Hak Baker
Hak Baker (born 1991) is a British singer and rapper from London.
Early life
[edit]Hak Baker was born in Luton to a Grenadian father and Jamaican mother, the fifth of nine children.[1] Since the age of one he has lived on the Isle of Dogs.[2] As a child, he was a choirboy at Southwark Cathedral. Aged 14, he joined the grime group Bomb Squad.[3] He dropped out of school aged 15. In his mid 20s he spent two years in jail for robbery.[4]
History
[edit]Baker performed musical collaborations with the Streets.[5] In 2022, he performed at Glastonbury festival.
In 2024, he played at Boomtown Festival and Reading and Leeds Festival. As part of the Summer Series in July, he also performed to a packed crowd at Somerset House in London.
Worlds End FM
[edit]In 2023 Baker recorded his first album, Worlds End FM.[6] NME featured the album in their lineup of the "10 best debut albums released in 2023," praising it for introducing Baker as a "21st Century troubadour speaking to modern problems with empathy and requisite anger”.[7]
Style
[edit]Baker's musical style is influenced by grime music, reggae and punk rock.[8] In addition to his singing and rapping talents, he is a skilled guitarist.[9]
Discography
[edit]Babylon (2020)
[edit]- 1. Big House
- 2. Lad
- 3. Broomstick
- 4. Mush
- 5. Venezuela Riddim
- 6. PC Plod
- 7. Babylon
- 8. SKINT
- 9. Grief Eyes
- 10. Fuck You
- 11. Embargo
- 12. Thirsty Thursday (Bonus Track)
Misled (2021)
[edit]- 1. Cool Kids
- 2. Stay Alive
- 3. Cop Car
- 4. Irrelevant Elephant
- 5. Young Again
- 6. Borrowed Time
Worlds End FM (2023)
[edit]- 1. World's End FM (Intro)
- 2. DOOLALLY
- 3. Windrush Baby
- 4. Collateral Cause
- 5. Bricks In The Wall
- 6. Full On
- 7. Babylon Must Fall (MC Grindah Skit)
- 8. I Don't Know
- 9. Run
- 10. Telephones 4 Eyes
- 11. Watford's Burning (Connie Constance Skit)
- 12. Brotherhood
- 13. Luv u Bro (Big Zees Skit)
- 14. Dying to Live
- 15. Almost Lost London
- 16. The End of the World
Nostalgia Death Act 1 EP (2024)
[edit]- 1. Nameless
- 2. Boys X Girls
- 3. Everybody's Dyin’
- 4. Luvly
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Award Ceremony | Year | Nominee/Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Music Video Awards | 2024 | Telephone 4 Eyes | Best Experimentral | Nominated |
Personal life
[edit]Baker supports left-wing political causes. He has criticised the gentrification of working class areas by yuppies and middle class hipster subculture.[10] He also opposes the Tories' attempts to deport refugees to Rwanda, and has compared it to the discrimination faced by the Windrush generation.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Windrush: Hak Baker says why singing about it now feels right". June 22, 2023 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ Pant, Sangit (June 16, 2023). "Musician Hak Baker Wikipedia Age Wife And Net Worth".
- ↑ Baker falling out of love with East London
- ↑ Williams, Jenessa (June 6, 2023). "Singer-songwriter Hak Baker: 'The old guard is being priced out of London'" – via The Guardian.
- ↑ "The Era Of The Misfit: Clash Meets Hak Baker". December 4, 2017.
- ↑ "WORLDS END FM - SIGNED CD". Hak Baker.
- ↑ NME (2023-12-12). "The 10 best debut albums of 2023". NME. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
- ↑ Garratt-Stanley, Fred (June 9, 2023). "Hak Baker and the power of his electrifying protest music".
- ↑ Reilly, Nick (June 7, 2023). "Hak Baker on 'World's End FM: 'I just want to make people feel good'". Rolling Stone UK.
- ↑ Baker, Hak (July 21, 2020). "Hak Baker: "Budget cuts and middle class elites are killing London's working class culture"".
- ↑ "Hak Baker: 'The Windrush generation is built on resilience'". The Independent. April 5, 2023.
- ↑ "Rebellion music: Hak Baker is taking down the powers-that-be and having fun with it". Mixmag.