Some consider the ’90s the golden age of hip hop, and although that is debatable one thing is for certain, the era produced a notorious foundation of unforgettable songs now considered classics. “Put It In Your Mouth,” authored by lyricist Akinyele in 1996, was one of those epic songs.
Raunchy in nature, the entire hit single was about oral sex. Vocalist Kia Jeffries, a teenager at the time, sung throughout the explicit track, going back and forth with her male counterpart.
There’s many things that’s wrong with this picture, but before the new wave of women empowerment and the #MeToo Movement was a thing, disrespect and crossing boundaries in the entertainment industry of the 1990s was on another level. On the positive side, Jeffries obtained 40% of the publishing rights on the song, which opened many doors in the industry for the singer.
Years later, Jeffries sat down with Shawn Prez in an interview on Vlad TV to discuss her legendary career and even more infamous marriage to professional boxer Ernest “M16” Abdul-Mateen. The R&B singer’s 14-year relationship was a tumultuous one that was ridden with domestic violence.
In 2012, Jeffries was found severely beaten at a Georgia motel where Gwinnett County police officers also discovered a wounded Abdul-Mateen, who was 46 years old at the time of his death — declared at a local hospital. Jeffries told officers that he was pistol-whipping her when she tussled for the gun and shot Abdul-Mateen in the shoulder, although some reports indicate that the bullet directly penetrated his chest.
Evidence indicated that the case was self-defense and Jeffries was not charged for the shooting. Despite her declared innocence, the entertainment industry, known for its misogyny and patriarchal structure, blacklisted Jeffries and assumed she was guilty, costing her job opportunities and defaming her legacy.
“When you Google Kia Jeffries, it says, ‘Singer kills boxer husband,’ which is not true,” Jeffries explained in the interview. “That man died trying to kill me, ok. He beat me with a gun repeatedly in my head and face, and he got shot in the shoulder, and started beating me afterwards, and that’s why the bullet moved to his heart and he died.”
Now, Jeffries has the opportunity to tell her story in an upcoming film that she’s working on called I Did Not Kill My Husband. Details about the film’s release date or platform have yet to be disclosed.
Jeffries later added, “I’ll never get over it, I’ll live with it everyday.”
Jeffries tells her side in the harrowing interview that is available below or at VladTV on YouTube.
