for the upcoming movie, Treacherous. So exciting! Now you’ve never done anything like that before but you still managed to take on that sometimes cumbersome task and make one hell of a musical score. What was your first reaction when J called you and said, “Ill, I have an offer you can’t refuse…” and what was it like creating the score?

Hmm…At first I was like “OK no biggie”. But then as we got deeper into it at times I was thinking to myself “you are in over your head”. It was probably like halfway into making the music that I actually started doing what would be considered “score music”. It was definitely kinda a challenge. I am always kinda nervous at first because I don’t know what different people expect. But it was fun. I think I learned a lot and know how to approach it better in the future. I just hope people like it. I know that this led to producing 2 really good songs insp - BeDynamik Productions (BeDynamik.com


"Behind the Scenes with ill Clinton"

BY NAKIA ABREU – MAY 2, 2011
POSTED IN: HIP-HOP, INTERVIEWS


ill Clinton and his GiveLove Entertainment family have been making quite a bit of noise on Duval’s independent music scene as of lately and for good reason. They are a group of immensely talented acts individually, but as a unit they’re practically unstoppable. The LaVilla Project has already highlighted GiveLove artist’s The IGive and Reformed Butterfly, but for this interview we decided to go behind the proverbial scenes and talk to the man who is responsible for creating the signature sound of the GiveLove family. ill Clinton, part owner and “chief music music producer” of GiveLove Entertainment, has quickly become one of the most revered and sought after producers in Duval and for good reason. His work on various GiveLove projects, as well as his work with songstress, Monica Monet, has solidified his place as one of the dopiest beat-makers and producers that this city has ever seen. Find out more about the man behind the music in The LaVilla Project’s interview with iil Clinton.

Nakia: Tell the readers a little bit about yourself, who you are and what do you do?

ill Clinton: I’m ill Clinton, I’m a music producer and musician. I dabble in promotions and record label ownership here in Jacksonville, Florida. For the last few years I’ve been concentrating on putting out as much music as possible, promoting myself and artists that I work with and just really trying to get the ball rolling.

Nakia: Ok, now you’re a part of GiveLove Entertainment. What is your role?

ill Clinton: In GiveLove, I am part owner and I guess like chief music producer.

(Laughter)

Nakia: That’s a made up title? (Laughter)

ill Clinton: Yeah, I just made that now, but I think I’m going to go with that…Chief. (Laughter)

Nakia: Now you primarily work with the folks over at GiveLove right? Who are some of the artists in GiveLove and who have you worked with outside of the crew?

ill Clinton: We have The IGive, a local songwriter/emcee, he originally co-founded GiveLove with spoken word artist, Love Reigns. Reformed Butterfly, who’s a very talented spoken word artist. DJ Monsta, who DJ’s around the city, particularly at The Cypher and a lot of people don’t know that he’s a spoken word artist as well, we’re getting a project together for him. Also we got Ben Dodd, who does our graphic design and art, his role is like Art Director. And Takara Houston, who is a singer and songwriter. And because of that, we have a little crew that has agreed to help with promotions, those people include and they are worth mentioning, because they’ve done a lot for us, Aja Jackson, Shay Cason and Lori Sever, is the promotions director for us. There’s also Hector Fishhook, he’s a songwriter and singer, some people who have been to our shows having probably caught him, singing solos and singing background, he does a lot of studio work with us as well. There’s also Peaches who does some singing for us at shows and always supports. And we also have GiveLove extended family, people like Mr. Al Pete who supports us and we collaborate with.

Nakia: Now how did you personally break into the independent scene here in Jacksonville?

ill Clinton: It actually all started on MySpace. I’d spent a good few years, getting some schooling out of the way, so I could be in position to buy music equipment and have time and money to invest. So basically, I found MySpace, I came across someone’s page, I think it was JustWill and from there I saw who he was friends with and started listening to all of this independent, underground music in Jacksonville and I thought this really cool, way better than what’s on the radio and at that time I was still learning how to do it, but I had a background in playing music, I play guitar, I’d played in some bands, so I was really developing my skills at the time, just hitting people up, seeing who’d be willing to work with me and realize that I have more potential than the stuff I’m sending you now. Because originally I started making instrumentals; well first it was really stupid stuff for fun, like “Hey listen to this!” and I’d just play it for my friends who came over. I was making beats for this instrumental funk band that I used to play with called the International Dudes of Leisure and I would like compose beats on the computer and I would send those like this would be a cool groove for us to play at our next gig. So that’s the brief background and it really took off when I met Monica Monet on MySpace and I invited her over.

Nakia: That’s extremely random. (Laughter)

ill Clinton: Yeah, it was a completely random encounter. I was her hitting her up like, “Hey, I do music!”, I was desperate to like, do some stuff.

Nakia: It’s a good thing you didn’t turn out to be like a psycho, stalker, crazy person or anything. (Laughter)

ill Clinton: Right. I mean I’m kind of psycho and crazy, but in a non-dangerous way.

