After moving from the Dominican Republic at the age of 9, rapper/singer KATONTHEMUV, born Katherine Garcia, was living in Miami, Florida. All throughout her young life she was told stories about coming to the United States for a promise of a better, more stable life, “I was being taught to work until I’m 60 and then retire, that was the promise of the American Dream.” Her mother came to the United States shortly after giving birth to Katherine so she could work until she could earn enough money to bring her family with her. Although incredibly grateful for everything that her mother did for her and her family, KATONTHEMUV mentioned to me that even as a young girl she “knew that the life plan that was being presented to [her] wasn’t meant for [her].”
She always had dreams of being an entertainer, but her family lacked the financial means to pursue her goals and she realized that she had to work hard to make her dreams a reality. Developing the “hustler spirit,” from a young age where she worked in the convenience store near her house in La Romana, Dominican Republic that her grandfather owned and worked at. Carrying that same spirit when she eventually moved to the United States with her parents and her 6 siblings, she has been grinding essentially her whole life. Working all kinds of jobs throughout her high school years doing things like hair at a Dominican Barber Shop and personal training.
Although Garcia was originally passionate about dancing, practicing for years doing Latin, Modern, and Hip-Hop dance, it wasn’t until she moved to Atlanta in 2013 that she fell in love with the hip-hop genre. Due to an injury she was unable to continue pursuit for a career in dancing; however, this certainly would not stop KATONTHEMUV and she began writing music. Starting with poetry she wrote a spoken word and recorded it on her friend’s computer, which would later be mastered into the intro track Wolves in Sheep Clothes from her Self-Titled debut EP. “I was hooked to the power of my voice and the message I had to share with the world,” she told me during our interview. As soon as she heard her voice on the track she knew that she could pursue a career in music.
In January 2017, after reaching out to several producers trying to explain her goals, she met PourItUp Sip, a producer living in Atlanta. Sip has worked with many artists including Boosie Bad Azz and Eardrummers, to name a few. “I shared my vision with him, and it was like an explosion of ideas and chemistry all at once, we immediately started planning and executing, then began putting My Self- titled EP together.” With over 10 years of experience under his belt, PourItUp Sip knew exactly what to do to help her career take off. With her ideas and his beats, it was impossible not to make an incredible debut record, and that is exactly what they did.
Instead of solely rapping about drugs, money, and sex, she chooses her content a little more wisely using her songs to express her story. “I embrace my Afro Latina roots and take inspiration from what really brings the majority of most of the melanated people from the Diaspora in the Western Hemisphere together and that’s our African ancestry.” She provides a voice for many young people that are trapped or oppressed and aims to bring people together through her music. After facing heavy discrimination after moving to the United States from the Dominican Republic because she looked different and couldn’t speak English, KATONTHEMUV and her family were trapped in a new country without knowing anyone. Passing on wisdom to the younger generations, she shares her life stories with everyone who will listen. Her heritage manifests itself in her music as she sticks to her roots bringing a unique Latina flair to her songs.
Her 21-minute, bilingual debut consisting of 6 tracks is titled KATONTHEMUV – EP, and truly is a great listen. Starting out with the previously mentioned Sheep in Wolves Clothes, a spoken word that captivates the listener and tells a story about a girl being deceived by someone close to her. After drawing her audience into her world, she hits them in the face with the certified-banger No Toy Pa’ Ti, a song full of savage bars in Spanish laced over an incredibly hard-hitting beat provided by Sip. She wanted to make a song “where she’s basically saying [she doesn’t] f–k with ‘you’ – meaning those people that deceived [her].” The EP then transitions into a track about reflection and personal introspection called Lifted (feat C-Nube). Getting inspiration from the blunt, she conquers her past and figures out the next step for her personally on the song “Make It Happen,” which serves as a microcosm for her life as a while.
The song Tu Dueña (feat Lluvia) serves as a very tender and intimate point on the EP. An emotional love song where she details her relationship with her producer and boyfriend PourItUp Sip, she compares the two as a “dream team.” After hearing the music that they are producing it is clear that they work well together. The final song of the album, Isla (feat Sonic Escobar), is her ode to the come up. She is absolutely embracing the grind and the come-up that she is in currently. With positivity and high energy she hopes to tell her story via the EP and share her life experiences. Providing fans with “bilingual conscious messages with catchy hooks and a Southern/Caribbean feel,” the EP is a hit. The production is crisp and energetic, her vocals are intoxicating, and her story is incredible. Her EP depicts a tale of resiliency and triumph. Starting from a point of grief and heartbreak, she shares her come up with the world.
The world is at your finger tips, KATONTHEMUV, I can’t wait to see how you progress as an artist. There is no doubt in my mind that you will share your story with the world.