The 85 South Show with Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly and Chico Bean - Backwoods Backstage w/ AKIA | 85 SOUTH SHOW

Episode Date: June 4, 2025

DC Young Fly, Lex P and Drea Nicole sit down with Akia at Backwoods Backstage!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebeney, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebeney, and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace.

You discover the depths of your mother's illness. I'm Danny Shapiro, and these are just a few of the powerful stories I'll be mining on our upcoming 12th season of Family Secrets. We continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the I, IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our IHeart Radio Music Festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas. Vegas.

September 19th and 20th. On your feet. Streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen. Brian Adams. Ed Sheeran. Fade. Glorilla.

Jelly Roll. John Fogarty. Lil Wayne. L.L. Cool J. Mariah Carey. Maroon 5. Sammy Hagar. Tate McCray.

The offspring. Tim McGraw. Tickets are on sale now. AXS.com. Get your tickets today. AXS.com. Adventure should never come with a pause button. Remember Movie Pass? All the movies you wanted for just nine bucks? I'm Bridget Todd, host of There Are No Girls on the Internet. And this season, I'm digging into the tech stories we weren't told.

Starting with Stacey Spikes, the black founder of Movie Pass, who got pushed out of the company he built. Everybody's trying to knock you down and it's not going to work and no one's going to like it. And then, boom, it's everywhere. And that was that moment. Listen if there are no girls on the internet on the IHurt Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And our podcast. And our brother, D.C. Young Fly 85 South. And we are backstage with Backwoods.

our girl, Akiah, with us today. You did. All right, we are at Dreamville, 2025. So, first of all, let me say this, because we are having a full circle moment right now. Yes, yes, yes. So for the people watching, me and Drea have a concept that we have called Poor Soul Karaoke that we partner with 85 South on.

And we have people come and, you know, seeing their hearts out, you know, to win some money and things like that. And Akia here actually participated in Poros. Yes, I did. Yes, so it's good to see you again. Thank you for having me. So you know how folks be like, I would dead serious by what I would do. Yeah.

I would bet serious. Yes, she was not playing. So to go from the Porosol stage. Now, look, you at Dreamville performing. So obviously tell us what's been up between that time period. So when I did that, that was about a year or two ago. I had just, I was fresh to Atlanta. I was doing artist development, so for a whole year I had been doing artist development,

doing shows, selling tickets, you know, doing all that stuff, studio. And I just dropped my first EP. It's called Dumb. You know, we all be a little dumb by these niggas and shit and all that shit. Uh-huh. You're a dick, too. You're a dick, yeah. So, yeah.

Yeah, and it's just a blessing to be here, especially coming from where I'm from. It's not many opportunities. So once you get an opportunity, you just got to take it and run with it. Okay, so you said that you would describe your sound a mix of R&B and pop with a little soulful seasoning. So explain that to us. I mean, I really can't put myself in a box because I really can do it all. I can sing. If you want to hear something soulful, like some Beyonce or some Mary, I can take you there.

Well, if y'all want to go pop up, uh, uh, uh, do that? So, yeah, it's really no limit to what I can do. So I'm just blessed to be able to do that. So with all these different genres of music, like where did this inspiration come from? Because, you know, now they've got these artists

they only stick with what they know. You rarely see a musician, a real artist who really go out there. And you know what I'm saying? Try to perfect the craft. Um, a lot of people be saying church is missing. And I feel like that's kind of true.

Right. How are you going? Because my mama used to make me go to church every Sunday. I'm talking about, Mama. My head hurt. God, I'm going to fix it. Okay. Right.

Okay. Sunday school and all. So it's just taking that. And, you know, the older artists that we have, like Mary, Keisha Cole, Beyonce. I grew up listening to them. My grandma was a DJ. They called her a DJ Sugar Bell. Okay.

Sugar Bell. Okay, DJ Sugar Bell. You know what that means. DJ Sugar Bell. Sugar Bell. Yeah. There's no bad story behind Sugar Bell. Right.

So, yeah, it's just, um, so they kind of molded me into who I am. And I like all type of music. So I know if I can sing this and sound like this, I'm not going to put myself in a box. I'm going to do it all. Okay. So what would you say would be your dream collaboration? Ooh. I like Tink

I think me and Tink would come up with Tink cool, that's my dog Yeah, Tink You know, every time every time we do something like this The music, it always happened Okay All comes to fruition

Okay now And I can put a little word at Tink Tink T T T T T T T T! So yeah Tink I think Huncho Me and Huncho would do something great

Hancho That's OG too Hancho! See, my thing is, like, I want to get back to those singers and rappers, but the singer, they sing in a hook. Like, there's not many songs like that today, so I want to kind of, you know, tap in with all the rappers, come holly at me do a little one, too, for y'all. So, yeah. So we always talk about, like, artists that people want to collaborate with, but what's your, like, dream producer that you would want to work with? Dream producer.

I mean, hey, it's already in the works. It's already about to, you know. Give us a little hit, little. well i don't really know if he produced or or he just right but like the dream um i always he produced engineer everything he's gonna come with the beat and the words

all you gotta do it's going that same it's him on the hook he got to take it off that's on the way you know oh my gosh that's like my favorite artist I already know that's going to hit the chart that's yeah right um producer um I think me and hitmaker will make some.

