Lush greenery and handmade cotton clouds shift in shade as colored lights transform the 100-square-foot art space from day to night, forest to nightclub. The sound of handmade clothing shifting on racks is accompanied by soulful pop music.
Cassie Chantel’s bass-tinged voice grounds and adds another level to the everchanging rhythm. Located at Rabbit Hole Studios in Athens, this is the world of “TRIBE OASIS,” one of Chantel’s many, recent ventures as she creates dialogue through art.
The award-winning musician uses storytelling to start conversations on issues that have impacted her community. With a sound that refuses to be placed into a single genre, Chantel will perform at AthFest on the Wicked Weed Stage on Saturday, June 25. She continues transforming her musical voice, but her use of art to elevate underrepresented voices remains present.
TRIBE OASIS emerged from Chantel’s need for “space to create content and to be at peace.” She said it acts as a branch of her record label, Tribe House Records, which was founded by Chantel and registered as an LLC in 2020 to help independent artists further their careers. She plans to bring various artistic perspectives into the new studio to converse with on her podcast.
“I want to amplify voices that I’ve encountered to be important,” Chantel said. “I want to be the medium to do this so people can get a glimpse of what I’ve been, you know, taking in, because it’s important to have dialogue.”
Chantel grew up on creativity in Athens, from the influences of DJs on her father’s side to folk artist Willie Hill on her mother’s side. Before creating songs, however, Chantel wrote. She said her early short stories were imbued with imagination, while her poetry was rooted in her reality.
Chantel said she used to perform her poems, and she grew fascinated by her ability to elicit emotional reactions from listeners. Her music was born by fusing her invented prose and biographic poetry.
She says she plans on using her new persona, “Cas the Messenger,” to release work that is “everything alternative.”
“If a butterfly could be a phoenix, that would be Cassie,” said Brent Tate, an artist from Athens. “She keeps reinventing herself, her sound, her music.”
Tate, whose stage name is Frank the Eagle, is part of Chantel’s record label and has collaborated with her on songs such as “Vibes” and “JOIN MY GANG.” He says her music balances danceability with meaningful lyricism.
This sense of balance is displayed at Chantel’s live performances, such as her set at 40 Watt Club on April 22. She performed “Tennis Racks,” her top song on Spotify with over 50,000 streams. She said the song began as a freestyle and transformed into a story of her success. While rapping, she swayed a tennis racquet with her initials on it, handing several to audience members, who cheered and tried mirroring the musician’s dances.
However, the same listeners fell silent as she performed the song “Ms. America,” which addresses the violent mistreatment Black voices face in America. Chantel transformed the venue’s mood and stood at the edge of the stage, wide-eyed, as she blended spoken word with expressive singing. She gestured with her right hand and firmly held the microphone with her left, almost as if to ground herself and the emotion pouring from her voice.
During the odyssey of a performance, her left arm’s tattoo of the Ankh appeared enliven with movement. This ancient Egyptian symbol represents life and its eternal cycle, and although Chantel’s performance ended, her stories of triumph, injustice and the need to address them live on through her audience.
Chantel defines herself as “a messenger,” a medium for her songs to pass through. “That message is being transmitted from generations and times way and well before us,” Chantel said. “And I can’t say where it’s from, I just know that I’m just delivering it.”
Skyli Alvarez 