Blending rap and country music is a feat attempted by many, conquered by few. But when Kelowna, BC’s Doug Crawford and country music sensation, Jelly Roll teamed up to collaborate on “Keep Chasing,” they understood the assignment. The title of the three-minute track perfectly embodies the journey of the hit. Check it out on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqRbgzeZ4h8
“I had literally given up on music as most of my income came from touring. When the pandemic changed that, I had to look for new sources of income, which led me to the opportunities I’ve been given to work with Jelly Roll,” Crawford explained.
According to the rap star, the collaboration cemented itself two years following his cessation of music. Crawford discovered an opportunity to work with Jelly Roll, and the two created magic over a universal topic.
The opening of “Keep Chasing” introduces the country grass world; a solemn guitar lick kicks off the tune about chasing dreams throughout all life’s hardships Jelly Roll’s baritone vocals catapult listeners into the landscape of dreaming: a lonely yet rewarding world full of solo trips and many, many naysayers.
“Sometimes, I feel like giving up, sometimes I feel like it’s not enough, but sometimes I feel like giving up,” vocalist Justin Cohen graces the track. Cohen, Crawford, and Jelly Roll each attribute contrasting vocal ranges, yet agree on one thing, the concept of chasing dreams.
Crawford lends his unmatched talent near the end of the song, contributing a gritty and honest verse about what it truly costs to dream. Along with the haters, the failures, and the redos, one thing rings true in the ideology of dreaming, keep chasing them.
“Ayahuasca in the jungle, fighting my demons, surprised I’m still here. Guess that must be a reason,” Crawford relays. “Use hate as fuel saying I won’t make it through, but Imma keep chasing til my dreams come true,” Crawford closes out the verse with this powerful lyric, as Cohen’s crooning backing vocals support.
The epic denouement of the inspiring track falls in Jelly Roll’s emphasis on the importance of following dreams: “They say I’m just a dreamer, well I tell them all that’s cool. I keep chasing til my dreams come true cuz that’s what dreamers do.”
Please listen on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/track/0eeCxkcl0VrfHakMtWZVqL?si=8423610e31e94909&nd=1
“Everyone has a dream when they’re a kid. It just doesn’t always happen when you want it to. But if you stick at it long enough, things will start to fall into place. Over 20-plus years in the making, I put my first album at age 20. Being now 40 years old is a long time in the making to get to this point. Main thing I’ve learned is nothing worth it comes easy cause if it came easy, everyone would be doing it,” Crawford said.