(Laughter)

Nakia: Yeah, I - www.ThaLavillaProject.com


""Gimme 5: ill Clinton: 5 best places for music and spoken word""

By Heather Lovejoy
ILL CLINTON
www.illClinton.com
ill Clinton is a Jacksonville-based music producer. He has worked with the “who’s who” in the Jacksonville hip-hop, neo-soul and poetry scene. He is also a team member with The Cypher Open Mic Poetry & Soul event held at Deja Vu every first and third Thursday. Clinton’s latest project, “Presents: Vol. 1,” is set for release in February.
5 best places to check out Jacksonville’s burgeoning music and spoken-word scene
1 Deja Vu Art & Wine Bar: 1827 N. Pearl St. in historic Springfield. Deja Vu is home to the open-mic events “The Cypher” and “Artis(Tree)” on Thursdays, and Moses West’s “The Poetry Spot” every last Sunday of the month. The local talent and frequent out-of-town guests are definitely worth checking out!
2 The LaVilla Project Website: www.TheLavillaProject.com. Nakia Abreu and the crew (haha, funny rhyme) do an amazing job of staying on top of the scene and keeping visitors up-to-date on the latest releases and shows by Jacksonville artists. There are also interesting interviews and stories.
3 Cometry: A special night at Square One, 1974 San Marco Blvd., every Tuesday. It is a curious mix of open-mic comedy and spoken-word poetry. So, whether you are in the mood to laugh or contemplate, Cometry’s got you covered! So come try! (Get it?)
4 Poppy Love Smoke: 112 E. Adams St., home of the second annual J Dilla Tribute on Friday, Feb. 10. Poppy Love Smoke is a can’t-miss if you want to check out some good music. Thanks to promoters such as Rod Garner of Rightway Entertainment, there are frequently events there that feature live bands, spoken word, R&B and hip-hop.
5 Phoenix Taproom: 325 W. Forsyth St. It seems as if there is always something cool going on there, whether it’s a freestyle battle or an album release concert. Definitely keep an eye on what’s happening at Phoenix Taproom.
heather.lovejoy@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4539
- Florida Times Union


Discography

Jus Use it as a Coaster (EP)

Photos

Bio

Born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, Kia's family always knew she would be different. Raised by her Grandparents Kia and her younger brother Antwan would sit in the room and practice singing. She would peck at the keyboard and he would bang on phone books and margarine containers making music. She never saw music lighting her career path even though she by the 5th grade had written 4 songs. She was even apart of a "Grade School Singing Group" called Voices of Soul. Just as many other artist she got the bulk of her singing experience in church. Even though she had a terrible case of stage fright, she would still sing nervously in front of the entire church congregations on Youth Sunday or while singing on the praise team.

She had a breakup, but instead of busting out windows she busted out her notepad and began to write. She learned to write away her troubles. She wrote memories, life events, and the multitude of emotions that altered her life at the time. It wasn't until a year later and Thanks to a post made on Facebook by her mentor, Moses West that she entertained the idea of performing her work in front of anyone. Never the less she gathered up the courage to perform not only in front of an audience but in front of Mr. Talaam Acey who was featuring at The Poetry Spot that night. A week later she saw a Facebook post by Matthew (Cuban) Hernandez for The Cypher Poetry then at Café 331. The response from the audience made her want to come back again, and that’s what she.

Now, you can find Kia Flow performing, featuring and hosting at various open mics, poetry shows, movies and plays all around the Southeast Region. She has featured at shows such as Moses West’s "Come-try" and "The Poetry Spot Presents – Sex on Stage", Love Reigns "Artis(Tree)" and PEInc’s "Underground." She also has performed at Touch the Mic in Orlando hosted by Devery Broox and "Smart Mouth (Orlando and Polk County) hosted by Jason Alexander, "Floetry" in Ocala, "Open Mic Mondays in Gainesville hosted by Alicia Hayes and Ambros, "Estrogen Rocks" in Palm Bay hosted by Faithful Hazel and "Black on Black Rhyme" in Tallahassee hosted by Founder/CEO Keith Rogers. "Getcha Mind Right" in Mobile AL hosted by Alex "Huggy Bear" Lofton, "Savannah Urban Arts Fest" in Savannah GA, "Touch One" hosted by Jaycee and "Open Mic at Poor Richards Bookstore" hosted by CP Maze in Charlotte NC. "Voices of Soul" in Greenville NC hosted by Michael Burnett. She was also casted in Jana Bradley’s "Blak.Woman.Dynamik-ReBoRn" a monologue based stage play and she had a short role in ZoCode Films "Fye it Up 4/20 Special brought to you by Mr. Sozo Jaxon"

She has hosted a series of shows including "What’s the Word Wednesday at FLA Riders Motercycle Club", "Venus Vs Mars, Cometry at SquareOne", "The Cypher Poetry at The Real Ting Care", "Artis(Tree") at Club TSI, "Right Way Ent Summer Time Concert Series", "MBM’s Voices of Soul", "French Kiss Fridays at Endo Exo and Endo Exo’s Day Party with The Katz Downstairz."

She sings too! She sings back up for "Free – Quincy" band and "Reflections in The Room" with ill Clinton and MJ Baker. She has performed with EvenStill and was featured alongside Gabi Starr in DJ Byrd Sanchez’s Panty Droppa Mix-Tape with the single "So Good"

These day's if Kia is not performing she is creating new ideas, characters and plots for her up coming webseries "Going with the Flow." It's a new project of her's which is intended to make the audiance laugh! Stay tuned because there's more to come!