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Rhyan Clapham, otherwise known as ‘DOBBY’, is a proud Filipino-Murawarri rapper, drummer, composer, and producer. Known for his signature style of ‘drapping’ (a blend of rapping and drumming), First Nations storytelling, and fusion of hip-hop, classical music and natural elements - DOBBY is not only re-shaping the Hip-Hop genre, but the broader Australian Music scene.

In 2024, he was nominated for Double J's Australian Artist of the Year and won Sweatshop Literacy Movement and Diversity Arts Australia’s ‘The Hage Award for First Nations Writers’. In the same year, his debut album, WARRANGU; River Story, won the ARIA Award for Best World Album, and if that wasn’t enough - he was also shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize. An eight-track concept album written, produced and performed by DOBBY, WARRANGU shares local cultural knowledge and also highlights environmental destruction occuring in the Brewarrina region. 

Growing up in Warilla on Dharawal Country in New South Wales and with roots stemming from the Aboriginal lands of Brewarrina and Weilmoringle in New South Wales, his music is a testament to his heritage and connection to country. His work reflects a strong sense of cultural pride and responsibility.  

“Country really flows through my music in all forms, you know, I take a lot of pride in being Filipino and Murawarri. A song like Dirrpi Yuin Patjulinya, which is - ‘The bird names himself’, is about language reclamation, it's about ecological justice, it's about caring for country”.

DOBBY’s advocacy-driven art not only aims to raise awareness but to spark change and evoke connection. The award-winning album WARRANGU; River Story serves as a call to action, highlighting the ecological damage caused by over-irrigation in the Murray-Darling Basin. Featuring songs with beautiful, poignant melodies like ‘River’ and energetic anthems like ‘Matter of Time’ and ‘Language is the Land’, it couldn’t be a better introduction for first-time listeners of DOBBY.

In 2022, DOBBY was awarded the NIMA Archie Roach Foundation Award, recognising his exceptional talent as a First Nations artist. In 2020 "I CAN’T BREATHE" won Best Video at the FBi SMAC Awards and remains an anthem for Australia’s Bla(c)k Lives Matter movement, with the track still being used in schools to educate students on First Nations justice. He also returned as an Ambassador for Red Room Poetry Month in 2025, representing hip-hop in this space and demonstrating his commitment to the continuation of First Nations art and storytelling.  

Despite touring across Europe, the United States, and major festival stages - performing everywhere from intimate venues to the Sydney Opera House - home and Country remain central to DOBBY’s creative practice. This is emphasised in his song ‘Dirrpi Yuin Patjulinya’, where nature itself is the lead instrument.

“That Dirrpi song - I sat with that bird song. I recorded it outside my auntie Nolene's house at six in the morning. I didn't change the bird for the song. I changed the music for the bird. So it's unedited, it's untouched. You know, it's that bird's song. And I find that very inspiring and naturally, you know, profound”. 

From powerful lyrics to exciting composition - not to mention his commanding yet dynamic presence on stage - DOBBY’s creativity and talent are second to none. 

As a truly multi-hyphenated and innovative artist, DOBBY is carving out his own lane - and we can’t wait to see where it takes him next.