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Balancing

Chika Talks Balancing Grief And Growth On ‘Wish You Were (T)Here’ EP

by jummy84 November 18, 2025

written by jummy84

CHIKA’s long-awaited musical return arrives like a quiet storm, gathering strength in the space between where she’s been and where she’s headed.

After earning a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and releasing Samson: The Album in 2023—an ambitious project graced by collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Lin-Manuel Miranda—many wondered what direction she would choose next. With her new EP, Wish You Were T(Here), she answers with clarity and intention.

Across its eight tracks, CHIKA pulls the lens inward, trusting her own voice to carry the emotional weight. On Wish You Were T(Here), Chika does the lyrical heavy-lifting, opting to keep the focus on her own thoughts and observations over the project’s 8 tracks.

Rather than leaning on star-studded features, she builds a narrative rooted in self-reflection, resilience, and the quiet power of honesty.

It’s a return that doesn’t try to recreate past triumphs—it expands them, revealing an artist more assured, more vulnerable, and more compelling than ever.

VIBE spoke with CHIKA about the recording process behind Wish You Were T(Here), how grief and self-discovery bled into the music, and why it’s among her most personal bodies of work to date.

VIBE: What was the spark that set this project in motion?

CHIKA: I really had just missed sitting down and making music. I took a little break, and the first thing that I wanted to do before hopping into a huge album was to kind of update my fans on where I’ve been.

We almost treated the project like a postcard, in a way, for me to update everybody. But the sound, in terms of what we made, we really just went in and we were throwing paint.

How did you approach your songwriting and production?

I worked really closely with Rahki. [He’s] an amazing producer and I basically just explained to him what what each song meant to me or what vibe we were going for in a day. I would literally have to prompt him once and he just knows what to do. He’s just so incredible and very talented.

So, with Rahki and incorporating a lot of live music this time around, I was able to to build a more rounded sound with this project. Rather than just kind of sticking only to Hip-Hop like I usually do.

Was this your first time working with Rahki?

Ironically enough, no. I’d gotten sent a couple of his beats and wrote some of my favorite songs to them that I hadn’t released yet. I was asked who I would like to be put in the room with. I was like. ‘Every time I get a Rahki beat, it’s insane.’ Just let me meet him and let’s work together. And from day one, we had something.

Chika attends 2023 Billboard Women In Music at YouTube Theater on March 01, 2023 in Inglewood, California.
Monica Schipper/Getty Images

With the success of your previous album Samson, did you feel any pressure to top that effort?

Not really. I just really felt blessed to be able to come back and share where I’ve been. Samson was my peak because I call it my magnum opus.

So, if Samson was my peak in that way, this is like an entirely different and new chapter that I’m super looking forward to.

Your father recently passed, which I’m sorry to hear. How did processing that loss bleed into the content on this album?

I think that being that it was my first real experience with grief directly like that, you kind of just hear it woven into the songs. Especially [ones that] talk about memories. “FLOAT,” for example, mentions him and it mentions how life is changing so fast. Sometimes you don’t even realize people have left and and things are changing rapidly.

So I think I processed it by making this project, one that was nostalgic. I’m reflecting on the past 10 years of my life and at least then my dad was here. So, I guess I got to live in those moments a little bit longer with creating this project.

Were there any unexpected influences, musical or otherwise, that also shape the direction of this album?

We have a song called “Friends” on the project that was inspired by Rebecca Sugar. She’s actually the voice [and] the sound behind Steven Universe, which I think is a fun fact. [It’s] a cool fact that if she hadn’t produced this very short transition sound from the Stephen Universe movie, one of those songs would not have gotten me.

One of the songs that you released ahead of this album is “Stemming.” What’s the backstory and creative concept behind that song?

“Stemming” is about finding out that I was on the [autistic] spectrum this entire time. Rather than finding out as a child, I found out as an adult. So it’s a retrospective and and looking back and being like, “Oh, okay. All of these things make sense and all of these quirks led you to be who you are.” So, that’s the full context behind it and I wanted to make it so that it was a song that could end up being a vocal span for me.

Can you talk about one track that changed the course of the album?

I don’t know if anything really necessarily surprised me, but I will say that with “Withdrawal” and the transition from “Withdrawal” into “Friend.” That’s what I would consider the high point of the project. Where things begin to change, at least tonally. I’ve become more vulnerable, I think, on the second half of the project.

So, from the first few [lyrics], it’s hype. It’s fun, it’s a little light-hearted, but then you get to withdraw and it’s the the most sobering moment of the project. And from there, it goes into this very soft and different interlude called “Friend.”

Speaking more about the autism diagnosis, what was your initial reaction to finding out?

Relief. Everything started making sense. I was like, “Oh, okay. I’m not crazy. I’ve just been functioning with something that I had no idea about.” You start to ask yourself throughout life, “What about me is different? I don’t know what it is, but there’s something.”

Growing up, people want to be like, “No, you’re just blessed. Like you’re talented.” That’s how Black families are. They just be like, “Yeah, you just are anointed.” It’s like, “Okay, cool.” But I’ll be outside struggling. So, I’m like, “What’s going on? And why am I receiving so differently?”

So yeah, when I found out, I was just like, “All right, cool.” I can start connecting some dots and going back and forgiving myself for certain situations. Not understanding when I’m overwhelmed or when there’s too much going on or if I’m about to crash out. I can stop looking at myself as a bad person and just learn how to adjust and take myself out of situations that I probably won’t be able to handle.

Did you work with any other artists on this project?

No features. Well, there’s a couple things that I’d want to do in the future with it, but nothing right now.

How personal is this EP for you?

Super personal. I think every project of mine is personal. I’m talking about my life and especially after a two-year little break, I think it’s important that people know where I’ve been and and what I’ve been doing and the new changes that I’ve experienced. So, very personal.

You’ve been open about your battles with mental health. Where are you currently at in that journey?

I think I’m good. Days still do get hard, but I think that’s another good thing or one of the more recent good things about knowing I’m on the spectrum. I feel like that understanding is kind of taking a little bit of the edge off of my depression because now I have a name to put to something that I didn’t understand what I was feeling.

When stuff gets stressful and overwhelming, I’m still over it like any person would be, but now that I feel like there’s things I can look up and support that I can find. I’m doing a lot better.

What would you say brings you peace and happiness these days?

My bed. I don’t know [laughs]. Just relaxing. I guess being able to spend time with friends a month ago. That’s a little breaky break. Just got back from Alabama last week. Just hanging out with my old friends and reminiscing and stuff. That brings me peace and joy.

If you could sum up this album into one word or even one sentence, what would it be?

I would say nostalgia. I think just nostalgia. A retrospective. The project is causing you to pause, take a breath and look back for a second.

What’s one song from the album that you’re particularly excited for fans to hear?

I think that track for me would be “This Time” because it’s also a song without rapping on it. I mean, I’ve done many of those in in my career anyway, but it’s the vibe shift from the front half of the project like I said to the back. Everything else from the halfway point besides the very last track is sung for the most part. So yeah, that one excites me. It’s the production on it; Rocky went crazy on it. So it’s just a beautiful song and I hope to see that it’s one of those deep cuts my fans like.

What did this album teach you about yourself as a musician and as a person?

It taught me what I can do or the way that I make things now versus when I was a kid. It kind of showed me my growth and my evolution when nobody is in my ear, and it made me…. I don’t know. It kind of made me feel like I have grown up and I want my fans to see that, too.

Do you have any plans to tour for this album?

Hey, we’ll see. If things go well, sure.

Great. What’s next for CHIKA?

Just the project itself. We got a couple of visuals coming from it and for it, but yeah, what’s next for me is just another project. It’s in the works, but I don’t want to talk too much about it while we’re here.

Listen to CHIKA Wish You Were T(Here) below.

November 18, 2025 0 comments

Music

Shiner’s Allen Epley Discusses Balancing Life and Art » PopMatters

by jummy84 October 21, 2025

written by jummy84

There is the cliche of the starving artist, and then there is the cliche of the rock star life after making it big, selling out arenas, and living the cliche of the rock star life. However, without the space between, music would be a whole lot less exciting, and that is the space Shiner occupy: four friends who make music together because they want to, not because they have to. Lead singer Allen Epley sees some advantages to the life of a working artist.

“For a lot of people, it’s a combination of a day job and making money with art. It’s a great feeling not to be burdened by having to make music to survive. I can make some money from music, but not fully make a living,” he shares. Some people try to make a living by music alone, trying to write scores, teaching, or other ways, but that can make it so much less enjoyable.”

Shiner are a group of working musicians who all have music careers in addition to playing in the band. Paul Malinowski is a sought-after mixer and recording engineer. Josh Newton is a guitar technician with Kings of Leon and Fall Out Boy, who has also worked with the Breeders and Band of Horses. Additionally, drummer Jason Gerkin also plays in Hum.

<a rel="noopener" target="_blank" href="https://shinerkc.bandcamp.com/album/believeyoume">BELIEVEYOUME by SHINER</a>

Epley just completed a 14-year run with the Blue Man Group live show in Chicago. “As soon as we announced the closing, the remaining shows sold out. We should have dragged it out longer like KISS does,” he jokes. “It was a unicorn gig for a musician. It’s not like we were doing Hamilton. It was a constantly evolving piece, so every show was different. It was a special thing to be a part of, and it was very good for me.”

However, it wasn’t always like that for Epley. “At one point, I told my therapist that I felt like a failure, working on Blue Man. I felt like I should be something else,” he says.

Epley turned this anxiety into something positive, creating the podcast Third Gear Scratch, where he interviews other artists who make a living at their day job so they can pursue their art. Through interviews with guests, he addresses the question many working artists have had to answer: How can I support myself while pursuing my passion? It’s a must-listen for anyone balancing the need to pay the bills with creating art, whether as a musician or not.

“I came up with the idea for the podcast through those conversations with my therapist. So many artists feel like, ‘What the fuck am I doing with my life?’ Everyone feels it sometimes, but talking to all these artists and finding out how they make it work was such a burden lifter. I credit a lot of my rehabilitation to working on the podcast,” Epley beams.

Right now, though, everyone in Shiner is focused on their recently released BELIEVEYOUME, which is another stellar release, sure to please longtime fans and likely to convert some new ones. It is their most direct and accessible collection yet, instantly gratifying, yet also filled with depth. “There are a lot of brilliant bands who stay in a lane, but that’s never been us. If we had written a big hit, I bet we would have hewn a little closer to a playbook, but that’s not me,” he explains.

The title may be an old-fashioned colloquialism, but Epley sees it in a slightly different light. “We stylized the name as we did to give it a fresh spin. It signifies believing in ourselves and believing in each other, whether that is the band or other relationships,” he explains.

The group’s mix of melodic, heavy rock with a touch of shoegaze has won them a devoted following that is a diverse lot. In an environment where algorithms guide listeners to new music, a band like Shiner, which draws from a diverse range of influences, can appeal to a wide variety of music fans. Spartan Records’ reissue of their catalog has helped them reach a whole new audience, too.

“Our crowd is all over the map, and we love that. We went a long way to keep ourselves out of a specific movement, possibly to our detriment, but the people who are into our band are into a wide range of other bands. We like to joke about lining up a group of fans based on their band tees to show the range of taste in the crowd,” Epley jokes.

Living through the major label gold rush of the 1990s without signing turned out to be great for Shiner, despite the expectations that hung heavy for indie bands during that decade. The group have been playing music together on and off for 25 years, and things are better than ever between them.

“Back in the day, we used to fight a lot,” Epley recalls. “There was that sense of the clock ticking, since lots of our friends had signed to major labels. We were surrounded by the idea that it was only a matter of time before we got signed. We were always waiting for that big payday back then. We thought we’d have a big tour, but we never got there.

“But it was a blessing in disguise, though,” they continue. “I am so glad we didn’t go through that experience. If we do have a point of contention now, we handle it more healthily. We are older and wiser, and we are doing this for the purest reasons. Really, it’s just amazing to have a group of men to have close friendships with. Plenty of guys don’t get that opportunity.”

Shiner records are always a team effort, and BELIEVEYOUME was even more collaborative than their other releases. “Even the idea of putting the opening track where it is. I would have put that as track one, side two, but Jason wanted to be more involved in the decision-making, and he insisted that ‘Asleep in the Trunk’ is the opening track,” Epley shares.

Epley credits their methods with the resulting songs. As you might expect, with a band of working musicians, there is a balance of making space for creativity and a regimented commitment to the process that goes into making a Shiner record.

“Everything we do is organic. We go with what we are feeling. I am the seed writer. I plan some writing sessions so we can have things to work on when we are together. I brought my usual Chavez-inspired music. Someone has to do it,” he laughs.

For Shiner, the time spent together in the room working on songs is critical to the process. “Lots of bands are skipping the step of being in the space together. They work remotely, and they all start to sound the same. Most of us live far apart, so it could have made sense to do the record remotely, but we committed to working together. I wrote on my guitar and kept it raw, then digitized and sent it to the band,” he shares.

BELIEVEYOUME was recorded at Malinowski’s studio, and while not every group has that type of luxury, it streamlined the process, allowing them to complete the record even more efficiently than usual. The band held a series of four-day sessions for writing and recording, which were critical to shaping the record.

“Paul and Jason had everything set up and ready to go, so we were able to think about this like we were just making the record, not just making demos. What you hear on the record all happened right there in those sessions,” he says.

His work on a solo album also shifted his approach to lyrics. “On previous Shiner records, I was writing these murky metaphors that didn’t always translate. When I did my solo record, it was a breakthrough for me for writing in a direct style. It really allowed me to focus on how to write lyrics. Usually, those come last. We get the music, and then I try to come up with something that works syllabically. But this one is primed to connect with people, musically and lyrically,” he says.

“Some people have lyric books, but I listen to the song on the drive and I let the song speak to me,” he continues. “The melody line hits, and then the lyric will fall out and present itself. One of the first things I heard was “I keep thinking that we’re still in love”. A lot of my work is historical fiction, using people and places but creating an extension of those. I try not to fight it when the line presents itself.”

Epley typically finds the common threads after writing. “I’m able to psychoanalyze myself after the record,” he jokes. “Some of the themes here are damage and escaping damage, long-term relationships. I’ve been married for 25 years. You’re never coasting, even though I know we aren’t planning on going anywhere. I still take care of myself because I want to do that for her.”

Epley loves that Shiner is now at a point where they have a multigenerational fan base, too. Epley smiles when he finds YouTube videos of younger musicians covering Shiner songs. “It’s important to me to reach younger people with our band. I am also a substitute guitarist for Sunny Day Real Estate, and those rooms are filled with younger people and older people, and kids with their parents. It’s great to see bands having that kind of reach.”

Next up is a tour to support BELIEVEYOUME, and the band is ready to play these exciting, dynamic new songs for their longtime and new fans.

“We have won the battle, making a record we love. We love playing packed-out rooms with people singing the words back to us. We aren’t putting undue expectations on what we do. It would be cool if we got picked to open a big tour, but we are in this to make ourselves happy, and if we are doing it for any other reason, it’s the wrong reason. I am too old to be fucking around with trying to figure out what an audience wants and not thinking about what would make me happy. Now we just want people to get to hear the record and to play it live for them,” he says.

“Anyone who wants to come along for the ride, please do. It’ll be a great time.”

October 21, 2025 0 comments

Music

Dave East Details Nipsey Hussle Collab, Reflects On Balancing ‘Karma’

by jummy84 October 18, 2025

written by jummy84

On a late afternoon video call, Dave East appears relaxed but focused — the kind of energy that suggests both reflection and momentum.

