Sydney-based rapper DOBBY has been carving a name for himself for delivering songs with a strong message, and continues along this rich vein with the hard-hitting “That’s Not Me”. The track highlights how First Nations peoples are often expected to conform to certain norms in order to be given opportunities.
DOBBY explains: “It’s time for us to be heard, on our terms. Because if we don’t and we keep playing their games, we’ll soon lose ourselves,”
About the genesis of the track, he states: “The song started as a high-spirited affirmation of playing by my own rules, but the message in ‘That’s Not Me’ has slowly accrued meaning over time.
“Over the years I have witnessed and experienced tokenism in culturally unsafe spaces, and in these integral moments, I ask myself what decisions truly reflect my family and my Communities. I’ve spoken with L-FRESH The LION on this many times in the past, and so, this track felt right to bring to him as a potential collaboration.”
His collaborator, L-FRESH The LION, gives his thoughts: “I would have hoped that we’d be way past the need for the type of conversation this song is highlighting but we aren’t there yet. This is a reminder that there are very real people who have to deal with this on a regular basis. It’s exhausting. We’d rather be doing other shit with our creativity than feeling like we have to express our frustrations like this.”
The video highlights many examples of disrespect as told and shared by their community. Given the propensity to hijack First Nations people for commercial gain, it’s fitting that each story is told on a square of a giant Monopoly board. The clip was directed by Amy Louisee.
You can keep up to date with DOBBY via his website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube
