Nikkiya
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Music
Press
6. Nikkiya, Speakher
"Put that cheater in the trunk / I think he gotta learn a lesson / And I'm gonna teach his ass," as scream-sung by a tart Southern belle and Yelawolf cohort who can rap daintily and purr angrily. "When I Was High" will trigger hella paranoia. - Spin Magazine
Scared a you, girl.... An affiliate of Yelawolf's Slumerican label, South Carolina native and Atlanta transplant Nikkiya raises her own brand of hell on her latest video, which premiered a couple of days ago on Fader.com. The joint was produced by WillPower of SupaHotBeats/Ghetovision and recorded at Tree Sound Studios in Norcross. For her softer side, check out "Nobody But Me." Though "soft" probably isn't the best descriptor. She's being pegged as an alt-R&B artist, but her sound is edgier than that — more like down-ass-chick R&B.
Download/listen to her album SpeakHer, featuring cameos from Yelawolf and MC Lyte, for the full scoop. - Creative Loafing Atlanta
Nikkiya has been making a name for herself with a number of impressive collaborations that include Yelawolf’s “Speak Her Sex,” Wiz Khalifa’s “Middle Of You,” and two tracks off of Tech N9ne’s latest album: “Delusional” and “Promiseland.”
Now, the South Carolina artist is gearing up to release her debut project, SpeakHer, on August 15th. To bring a high level of cohesiveness to SpeakHer, Will Power of Supahot Beats, who was just named one of Complex Magazine’s 15 new producers to watch, will be producing every song on the free LP.
While in NYC for a showcase at The Fader, Nikkiya spoke to HipHopAtLunch about her upcoming SpeakHer album, the meaning behind a few of the standout tracks, working with Will Power, Yelawolf, Tech N9ne and more. - Hip Hop At Lunch
The chain-rattling beat on Nikkiya‘s “Cheater,” bolstered by a straight-shouted chorus, is instantly menacing, the sonic equivalent to the fantasy violence Nikkiya perpetrates at sawed-off gunpoint on her unfaithful boyfriend and his unsuspecting date. Put that cheater in the trunk/ I think he gotta learn a lesson, and I’m gonna teach his ass is a tough refrain—and memorable—but the secret strongest moment is the verse, sung just as passionately but with a hair less aggression. Nikkiya’s singing voice doesn’t lend itself as perfectly to flexing and gun fingers, but it evokes deeper parts of scorn, sharing little moments of weakness before she flips over the kitchen table and guts her ex-man. - The Fader
Discography
All 6’s & 7’s
Delusional - All 6’s & 7’s - Tech N9ne Ft. Nikkiya - Strange Music
Promiseland - All 6’s & 7’s - Tech N9ne Ft. Nikkiya - Strange Music
Rolling Papers
Middle Of You - Rolling Papers - Wiz Khalifa Ft. Nikkiya - Rostrum/Warner Bros./Atlantic
Speakher
Titanic - Speakher - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
Favorite Things - Speaker - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
Love Machine - Speakher - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
Cheater - Speakher - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
When I Was High - Speakher - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
Y.O.Y. - Speakher - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
In The Game Ft. MC Lyte - Speakher - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
I Like What Your Doin Main - Speakher - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
Nobody But Me - Speakher - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
Wish - Speakher - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
Speakher Sex Ft. Yelawolf (Remix) - Speakher - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
Radioactive
Animal - Radioactive - Yelawolf Ft. Fefe Dobson - GhetoVision/Shady/Interscope/DGC
Singles
Sailing - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
Hold On Me - Speakher: Overload - Nikkiya - SupaHot Beats
Mixtape Singles
Speak Her Sex - Trunk Muzik - Yelawolf - GhetoVision/Shady/Interscope/DGC
Luv Me - Wishful Thinking 2: Respect My Grind - Tez McClain Ft. CyHi Da Prynce & Nikkiya - [?]
On My Own - [?] - Emilio Rojas
Writings On The Wall - The Illustrious - STS
On Fire - Things Young Ppl Do - Big Page Ft. Nikkiya
Blame Me - Breaking Point - Emilio Rojas
Paradise - White Jesus: Revival - Rittz Ft. Nikkiya
Other Shit - Jackie Chain Ft. Nikkiya - Universal Republic
Photos
Bio
The city of Columbia, South Carolina may be nationally known for a few things that aren’t very flattering. From a governor having a public affair with an Argentine mistress to the Confederate flag that flies on top of the city’s statehouse, nationally the city’s reputation isn’t a great one.
Despite the headlines the city acquires, there’s a southern sensibility that exist. A soul that encompasses the people that bleeds through the music. That’s why when fans hear sensational vocalist Nikkiya is from Columbia, there shouldn’t be a surprise. The only surprise should be why she isn’t at the top of every Billboard chart that’s out there.
There are some people that can sing, and then there are people that can saiing. Nikkiya is of the latter group gracing vocals for artists from Yelawolf, Wiz Khalifa to Tech N9ne. Her solo project Speakher, a smorgasbord of her influences of soul, gospel, funk, rock and all else in between has been a fixture at DJBooth.net.
There’s a humility that Nikkiya possess that is difficult to find in young vocalists as she explains in a recent interview with The Find Magazine.
After traveling to Atlanta with label mate and producer Willpower for SupaHotBeats, Nikkiya explains the struggles of going to a new city and not having a place to stay.
“I just really want people to hear our story and get inspired, because it inspires me. We both moved to Atlanta in 2006 to get our feet wet,” Nikkiya explains. “We were both sleeping on a concrete floor in a loft office downtown Atlanta. We were there from October 2006 until March 2007.”
That determination has garnered her features on high profile albums as a writer for the song “Animal” on Yelawolf’s major label Shady/Aftermath debut Radioactive (that reached number 27 on the Billboard top 200) as well as featured on Wiz Khalifa’s Rolling Papers album.
Her Willpower produced project Speakher has captured an audience to her unique brand of powerhouse production mixed with incredible range, and was honored with being number 6 on Spin Magazine’s Top 25 R&B albums of 2011.
2012 looks to be more promising with a Speakher Overload, a deluxe edition coming soon and available to all digital outlets with five new songs as well as a follow-up project titled Nikkilla. Her latest single release “Sailing” has been featured on Okayplayer.com and charted number 1 on DJBooth.net is a precursor of things to come. Nikkiya’s approach to her craft is a rare commitment to excellence that in a gimmick ridden industry overlooks talent and focuses on theatrics. Nikkiya’s focus is beyond that.
“I love the grind. I love the grinding and the shining. You have to learn to love people’s flaws and I roll with flaws, let ‘em work for me. This grind is beneficial and the pain is beneficial. It’s all worth it. The pain is just as important. Just like the music, writer’s block is just as important as the songs that come easily. I love it all.” -PJ
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