GODINA formerly known as NastyNate, is a faith-driven rapper from Canada. After spending a decade building up a strong fan base/following as a “secular artist” He circled back to his roots and he is making music for the Kingdom of God. We had an interview with GODINA and here is what he had to say. 

1. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

GODINA- Well, let’s start with this. Music has been a part of my life since I was a toddler. My mother would buy me music related toys whenever she could. If it wasn’t a toy guitar it was a toy microphone that she would get me, so on so forth. Later on, in my teenage years, I would do “live performances” for my family in our basement. So let’s just say this, there isn’t a specific story I can choose from because my entire life up to now has been submerged into music.

2. Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started this career?

GODINA- In 2018, I was flown out to Miami by a label I was working with at the time, to participate in a video shoot that Rick Ross was a part of. Now this was a huge deal for me because Rick Ross has been one of my favorite artists for the longest time. So not only was I on the same set as him, I was also able to have a one on one with the guy. Now the best part of this story for me is, at the end of the video shoot as he was on his way out the door he doubled back just to give me props before leaving. Lol now for some people that may sound ridiculous but to me it was awesome.

3. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

GODINA- At my first ever live performance I forgot the words 20 seconds into the song. The lesson here is to always memorize your lyrics. lol.

4. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

GODINA- Lately, I’ve been working on songs with a lot of the current upcoming Christian rappers in the industry. Being from Canada most of these artists are from the states so one of the bonuses of working with these other talented musicians is I get immediate access to their fan bases.

5. Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?

GODINA- Off the top of my head as I mentioned earlier, Rick Ross is definitely on that list. Another artist that I truly respect and love working with is Red Tips. He’s one of Christian Hip Hop’s leading rappers right now. We have a song together called “Young Boy Preach” that came out not long ago and it did over 20K streams on Spotify in the first four days it dropped. We were both minds blown lol. I never thought when I reached out to him to collaborate that he’d be interested, but he sent me back his verse for the song within 48 hours and the rest is history.

6. Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

GODINA- I feel as an artist whether you rap, sing, make beats, etc. The most common mistake I see is striving to get signed by a label. That can be exhausting, and let’s face it nowadays the music industry is so over-saturated that your chances of getting signed are one in a billion. I’ve been down that road and actually signed to an independent label that made all kinds of promises but never came through. Five years later when my contract was over I hadn’t got any further in my career. So strive to be an independent artist because when the success finally comes it’s so much more gratifying.

7. You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

GODINA- First things first, invest in yourself. Spend a little money on home studio equipment. Learn how to do it yourself so you don’t have to rely on others. Anybody can learn how to record, mix and master on YouTube these days. This way instead of spending your money on studio time you can spend it on promotion and marketing for your song releases. Failure is inevitable in this industry but failure makes success taste so much sweeter when it does come. So don’t let failure scare you, let it drive you to work harder than the rest.

8. Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices, or treatments that you do to help your body, mind, or heart to thrive? Kindly share a story or an example for each.

GODINA- We can all agree that working out, eating right, and getting plenty of sleep is important for healthy everyday life, but the most important thing for me over all of these is my relationship with Jesus Christ. Prayer is where I ground myself and without it, I would be lost. I recommend you try it if you haven’t already. It’s not about religion, it’s about building a relationship with the One that gave me this gift in the first place.

9. What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

GODINA

1. Invest in yourself. It’s better to rely on doing things yourself than dealing with being let down or waiting around for others.
2. Never let the success of other upcoming artists discourage you. I always applaud someone who’s got a great career and I use that to motivate myself.
3. Never sign to a label unless you’ve had a lawyer look over the contract/paperwork. I made that mistake and got screwed over in the end.
4. Do not put yourself in a box. Creativity is beautiful, don’t be afraid to try different things and evolve.
5. Age is just a number, it’s never too late to pursue your passion or to chase your dreams.

10. Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

GODINA- I don’t really have a quote to give you but I do have this verse from Proverbs 3:9 in the Bible. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your path. I live by this verse every day, by giving all my cares and worries to God. I’m not afraid to face whatever comes my way because I know he will guide me through.

11. None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

GODINA- Without a doubt, my wife is that person. She is always pushing me to improve my craft. She is always there in the studio giving me her opinion and 95% of the time she’s right. Without her, in the background helping me I wouldn’t be where I am now. “The man is the head, but the woman is the neck and she can turn the head any way she wants.” – My Big Fat Greek Wedding

12. You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

GODINA- I would definitely open a recording studio for artists who want to learn about music creativity but don’t have the means to do so.

13. We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂

GODINA- I’d love to have a sit down with Christian Hip Hop legend Lecrae to pick his brain on the state of today’s music scene.

14 How can our readers follow you online?

GODINA- The easiest way to find me online is through Instagram @iamgodina Don’t forget to check out GODINA on all streaming platforms.