Teaming with former Gap Band member and gospel/R&B artist Dorian Paul, Rebecca “DawgGoneDavis” delivers another supercharged rap/rock message
- Written by NewsCo
DAWGGONEDAVIS ft. Dorian Paul - “Boulders Weeping (Cry No More)”
Teaming up for the first time with former Gap Band member and gospel/R&B artist Dorian Paul, Rebecca “DawgGoneDavis” delivers another high impact, supercharged rap/rock message for all times. Decrying the tragic return of random mass shootings as a regular part of and stain on American life, she draws on her own sharp wit, brilliant song craftsmanship and wild turns of phrase to acknowledge our tears and create a hope-filled mission for a better, more peaceful day on her latest single “Boulders Weeping (Cry No More).”
The one of a kind, gotta hear her to believe it Kansas City based rapper, rocker and songwriter may have started her unexpected, empowering journey towards the top of the global indie charts with quirky, wit-filled novelties like the autobiographical “Middle Age Woman – Hip Hop Style” and “Butt on Fiya.” Yet over the past few years, the supercharged sociopolitical landscape and collective anxiety of the pandemic have demanded a much deeper dive into her ever-expanding and guitar-blasting artistry.
Keeping her wit and clever turns of phrase intact, she’s evolved into a hard-hitting chronicler of the times we live in, breaking through in 2020 and early 2021 with a total of five international hit singles created in collaboration with the man she calls her “secret musical weapon,” German- based collaborator and renowned Euro producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Hellmut Wolf,” and the fiery electric guitar of Romain Duchein. The drummer for DGD is Jack T. Perry. Jack is one of the most creative percussionists.
The three most prominent of these - featuring infectious, fiery vocal hooks by longtime Snoop Dogg producer Chago G. Williams – were “Darkest Hour” (which reached #5 on the Euro Indie Chart), “No More” (#11) and “Clean Slate” (#7). Rebecca’s other 2020 smashes included “Judge Not Rap Yes” (which hit #3), “Weight of the World” (which debuted at #4) and “Checkered Future.” The re-release of her poignant yet whimsical holiday track “Here Comes Santa Dawg” topped them all, peaking at #2.
Connecting emotionally through a tragedy in her own extended family, the rapper has been a passionate advocate against random gun violence since The Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012, often contributing to the Sandy Hook Promise – a national nonprofit founded and led by several family members killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School whose intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning tragedy into moments of transformation.
The resurgence of violence these past few months with high profile mass shootings in Atlanta (which she references in “Boulders Weeping” with “The shooting in Hot Lanta/Our flag is swimming in Mylanta”), Boulder and most recently, Colorado Springs, among scores of others, inspired Rebecca to address the issue in her inimitable, intensely emotional yet wildly engaging way. Just to let us know she’s still crazy cool “DawgGoneDavis” no matter how hard hitting the topic is, she starts “Boulders Weeping” by rapping “Yeah, I’m a rock & roller/Pushing momma in the stroller” before addressing Atlanta and lamenting the loss of the hopeful ideals of America: “We used to be the cure spot/Mayflower proportions/Hiding in the garden/Can’t see through those distortions.”
Her second verse is even more blistering, calling “an icky effing mess” and saying “We kill and eat our own” while we’re distracted with being “nosey about the pond and the throne,” i.e. news about the Royal Family.” Another provocative line she throws out before Dorian blasts in again with his soaring, uplifting rock/R&B chorus is “Let’s implement derision/I’ve seen on television.” It’s in the crescendo of Rebecca’s third verse that she refers to the song title for the first time. You can almost see and feel the tears in her eyes when she raps: “There’s no denying/The rock on my shoulder’s crying/The boulder on our shoulder’s weeping. . .” and reminding us that as much as we screw it up, “This is God’s world/Not ours…”
Rebecca’s incendiary commentary on the state of things is balanced brilliantly by the uplifting sense of (cautious) hope and resolve/purpose in Dorian Paul’s explosive R&B/rock driven hook. Just as he sang with Charlie Wilson and his bros back in the day, the multi-talented artist and songwriter reminds us there will be a time when we “cry no more” because we’re determined to work through the problems and rise above them in the end: “Let’s put this mission on our shoulders/No more tears of weeping boulders.” His second go-round develops that theme further, as he sings, “Cry no more, got to find a better way” over and over like an anthem that is designed to provoke strong emotions and a change in thinking, with bold actions.
“The problem of gun violence is still eroding our country, and ‘Boulders Weeping’ is my way of expressing anger and rage and admitting that tragedy on top of tragedy is sometimes too much and I do break down and cry,” says Rebecca. “Which is why Dorian’s chorus was so unexpectedly beautiful and powerful - and just the right message the song needed to create a balance of struggle and determination to do everything within our power to enact a shift of consciousness and active change. When Hellmut and I sent him the track, we had no idea what he would emerge with, and we were blown away at his positive spirit and energy. It was as if we were just waiting for his greatness to bless our song and create the cool duality of the title.”
With her hilarious, erudite, self-effacing and no holds barred approach to baring her soul, Rebecca’s tracks since her emergence in 2018 have received spins on an astounding 5000+ terrestrial, internet and satellite radio outlets throughout Europe, Asia, South America and the United States. Each of her songs has risen quickly on the World Indie Chart and Euro Indie Chart– and we can expect no less from “Boulders Weeping (Cry No More),” a track that captures the American zeitgeist like no other song this year. In 2019, the multi-talented performer compiled her first 11 hits into a collection perfectly titled after her respect and groove for Neil Diamond music, Hot Dawgest Night. DawgGoneDavis has been on “fiya” ever since.