Okay. Shout out for hit maker. Yeah, he's dope. But I don't work with a lot of producers, so I feel like it's, I mean, it's some people that I ain't worked with that got a name, but I don't work with some big names. Okay. Okay, so what do you have coming up? Like, what are your goals and what's, are you actually doing, and then what are your next steps? My goal is to let everyone know who I am, is to show everyone what I'm about.

When you come from a small town It's something big behind it Don't be hating on the small towns Because we got some diamonds that's in the rough Okay, so Represent you, and where are you from again? Arkansas Period.

So yeah Other things that I want to do I just want to keep performing I want to go on tour Somebody need to put me on a tour because I'm telling y'all I am not going to miss You know when you have them hit a miss

There's no misses. You just hit. Straight hit. Straight. Every time. I love that. I love that. I love that.

I love that company. Yeah. Thank you. And I really love that because, like I said, it's a full circle moment to see, you know, you doing, like, the poor soul. You had just moved to Atlanta. Yeah. So now performing at a festival in front of thousands of people.

It's my first festival. That's huge. How do you feel? I feel good. It's hot out here. I was like, damn, it's hot, y'all. My makeup's sweating. I had to lay my edge back down.

But you look at a little two friends on you. Did he have a little two friends? Oh, I know about the two friends. That little mini-edge control on your keychain. Oh, we. Yeah, so I'm just blessed to be here. I'm glad to be here, man. Keep going, girl.

Well, thank you for pulling up on us. Let everybody know where they can find you. You guys can find me at Who is Akia on all platforms. It's pretty simple. A.K.I.A. Who is a kid. It's me. So, yeah.

All right, so. You're in a mist, you're hit. Backstage or backwoods. We'll catch y'all. Hey, man, y'all already know who's having the hottest shit, man. The hottest gear, the hottest apparel, man. It's 8 to 5 south, brother. It's too many flavors, bro.

I went in the vault. Y'all know what's going on, man. We got a drop lid, Fred, Red, man. Lived into my city, man. Come on, man. Y'all know who's having this shit, man. If I don't know about to do it like this, man. We're too wrong with the clothing, man.

Y'all, look at the end of it, man. I know the folk don't get down like that, man. Come on, man. Go crazy, man. Y'all don't know the folk don't get down. You get that, bro. One of these hundred wretches like that but fly say, man, come on, man. There ain't nobody was doing it like that, bro.

Fred Phael, God, damn, F-O-1, you go F-O-1, you go, F-O-1, you go Craig, F-1, Schwery at N. Go Craig, go Craig, go crab, ban the co-cray, you know what that mean? We got the motherfucking name. We got it, man. 8.5 apparel.com, bro. Tap in. Ain't nobody doing it like us, bro.

Keep it real. Like, let's stop playing. Don't nobody do it like us. Tap in. Oh, shit. We got some more shit. Oh, we got merch. Oh, we got stocks.

And we got... Yeah. Oh, this is everything you need right here. Mm-hmm. We might just need to start selling this whole kit. The whole thing. You guys suck? sweats

A t-shirt A t-shirt Boy, you fuck around Put some drawers in here You got a whole little Spending night bag Put the head of pen We're gonna poke out of ourself

No man You gotta do it right Go put it on our book bag Yeah Yeah fucking right We got to come out With our own

Draws line Come on with it 85 draws No Because I was I'm saying People shit again No

I ain't gonna do that Oh 85 boxes No We don't want to put our face On no box We ain't Don't put out, just the logo.

I put my name on the elastic part. Yeah, put our face on the dick, hey. Like, what's the fuck? No, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do that. We'll get on some panties. We'll work on it, though.

You could just put, she brought that ass here. Right. Right that ass here, girl. Hey, man, make sure you hit the website and go grab you some new merch. Come on, man. Go through that. Back. You know what time it is.

Get the motherfucking merch, man. Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebeney, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebeney, and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness.

I'm Danny Shapiro, and these are just a few of the powerful stories I'll be mining on our upcoming 12th season of Family Secrets. We continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Our I-Heart Radio Music Festival, presented by Capital One, is coming back to Las Vegas.

Vegas. September 19th and 20th. On your feet. Streaming live only on Hulu. Ladies and gentlemen. Brian Adams. Ed Sheeran. Fade.

Glorilla. Jelly Roll. John Fogarty. Lil Wayne. L.L. Cool J. Mariah Carey. Maroon 5. Sammy Hagar.

Tate McCray. The offspring. Tim McGraw. Tickets are on sale now at AXS. Get your tickets today AXS.com Summer's here and with the kids home and off to camp It's easy for moms to get lost in the shuffle

On good mom's bad choices We're making space to center ourselves With joy, rest, and pleasure Take the kids to camp You know what? It was expensive But I was also thinking, you have my kid This is kind of priceless Take her, feed her, make core memories

I don't have to do anything Main thing, I don't have to do anything To hear this and more, listen to Good Mom's Bad Choices from Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast.