S. Samuel
In light of reports of DJ Absolut suing producer/rapper Kia Shine for unpaid proceeds from Drake's "Best I Ever Had" record, SOHH hit up the award-winning writer to get his take on the situation.
Kia finds the situation funny since he was previously accused of not having any role in Drake’s smash hit.
“You know what’s funny about this situation is six months ago, when the story first broke, there was some doubt about the speculation about if I was even telling the truth about me even having a credit or a writer/co-writer share of the record, period. And now off the record I’ve made a million dollars from it and now I’m being sued for it. So which one is it? I just think my job as a businessman is to handle my business accordingly and always make sure to protect my intellectual property. There’s no issues with me and Drake, we settled that — and I think as far as Absolut is concerned, I’ve never really had an issue with him — it was not, and I repeat, it was not a co-production. The track was definitely made by myself and my squad and we have the necessary things to prove that…You can’t expect to receive 20 percent or be paid off of something you didn’t create. You have to have a part in the creation of the intellectual property to make profits. That’s just Music Business 101.” (SOHH)
Kia also told SOHH he will use the publicity to help promote his new Alarm Clock Theory mixtape.
“But I do appreciate the pub,” Kia added, “I do appreciate the promotion or whatever because it helps set off my new Alarm project mixtape that I’m dropping as a wake-up call because my motto is while everybody’s sleeping, you’re gonna wake-up working for me. Promotion works for me and I really appreciate that but as far as having a part in the co-production? That’s false…He’s got the right plan but the wrong man.” (SOHH)
Details on Abso’s lawsuit against Kia landed online Monday (June 7) morning.
DJ Absolut says Shine, whose real name is Nakia Coleman, agreed in December 2008 to pay him 20% of all proceeds that came from the use of his beat. But Shine secretly went to Drake last September and cut a deal to get a 25% interest in the song’s copyright – an arrangement that has already netted him $1 million, the lawsuit claims. The lawyer for DJ Absolut says Shine’s representatives have refused to return his calls. “Kia Shine needs to uphold his end of the agreement,” said Muir’s lawyer, Brian Levy. “It wasn’t my client’s desire to resort to legal action to get him to do it. We’ve reached out to him, but he has not chosen to respond.” (New York Daily News)
Shine reportedly controls 25 percent of Drake’s hit record.
“They sampled a record that I did for Lil Wayne, called ‘Do it for the Boy.’ I wrote the hook and the beat for that track,” he said in an interview today. “After they heard that and made the Drake song, they settled out for 25 percent.” It was also reported in the new Billboard Magazine that Nakia Coleman aka Kia Shine was indeed the writer of the hit song, “Best I Ever Had”. Kia Shine who has been on top of the charts with his own song, “Krispy” which peaked at number 66 on the Billboard charts, is also credited with signing and promoting hip hop artist, Yo Gotti. (Examiner)
Shine’s Alarm Clock Theory mixtape is hosted by Don Cannon and features 20 original records.
01. Intro 02. Rise & Shine 03. Snooze Ya Lose 04. Aggressive (Period) 05. Another Episode 06. Shade 45 Angela Yee Interview 07. Keep The Lights On 08. See Me For Who I Am 09. Trendsetter 10. Like Mines 11. This Ain’t That 12. Ms. It (6 Star) 13. The Freshest (Starring The P.R.E.P.S) 14. First Day Of School Fresh 15. Gimme Shine 16. Professor Fresh Speaks 17. Work To Do 18. Underdog Feat. Cooley Courtney Aka Freestyle 19. Head To The Sky 20. Will Not Be Denied (Mixtape Torrent)
Check out Kia Shine’s Alarm Clock Theory mixtape via DatPiff, LiveMixtapes and other mixtape circuits.
Check out Kia Shine speaking on “Best I Ever Had” below:
