Today I’m hosting Helecia “SKG” Choyce, author of The Monster Within in my blog. It is my pleasure to welcome Ms. Choyce to this episode of the author interview.
Helecia “SKG” Choyce is an author, recording artist, entrepreneur, and former Death Row Records artist whose career spans music, film, and media. Best known for her appearance on Tupac Shakur’s posthumous album Until the End of Time, she has evolved into a powerful voice for resilience, healing, and personal transformation.
Through her memoir, The Monster Within, Choyce shares an unfiltered account of overcoming trauma, abuse, grief, and adversity while inspiring readers to reclaim their voices and rewrite their own stories. Beyond writing, she is the founder of Hustle Gurl Media, host of Girlfriends & Champagne, and continues to create music, documentaries, and projects that empower others through truth, faith, and perseverance.
She currently resides in Southern California with her family and is preparing to release her upcoming documentary and second memoir, Past the Knight, chronicling her journey through the legendary era of Death Row Records.
Q: For readers who are meeting you for the first time, could you tell us a little about yourself and the journey that led you to become an author?
My name is Helecia “SKG” Choyce. Many people know me as a former Death Row Records artist who was featured on Tupac Shakur’s Until the End of Time. Music has always been my first love, but storytelling has become my purpose. My life has been filled with incredible highs, painful lows, trauma, loss, and ultimately healing. Becoming an author wasn’t something I planned—it became something I needed to do. I realized that my story wasn’t just mine anymore. If sharing my experiences could help even one person feel less alone, then every painful chapter would have served a greater purpose.
Q:The Monster Within is such a powerful and evocative title. What inspired you to tell this story, and why did you feel this was the right time to share it with the world?
The title represents the internal battles we all face. Sometimes the greatest monster isn’t another person—it’s the pain, fear, shame, anger, or trauma we’ve carried for years. I wanted readers to understand that everyone is fighting something unseen. This was the right time because I had finally reached a place where I wasn’t telling my story from a place of brokenness. I was telling it from a place of healing, strength, and purpose.
Q: While writing the book, were there moments that were emotionally difficult to revisit? How did you navigate those memories without losing yourself in them?
Absolutely. There were chapters I had to walk away from because reliving those moments was overwhelming. I cried while writing certain passages because I wasn’t just remembering them—I was feeling them all over again. What kept me grounded was reminding myself that I wasn’t writing to reopen wounds. I was writing to close them. Every difficult page became another step toward freedom.
Q: Your story reminds readers that survival is not just about enduring hardship but also about reclaiming one’s voice. What does healing mean to you today?
Healing means no longer allowing my past to define my future. It means choosing peace over bitterness, purpose over pain, and growth over resentment. Healing doesn’t erase what happened—it changes how you carry it. Today, healing means living authentically, loving deeply, protecting my peace, and using my voice to encourage others to keep going.
Q: Memoirs often invite both vulnerability and strength. Did writing this book change the way you viewed your own journey?
It absolutely did. Writing this memoir forced me to acknowledge just how much I had survived. We often move through life without stopping to appreciate our own resilience. Looking back at everything I endured made me realize that I am far stronger than I ever gave myself credit for. The process transformed me from someone telling a painful story into someone celebrating survival.
Q: Many people silently carry experiences similar to those described in your book. What would you like someone in that situation to know after reading The Monster Within?
I want them to know they are not alone, and they are not broken. Your trauma is part of your story, but it is not your identity. There is life after abuse. There is joy after grief. There is purpose after pain. Never allow someone else’s actions to convince you that your life has less value. You deserve peace, happiness, and a future beyond what happened to you.
Q: Despite its painful subject matter, your story also speaks of resilience and hope. How important was it for you to balance those emotions throughout the narrative?
That balance was essential because my life has never been only about pain. It’s also been about faith, perseverance, family, music, love, and second chances. I didn’t want readers to close the book feeling defeated. I wanted them to finish believing that healing is possible. Hope is what carried me through my darkest moments, and I wanted every chapter to reflect that.
Q: Every memoir leaves the author with lessons beyond the final page. What is the most valuable lesson The Monster Within has taught you about yourself?
It taught me that I am far more resilient than I ever imagined. It also reminded me that vulnerability is not weakness. For years I believed I had to hide parts of my story to protect myself. Writing this book showed me that transparency can become someone else’s survival guide. That’s one of the greatest gifts I could ever give.
Q: Looking back, what part of writing The Monster Within has stayed with you the most, even after completing the book?
The realization that forgiveness is something we give ourselves as much as others. Writing the book allowed me to release years of pain that I didn’t even realize I was still carrying. That freedom has stayed with me every single day since finishing the manuscript.
Q: Finally, what do you hope readers carry with them after they turn the last page—a feeling, a question, or perhaps a renewed sense of hope?
More than anything, I hope they leave with hope. I hope they realize that their circumstances don’t have to determine their destiny. No matter what you’ve survived, your story isn’t over. Every chapter of life gives you another opportunity to rewrite your future. If The Monster Within inspires someone to choose healing over giving up, then I have accomplished exactly what I set out to do.
About the Book
The Monster Within is a raw and unfiltered story of survival, trauma, and resilience.
Told through lived experiences, this book takes you inside moments of pain, control, and silence that many endure—but few ever speak about. Behind closed doors, what looked like power and loyalty to the outside world carried a much deeper truth—one rooted in fear, manipulation, and the fight to hold on to self-worth.
From being told she would never be anything…
to facing obstacles designed to break her…
But this is not just a story about pain.
It’s about refusing to stay broken.
It’s about turning every “no” into a “yes.”
It’s about reclaiming your voice when the world tries to silence it.
The Monster Within is for anyone who has ever been doubted, dismissed, or made to feel like they weren’t enough—and chose to rise anyway.
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