After more than a decade in the game, the Harlem rapper speaks like someone who knows exactly where he’s been and where he’s headed. His voice carries the weight of experience: years of lyrical output, collaborations with heavyweight producers like Harry Fraud and Scram Jones, and a steady rise from hungry newcomer to respected mainstay in hip-hop’s evolving landscape.

Now, with the release of Karma 4 on October 15, 2025, East is looking to the future while honoring everything that’s shaped him. The fourth installment of the series he launched in 2017, Karma 4 is his most ambitious to date — a fully realized project that threads together the raw storytelling fans expect with records tailored for a broader audience.

Laze Cartel

It’s gritty and polished, confident and vulnerable. And with a star-studded guest list, the album serves as a reminder of the respect East commands across the industry.

Among its standout moments is a long-shelved collaboration with the late Nipsey Hussle, a track that symbolizes East’s independent spirit and commitment to betting on himself. He talks openly during the call about the importance of good karma, the creative freedom that came with releasing the album independently, and how the streaming era has helped him build a deeper connection with fans over time.

Outside of music, East continues to make strides in acting, growing his on-screen presence while maintaining the authenticity that built his name. But Karma 4 is the moment that centers it all. It’s a statement project that pulls from every corner of his identity and pushes his artistry forward with purpose.

VIBE spoke with Dave East about the making of his latest album, expanding his ground as a creative, and his continued evolution as an artist and as a man.

VIBE: You’re currently getting ready to release your new album Karma 4? How would you say that you have evolved the most musically and otherwise from the first one to now?

Dave East: Just getting older, man, I had two more daughters, Kobi and Kasey, since Kairi. And just living. Took a lot of losses, a lot of wins. I felt like it was a really balanced journey for me, as far as the good and the bad, which is regular life sh*t. Nothing that even has to do with the music. And I think just over time of me learning how to channel that energy better into the music, you’re going to hear it on Karma 4.

The project is led by the singles “Bottega Trunks” and “Havana.” How did those songs come together, and what spurred you to preview the album with those two tracks?

The “Havana record, shout to Chad and Lex, Hot Honors, they produced that. It just had like a golden New York bounce to that joint. So I wanted to come out with some energy as far as the first record I wanted to put out. The “Bottega Trunks.” Shout out to Stove God Cooks. That’s the first time me and him got to really collab, [but] we’ve been kicking it for a while. And that’s just a different whole type of sound and vibe. Shout to Nic Craven. He produced that one. But that’s just a more melodic, different sound from me that I feel like I didn’t put out before.

Right. One of the tracks from the album that people are looking forward to is the joint with you and Nipsey Hussle, with whom you built a brotherhood prior to his passing. What’s your recollection of the making of that track?

We recorded a bunch of joints before he passed and sh*t like that. That was one of them. I never got a chance to put him on none of my tapes. So the records that me and him are on together that are out, like “Clarity,” “Blueprint,” he put them on his project. I felt like now with me being independent, and that’s really what Nip stood for [it was time]. He really waved that independent flag, ‘F**k the middle man.’ That’s what he was about. With this body of work, I think it was the perfect time to drop that joint.

Who are some other producers you worked with on Karma 4?

Mr. Authentic. He’s an early dude in my camp. Me and him have been locked in for years. Like I said, Chad and Lex, they go by Hot Honors. They were really the new sound for me moving forward with this project. Nic Craven, too. I would say those two were the newer producers that I hadn’t worked with before.

But I got Mike & Keys on this joint, that’s the home team. I got Buda & Grands on this joint, that’s home team. I kind of mixed it up. I’m always working with the home team, but I like to kind of [collaborate with other producers] if somebody got a new sound or something that fits. If it moves and pushes the music forward, I’m all with it.

Aside from those joints, what are like two or three tracks that you’re excited for the fans to hear? Maybe they’re your favorites, or maybe they brought out a certain emotion or mood?

