Kobie Dee
Gratitude Over Pity - EP
Album · Hip-Hop/Rap · 2021
On his debut EP, Gomeroi rapper Kobie Dee delivers street-level storytelling in finely observed three-minute bursts—and fulfils the promise of his 2019 breakthrough single “Jody”, an affecting account of disadvantage and fatal violence. Gratitude Over Pity is just as unflinching, with the closing “About a Girl” tackling domestic abuse and drug addiction. But it’s not only about grim survival for Dee, who grew up in South Sydney: He lays out his commitment to balancing work and family on opener “In My Zone”, dropping references to his beloved mother and young daughter—and the EP’s heartening title phrase—in the process. More club-friendly is the DMX-citing single “Doobs”, while “Drama” boasts a withering monologue from Perth-based teen rapper Hoodzy. Anchored by a strong sense of conscience and bolstered by rising Aussie producers like jayteehazard and Papertoy, Dee flexes both swagger and sensitivity across these five tracks.