BOY, IT’S A BIG STEP
The ‘Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land’ is introducing his traditional language to the rest of the world, as Kane Young reports
RISING
hip-hop star Baker Boy only started rapping a year ago, and has only released two songs.
But his ever-growing fan base just voted both those songs into the world’s biggest musical countdown, Triple J’s Hottest 100 — his latest single Marryuna at No.17, and his debut track Cloud 9 (featuring Kian) at No.76.
That’s a pretty amazing achievement. But the 21-year-old “Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land” — who was raised in the Northern Territory’s Milingimbi community before moving to Melbourne three years ago — is even more proud of the fact that he’s helping introduce listeners to his traditional language, Yolngu Matha.
“I’m so pumped that more and more people are learning about Yolgnu Matha and discovering that we still speak out mother tongue just as much as any other person,” Baker Boy (Danzal Baker) told Pulse this week.
“I want the world to know that the First Peoples of Australia speak their language every day.
“Although I’m not the first to rap in language, I’m proud that I’ve brought it to the forefront of mainstream music and that they love every part of it. People from my community are probably more pumped than I am!”
Marryuna was expected to make the Hottest 100, but Cloud
9’ s inclusion was something of a surprise — especially to Baker Boy, who admits he was left “pretty speechless” by the news.
“I was still trying to process the fact that my only two official releases made it in the Hottest 100 and I’ve only been in the game for less than a year,” he said.
“So it means the world to me and my crew that Australia got us into the votes. That’s so amazing!
“My Facebook page has exploded with new likes and heaps of messages, so I definitely think the vote helped and I will continue to gain followers.
“I’ve got new fans from Japan and the Middle East, which is pretty awesome. So the magic is working! Can’t wait to make my people loud and proud globally.”
Marryuna landed at No.17 on the Hottest 100 — a year after politically charged indigenous hiphop duo AB Original’s call to change the date of Australia Day,
January 26, scored the No.16 spot. “It’s pretty amazing to come in just behind my uncles from AB Original,” Baker Boy said.
“I don’t see myself as a political person — even though my opinions are — but my music does convey an array of messages while being delivered in an upbeat and fun way.
“And if my music can make people from all walks of life dance, then I know I’ve done my job and will continue to do it well.”
Baker Boy is quickly earning a
reputation for his energetic live performances, which are full of the enthusiastic dance moves he also showcased in the Marryuna film clip.
“I always centre my shows around song, dance and traditional yidaki [didgeridoo] playing,” he said, “and with my whole crew together we’ll always break it down in between songs, [and] after our gigs we’ll jump in with the crowd.
“In Yolngu Matha ‘marryuna’ translates to ‘dance without shame’ — it doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from or what your views are, we can all dance purely because it’s fun.
“And that’s what I wanted the film clip to be about — fun, bridging two worlds together to show that we’re really not that different at the end of the day.”
Baker Boy is set to perform in Tasmania for the first time next weekend, joining the likes of Gang of Youths, Grouplove, Ball Park Music, The Avalanches and Client Liaison at the sixth edition of the Party in the Paddock festival.
Party in the Paddock will be held at White Hills (20 minutes’ drive east of Launceston) from next Thursday until next Saturday (February 8-10). A small number of tickets are still available for $208, go to www.oztix.com.au for bookings.
Baker Boy performs at 7.50pm next Thursday (February 8), before heading off to support international hip-hop stars 50 Cent and Dizzee Rascal.
“Never been to Tassie, but I heard it’s beautiful and at times very cold,” Baker Boy said.
“I find Melbourne freezing, so I’d better make sure I dance my heart out to stay warm.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to spend much time in Tassie because I’ve got to fly out on Friday for my big show with 50 Cent in Sydney and then Melbourne.
“But don’t you worry Tasmania — I’ll be back for ya!”