Hak Baker

Hak Baker (born 1991) is a British singer and rapper from London.

Early life

Hak Baker was born in Luton to a Grenadian father and Jamaican mother, the fifth of nine kids.[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

Baker performed musical collaborations with the Streets.[5] In 2022, he performed at Glastonbury festival.

In 2024, he performed at Boomtown Festival and Reading and Leeds Festival.

Worlds End FM

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

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

Worlds End FM (2023)

• 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

Personal life

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

1. "Windrush: Hak Baker says why singing about it now feels right". June 22, 2023 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
2. Pant, Sangit (June 16, 2023). "Musician Hak Baker Wikipedia Age Wife And Net Worth".
3. Baker falling out of love with East London
4. Williams, Jenessa (June 6, 2023). "Singer-songwriter Hak Baker: 'The old guard is being priced out of London'" – via The Guardian.
5. "The Era Of The Misfit: Clash Meets Hak Baker". December 4, 2017.
6. "WORLDS END FM - SIGNED CD". Hak Baker.
7. NME (2023-12-12). "The 10 best debut albums of 2023". NME. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
8. Garratt-Stanley, Fred (June 9, 2023). "Hak Baker and the power of his electrifying protest music".
9. Reilly, Nick (June 7, 2023). "Hak Baker on 'World's End FM: 'I just want to make people feel good'". Rolling Stone UK.
10. Baker, Hak (July 21, 2020). "Hak Baker: "Budget cuts and middle class elites are killing London's working class culture"".
11. "Hak Baker: 'The Windrush generation is built on resilience'". The Independent. April 5, 2023.
12. "Rebellion music: Hak Baker is taking down the powers-that-be and having fun with it". Mixmag.