Kobie Dee Cuts Deep With Powerful New Single ‘Statistic’

Kobie Dee has returned with his first release for 2024: a soulful and poignant rumination on the struggles he faces as a Blak man in modern Australia, titled Statistic.

The track wastes no time cutting deep with its realness, as the Gomeroi rapper’s first lines see him reflect on childhood fears that he’d end up “stuck in prison” due to the harrowing rates of First Nations peoples being imprisoned. But as he goes on to rap as the track rolls on: “You only got one life so why risk it? / Fuck being a statistic.”

Dee said of the song’s background in a press release: “This track is a reflection of the systemic racism and intergenerational trauma that affects our mob to this day. I wrote Statistic to share my frustrations on the constant fear of becoming another statistic, lost to a system that was deliberately built against us and designed to make us fail. Statistic is also my way to speak on the facts of our people, where we come from, and our strength in our resistance.”

Have a listen to Statistic here.

Statistic follows up on Dee’s acclaimed single Father’s Eyes, featuring Stan Walker, which went on to earn the rapper a nomination for Artist Of The Year at last year’s National Indigenous Music Awards. Released in October, that track was Dee’s second for 2023, following Neva That (alongside MALI JO$E and JCAL) in February.

In a recap of last year’s BIGSOUND festival, Purple Sneakers noted that during his performance, Dee “present[ed] thoughtful and articulate ruminations on his still-young life, his family and his road to sobriety that are arguably more thought-provoking and engaging than a lot of the panels being run throughout the day by so-called experts”.

The review continued: “This is a thoroughly lived experience, and it's all showcased within Dee's multifaceted approach to hip-hop. With the stunning and tragic storytelling of songs like About A Girl and Jody, which close the set shortly after midnight, Dee solidifies himself as a key voice within Australian music right now – one that deserves to be heard loud and clear.”