MEMPHIS, Tenn. \u2014 For most people, one successful career would be enough. For Memphis rapper, songwriter, producer, actor and advocate Kinfolk Kia Shine Coleman, success has never been confined to just one lane.<\/p>\n
Long before he was appearing on television screens and movie sets, Kia Shine made his name in music, helping put Memphis hip-hop on the map with his distinctive sound, entrepreneurial spirit and chart-topping songs. His music career opened doors across the entertainment industry, but these days, he\u2019s proving his story is still being written.<\/p>\n
And increasingly, that story is playing out on screens both big and small.<\/p>\n
This weekend, Shine appears in \u201cColor Book,\u201d a moving new drama that has landed on Netflix after an acclaimed run on the film festival circuit. The film follows a newly widowed father and his son with Down Syndrome as they embark on a journey to attend the boy\u2019s first baseball game together.<\/p>\n <\/a> Kia Shine Coleman in new Netflix show (Courtesy: \u201cColor Book\u201d Netflix)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n For Kia Shine, who plays the character Rico, the project became much more than another acting role.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst and foremost, I say God get all praise and glory. He\u2019s the one to continue to write my story,\u201d Kia Shine told Alex Coleman during a recent appearance on WREG\u2019s 3 at 3. \u201cSometimes my story goes into film and television and from music. Sometimes it goes to autism and just whatever story He writing for me that day.\u201d<\/p>\n That perspective has become the foundation of his journey.<\/p>\n Whether he\u2019s creating music, acting in television and film, or advocating for children with special needs, Kia Shine views each opportunity as part of a larger purpose.<\/p>\n The film\u2019s path to Netflix is remarkable in its own right.<\/p>\n In 2023, filmmaker David Fortune won AT&T\u2019s Untold Stories competition, earning a $1 million prize to turn his vision for \u201cColor Book\u201d into reality. What followed was a two-year journey across film festivals, where audiences embraced the heartfelt story before Netflix acquired the project and introduced it to a global audience.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been working the festival circuit with this movie for the past two years,\u201d Kia Shine said. \u201cIt got picked up by Netflix and bought, and now it\u2019s available today on Netflix, man. I\u2019m super excited about it. And people are feeling it. They are loving it.\u201d<\/p>\n But what makes the movie especially meaningful for the Memphis entertainer isn\u2019t its Hollywood success. It\u2019s the personal connection.<\/p>\n Kia Shine and his wife, Nikki, have become widely known throughout Memphis and beyond for their tireless advocacy on behalf of children and families affected by autism and other developmental disabilities.<\/a><\/p>\n Their work isn\u2019t driven by theory. It\u2019s driven by experience.<\/p>\n Kia Shine is the father of a child with special needs, and when he read the script for \u201cColor Book,\u201d he immediately saw similarities between the film\u2019s father-son relationship and his own relationship with his son, James.<\/p>\n Kia Shine promotes autism acceptance at Memphis school <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI am a special-needs father,\u201d Kia Shine said. \u201cThe relationship reminds me a lot of me and my son James\u2019 relationship, so I felt like it was God saying for me to even get this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n In the movie, Kia Shine plays the best friend of a father navigating life after tragedy while raising a child with special needs. The role felt natural.<\/p>\n \u201cWho better to be a best friend to a father who\u2019s a special-needs father than someone who actually has a special-needs son?\u201d Kia Shine said. \u201cThe alignment for the assignment was perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n That personal understanding gives the film an authenticity that audiences are already responding to. For Shine, Color Book is about much more than one family.<\/p>\n It\u2019s about shining a light on families whose stories often go untold.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are these untold stories that people don\u2019t get a chance to see behind the grind and see what it\u2019s like to be a father or mother of a special-needs child,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He hopes viewers come away with a deeper appreciation for the challenges, victories and realities many families experience every day.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a way for us to be able to shine a light, not just on autism, not just on Down syndrome, but on the whole entire special-needs community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n That message carries extra weight because it\u2019s the same one he and Nikki champion year-round through their advocacy efforts.<\/p>\n <\/a> (Photo submitted by: Kinfolk Kia Shine Coleman)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Across Memphis, the couple has built a reputation for supporting families, increasing awareness and reminding parents they are not alone. The same compassion that drives their work in the community is evident throughout \u201cColor Book,\u201d making the film feel less like entertainment and more like a reflection of real life.<\/p>\n Yet while acting continues to create new opportunities, don\u2019t expect Kia Shine to leave music behind.<\/p>\n In fact, he says his creative approach is expanding\u2026not changing.<\/p>\n \u201cI gotta balance it, man. One is too close to none,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cGod gave me multiple talents, so I can\u2019t bury the talent. I gotta use it.\u201d<\/p>\n The rapper recently released new music alongside his latest acting projects, including a single called \u201cGrown Folk,\u201d reflecting the evolution of both the man and the artist.<\/p>\n![\"<em>(Photo](\"https:\/\/wreg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/06\/snapshot-11.jpg\")