In the hip-hop community, it’s all about your story. There are plenty of female emcees who have risen to fame in recent years, and one in particular shares the stripper starting point, (rhymes with Party T). Athena Tha Goddess, however, adds a unique element to this plotline.
“Ever since I was a kid I dreamt of becoming a performer. Most kids wanted to be teachers or doctors and I wanted to be like Fergie.” The twenty-three-year-old southern belle was drawn into the hip-hop world at an early age but has always been obsessed with those genre-defining female artists, whether it be Missy Elliot and Kesha or Lady Gaga and Cardi B. Growing up in a small Alabama town with just hundreds of people, she knew fitting in was never an easy task and refused a monotonous cycle of standard jobs while becoming a cookie-cutter wife.
Stripping was not a way to make money for Athena Tha Goddess. It was her first avenue of self-expression. “I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for dancing,” she says, and it’s true. If it wasn’t for her taking the stage every night she would have never discovered her love for performing. While this is not the typical route or debut gig you have in mind when you say the word “performer,” it takes an incredible work ethic and an undeniable amount of energy to please her audience. Over the years she became surrounded by the hip-hop genre even more, and she soon realized that was her true destination to expressing herself while providing her the perfect stage to live out her childhood dream.
Her debut single, “The Perfect Storm,” would release in 2018. While it garnered her a small fanbase, it proved to be divisive among her family. For Athena Tha Goddess growing up in the south meant coming from a conservative family that has roots in southern baptist faith and included a mother with a meth addiction and a special needs brother. The record saw her taking a deep dive into her history and introducing herself to the world with no filter. “I called my mom out for abandoning me and my brother for drugs. A lot of my family loved it and some didn’t.”
This sense of overwhelming relief combined with true joy and unrivaled excitement led her to kickstart her career even further with a series of successful singles that showcased her distinct storytelling ability as she crafted witty bars over trap-filled instrumentation with a southern flair. Her free-spirited nature was technically sound and possessed a carefree vibe that allows the listener to have fun while resonating with her whirlwind of a life. There are always obstacles in a woman’s way in the music industry, and it is Athena’s motto of “Wake up; Hustle,” which has gotten her through every bump in the road. Over the past four years she has solidified her name in the minds of many but recognizes she has a long way to go before she views her mission as completed.
“I want to connect with the world through music on a larger scale. More albums, more tours, and more fans.” While Athena is busy handling the first two, the last item on her to-do list of the future is coming together even faster than she has anticipated. Amassing thousands upon thousands of streams on her content across various platforms, Athena Tha Goddess is showing that no matter how small your window of reality is, a big dream can help you shatter the mold and build a new world beyond your wildest imagination.
