Video: Fredo Bang – “Dawg Gone” (Prod. by Swift Bangaz)
The Buzzing, Bruising Southern Rapper Shows His Reflective Side in the Latest Video From His Big Ape Mixtape
07.2.2019
Critical Praise:
“With the 2015 arrest that threatened to derail his rising career now decidedly in the rearview, Fredo is back with a newfound sense of purpose: more viral, more hardworking, and more determined to advance than ever before.” – The FADER
“New Gen Winter 2019–His city’s favored up-and-comer and its most versatile rising act. Songs like ‘No Mo’ show his penchant for soul-searching narratives and music-as-medicine melodies; the success of ‘Oouuh’ proves he has a one-of-a-kind ability to reach all sides of the hip-hop and R&B spectrum.” – HYPEBEAST
The Video:
One of the recurring themes in the life of Baton Rouge rapper Fredo Bang is loss–loss of loved ones and brothers to street violence. Flexing his melodic vocals and strong songwriting talent, Fredo shares “Dawg Gone,” his latest video single. The song finds Fredo reckoning with the death of a close friend, approaching the topic from all angles, recounting the moment he heard the news–he heard through a prison phone–and working through his feelings as he rises to fame: “I might look calm, but on the inside I be screaming/They rub my shoulder, ask for gifts like I’m a genie/Don’t wanna hear your problems, you can keep it/You fake as fuck and that’s the reason we ain’t speakin’.”
Premiered by The FADER, the video re-enacts the moments after Fredo learns of his friend’s death, as he languishes in his cell, before flashing forward to happier moments, haunted by his loved one’s absence. Dedicated to Fredo’s late friends Da Real Gee Money and Blvd Quick, “Dawg Gone” is an emotional highlight from Big Ape, Fredo’s latest mixtape, which garnered over 71 million streams across platforms.
A 20-track effort with production from the likes of Southside, Ben Billions, and frequent collaborator Hardbody B-Eazy, Big Ape is buoyed by Fredo’s mastery of melody, grounded by his lived-in storytelling, and informed by a violent past and months of reflection during a 2017 jail stint. Able to shift from clipped cadences to entrancing melody and back, Fredo hit his stride in recent months, garnering millions of YouTube views on tracks like the moving “Pray To God,” and especially “Oouuh,” an infectious and charismatic single that earned a guest spot from Kevin Gates on the remix and racked up tens of millions of streams on all platforms. The new mixtape is home to “Gangsta Talk,” a vicious flex-off with 16-year-old newcomer NLE Choppa, which piled up over 7 million YouTube views and 1.5 Spotify plays. In recent weeks, Fredo shared videos for “Story To Tell” (Remix), featuring Moneybagg Yo (2.4 million YouTube views), and “Shoot,” the tape’s introductory track. Featuring additional appearances from Tee Grizzley, YNW Melly, Mozzy, Sada Baby, Celly Ru, Yoshi, and Blvd Quick, Big Ape is available everywhere via Sony RED/Bang Biz Ent.
Watch “Dawg Gone”: https://youtu.be/e9L1cRi12Ag
Buy/Stream Big Ape: https://red.lnk.to/bigape
Check out The FADER’s premiere: https://www.thefader.com/2019/07/02/fredo-bang-dawg-gone-video-premiere
Watch Fredo Bang’s FADER FREQUENCIES mini-doc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SNob7uAGpM / https://www.thefader.com/2019/07/01/fredo-bang-wav-documentary-baton-rouge
Please contact Michelle or Kierra for more info.
The Background:
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Fredo Bang started to record music in 2013 when he was 15-years-old. Tragedy struck a year later with the loss of his best friend, who was a local rapper in the neighborhood. Since then, the rising star used the nickname that his best friend had given him and hit the ground running. In 2016, Fredo was jailed for attempted murder. Things looked dim. But in 2018, Fredo was released on parole after taking a 7-year sentence, and released his 2 Face Bang album, taking his city by storm. He became an overnight sensation. A series of catchy songs like “Shootas On The Roof” and “Father” amassed millions of views, but it was Fredo’s breakout song “OOUUH” that propelled him to be an artist to watch, with the record getting significant radio play and video views on BET & REVOLT. With over 130 million streams across all platforms, Fredo Bang is ready to bust out of Baton Rouge and take the industry by storm.
Links:
official site | youtube | instagram | twitter | soundcloud | spotify | merch
“Dawg Gone”: https://youtu.be/e9L1cRi12Ag
FADER FREQUENCIES mini-doc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SNob7uAGpM / https://www.thefader.com/2019/07/01/fredo-bang-wav-documentary-baton-rouge
“Shoot”: https://youtu.be/Xot9vVoVg7M
“Story To Tell” (Remix) ft. Moneybagg Yo: https://youtu.be/mK_R1-nM8DE
Buy Tickets for the “Big Ape Tour”: https://www.fredobang.com/tour/
Big Ape: https://RED.lnk.to/bigape
“Gangsta Talk” ft. NLE Choppa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdrpA05gPsk// https://open.spotify.com/album/3OQ9nmRq5I6K6JkrfM4T5X?si=WxMsU8tCTmWTKKWkSc5zyw
“Oouuh” ft. Kevin Gates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSbQQlFEC6g
“Story to Tell”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54SQl8X0EBk
“Pray To God”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34zPLCO2tOY
2 Face Bang: https://open.spotify.com/album/1cyiNJvPRM2DW5FnURb1cO?si=4U8rjD_jTXG3lNvFFIPYjA