Cassie Chantel

Lineup: Cassie Chantel. Influences: Lauryn Hill, Tupac Shakur.

"I wrote my first rhyme after hearing Tupac's 'Brenda's Got a Baby,'" says Cassie Chantel. "I was a storyteller before that; I used to write short stories a lot, and I still do." After that initial eye-opening musical experience, she began to set some of her stories to music, finding endless inspiration in hip-hop's brash beats and booming bass.

Her brand-new mixtape, Enjoy (available at DatPiff.com), is the realization of what Chantel has been working towards for more than just a hot minute; one of the hardest-working figures in Athens' vastly underrepresented hip-hop community, her literary background informs her music's street-centric vibe. Enjoy is a perfect introduction to a talented rapper who has been paying her dues for some time; with any justice, it will also be a proper introduction to the outside world. (Visit cassiechantel.com.)

Next Show: Sept. 7 @ The Globe (Athens PRIDE One World Artist Showcase)