I would definitely say “Stand On That” with Jeremiah. And I would say “Can’t Get Enough” with Jacquees just because I get a lot of feedback about me not really doing a lot of female-driven records. And those two are definitely female-driven. I just can’t wait to see the response to them.

Right. You got any other features besides those?

I got Mozzy on a joint. Skyler Blatt did the outro. Wiz Khalifa, me, and Wiz locked back in. Key Glock. That was the first time me and Key Glock were able to connect. Rest in peace to [Young] Dolph, that’s how I kind of got with Glock, through Dolph. My brother Cruch Calhoun. I got Neek Bucks on there. I got King Streets on there. I got Maino on there. I got some joints on there, man. I don’t want to leave nobody out, but it’s definitely balanced out as far as features.

In addition to Hip-Hop, you’ve also built your resume as an actor. What’s the latest news on those fronts?

I just got cast for a new movie. I can’t really speak on the details and sh*t like that, but maybe later this year or top of ’26, that information will be coming out. I got cast [for another project]. It’s a different type of film, too. A different look for me. So I’m looking forward to that.

You recently appeared on Kai Cenat’s Mafiathon 3 streaming event. How did that opportunity come about, and what was that like tapping into the streaming world?

That was dope. I was in L.A. already running around, getting this album ready to roll out or whatever, and they invited me over there. I f**k with Kai Cenat. I like his whole platform and just what they’re doing for the youth right now.

I feel like for me, that was a great look to premiere the Nipsey record up there because I felt like I brought Nip up there with me, you know what I mean? Big shoutout to the whole streaming world. I like what they’re doing. I like how they’re pushing the culture forward. That was a great opportunity.

What would you say is the best karma you’ve ever had?

The best karma? Just in life?

Yeah, whatever you feel.

(Ponders briefly) I think I put out good energy. I think the way I’ve been with my parents, my mother, my father, my grandmother, all of the people that raised me. I think the way that I’ve been back to them has given me good karma. It’s giving me a great way to navigate through this life.

They always say, ‘Watch how you treat your parents. Watch how you treat your people that really raised you or cared about you.’ So, I think a lot of my good karma comes from just how I am as a father. How I am as a son. How I was as a grandchild. God bless my grandma’s soul. My aunts, my uncles, you know what I mean? I’m always respectful. Nobody’s perfect, but I’ve I’ve always been respectful to those that I know really, truly love me.

I think the karma that I’m seeing from that now is the success. Me being able to live out my dreams and do the things that I once really sat and dreamed about and had no idea how I was going to do it. Now, all that is a part of my reality. I think karma is just putting [out] good. Whatever you put into the universe, it’s going to come back to you. I mean, in some form or fashion. It’ll come back.

Do you have any plans to tour in support of this album?

Hell yeah. We’re putting that together now. Definitely going to touch overseas with this one. In the U.S., of course. But yeah, we’re putting that together right now.

Do you have any thoughts on any acts that you’ll bring along with you?

I’m not sure right now. I’m going to see.

Will there be a Karma 5, and how long do you plan on keeping the series running?

You know what’s crazy? Somebody asked me that the other day. I feel like the title Karma is something that I could keep going with. But yeah, I don’t know when I’m going to stop that one or when I’m going to do Karma 5.

I’ve got so many other projects and other bodies of work that I’m already cooking up and working on. So, I might tap back into the Karma series later on at another date, but right now, I’m all about Karma 4, intro to outro. That’s what I’m pushing right now.

What’s next for Dave East?

Just more music, man. More acting, me [being] more in the fashion world. Just more of everything that falls under my umbrella. I feel like I’ve branded myself in a way where the sky’s the limit. I could tap into a bunch of different platforms and worlds, and it’s all me.

None of it’s forced. I ain’t sold my soul or none of that weirdo sh*t. I think about just moving forward, watching my daughters grow, sh*t like that. And just branding myself even more as a staple when it comes to New York City and Hip-Hop in general.

Listen to Dave East Karma 4 below.

October 18, 2025 0 comments