There’s no doubt about it– journalist, Aliya S. King has paid her dues. A mainstay in the Hip-Hop industry for years, she’s interviewed dozens and dozens of artists and power players. From Mariah Carey to O.D.B., she’s spent time with all types of characters.
More recently King’s shown her writing finesse through her novels, working with Faith Evans and Frank Lucas to create their memoirs. The most intriguing part of King’s writing is her ability to act as a fly on the wall, often spending days with her interview subjects.
Having read and studied every line of her work, I knew her new book, “Platinum” would be a legit insider’s view of the presumed glamorous world of Hip-Hop. The thinly veiled fiction novel focuses on the lives of women in the industry through the eyes of an urban writer.
MADAME NOIRE: In one sentence, describe Platinum.
ALIYA S. KING: It’s a fictional novel about the secret lives of celebrity relationships, through the lens of a reporter.
MN: Percentage of “Platinum” that’s true and made-up?
ASK: I couldn’t really put a percentage on it, that’d be hard to do. But a lot of it is true–most of it. Everyone is always trying to guess who is who and what really happened. A friend of mine swore she knew whom one of the characters was and she was dead wrong [Laugh].
MN: Yea, because there was a character who I swore was Beyonce, but towards the end she seemed more like Aaliyah.
ASK: Hmm, interesting. But the characters are dynamic. I will tell you that there are a lot of people that are composites, they’re not all clear cut. I had a woman that was married to a very successful rap artist gave me a call and say, ‘I just read your book, I know that I’m the woman in there.’ And she was! It’s funny that she could figure herself out and say ‘hey, this was supposed to be me!’
MN: How much do celebrities choose to be in the limelight (do they really call the paparazzi)?
ASK: Some of them definitely do, but others don’t or don’t need to. Does Beyonce do that? Absolutely not, she’s being accosted everywhere she goes. That’s just the life she leads. Are there other people that may not be as famous as her, but want to be on that level, that may give the media a little push? Absolutely.
I’ve been around celebrities that have called around and said, “I’m gonna be at such and such” for press. It’s part of the game, it’s part of the business. It’s all marketing. I mean shoot, if I could call the paparazzi and tell them to watch me up in Starbucks, yea I’d do it.
MN: And I think a lof of them strategically place themselves to be seen. Like Rihanna, there are certain restaurants she goes to, where she knows she’ll be seen.
ASK: Oh, absolutely. I remember doing this interview on Christina Milian for VIBE. And we spent the entire day in L.A.– we went to the nail salon, got something to eat, went to all these places and I was like ‘where’s your paparazzi?’ That’s because we’re not going to those places. So, yea sometimes celebrities invite it by going to a hot spot because people will be there. You don’t have to go to Mr. Chow, if you don’t want to be seen. But I don’t think Rihanna has a problem being seen lately.
MN: Has there ever been anything that you’ve seen or encountered during an interview that you thought the readers didn’t need to know?
ASK: Nope. I’m honest.
Well, let me double-back. With the Malcolm Shabazz piece I was very protective of him and that was difficult for me. As a reporter I lost my credibility on that story. A reporter is not supposed to… you’re not there for your subjects, you’re there for your story. He didn’t hire me to write a story on him. Smokey Fontaine from Giant Magazine did. So my responsibility was to Smokey to get the best story. And not protect Malcolm.
If you get in too deep you can end up losing your credibility as a journalist. And I think I crossed a line with that story. But with this story, yes. There were times and things that I’m probably gonna keep close to my desk, because they were personal. But for the most part– the novel– that’s really the reason why I wanted to fictionalize it. So I wouldn’t have to be concerned about: oh, I don’t wanna put this person’s business in the street…and oh, I don’t want to hurt this person’s feelings. I can just say, it’s a novel! [Laugh] It’s fiction!
MN: Why do you think artists open up to you?
ASK: I think that I’m very unassuming. I’m not that person trying to get something bad, I’m not out in the club scene. I’m just a writer. I’m not coming to wanting to tour with you or wanting to party with you. I’m not drinking or smoking with you. I’m really there to just do my job. So I think that helps. And I think that it helps that I do a lot of research on my subjects before I show up.
I remember writing about Mariah Carey and I wasn’t sure if she was going to be that open with me. But I showed her my little dossier on her. I had 500 pages…literally. And I told her, yesterday I was in your hometown and spoke to your high school English teacher. And she was kind of like, ‘what?’. And I think that helps people open up to you when you show that you’ve done your homework and are genuinely interested in their story.
MN: Who have you never interviewed that you’d like to?
ASK: Well the people I’d like to interview, they probably wouldn’t open up. Beyonce would be one. I interviewed her when she was young, like 16. But she wouldn’t open up now. I’d like to interview Jay[Z], but he’s too protected. I wouldn’t get the interview I want. It would be a noble feat. I think that he’s at a level where he can kind of answer what he wants to and not answer other things. He wouldn’t have to go into his past, because it’s already known.
I like really hardcore, hard-hitting interviews. I’d love to interview Will Smith, but again I’d want a hard-hitting interview–not about whatever movie is coming out. Of course Oprah, I just want to be in the same room as her.
MN: Is writing fiction more or less of a challenge than journalism?
ASK: That’s a good question. They’re probably equally as challenging. Writing an article is almost like putting a puzzle together where they’re parts and quotes that need to be added. Fiction is a little bit more open, but the momentum has to be built.
MN. What surprised you most about the urban media industry?
ASK: How normal they [celebrities] are. When you step into the room, even with all their videos, entourage and perceptions you have, it all slips away when you see them. They’re not as fabulous and they’re usually shorter than you’d think– not intimidating at all.
MN. Did you choose this specific industry or did it choose you (versus mainstream publications)?
ASK: You know, my first gig was at Billboard Magazine. So that was my natural progression. I learned about different genres, artists and the overall music industry there. But I have freelanced for Seventeen and other similar magazines. When it comes to writing for mainstream there was a time when I was at The Source, got an offer from a very known big mainstream magazine and turned it down. I felt that I was at the right place and the right time and I could do more at The Source.
MN: You can’t put a cap on success, but what we would the pinnacle of your career?
ASK: I know it sounds cliché, but being able to meet Oprah would be amazing. Writing a book she loves and sitting down on her show to talk about it would be great. Then I could drop the mic and leave the stage.
MN: What’s the biggest difference between the life of a music writer and the life of music industry person and is it possible to separate work from personal and have a successful career?
ASK: It’s something difficult. But for me it’s easy. I have a husband and kids and responsibilities day-to-day. I’m a homebody. It’s really difficult for me to be on the scene, I’m just not into it. I do think people who hang out and party with celebs, have a leg up. But I’m willing to sacrifice that and I’m OK with that– just being me.
Aliya S. king’s book comes out today!! For more information, click here. She will be at Barnes and Noble on July 14th at 7pm for a “Platinum” signing.
