Baker Boy: The Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land

There are so many incredible young Australian hip-hop artists in the music scene right now and Baker Boy is right at the top of the list. Baker Boy, also known as Danzal Baker, is a Yolŋu rapper, dancer and artist born in Darwin and from a community in north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.

Baker Boy first caught the attention of the nation when he won the Triple J Unearthed National Indigenous Music Awards competition in 2017. He released two singles, ‘Cloud 9’ and ‘Marryuna’, both of which featured in Triple J’s Hottest 100 that same year. (ABC News, 2017)

Baker Boy (ABC, 2021)

In 2019, Baker Boy was made Young Australian of the year. In the same year his song ‘Cool as Hell’ was nominated for several categories in the 2019 ARIA awards. He has also won several other times at the National Indigenous Music Awards, including this year, where he won Artist of the Year and Album of the Year. (Aria Awards, 2019)

Known as the Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land, Baker Boy studied at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts in Brisbane. He is known for incorporating both English and Yolŋu Matha into his songs. English is his third language and he has said that, although there were plenty of Aboriginal rappers in Australia, there were not any artists rapping in Indigenous languages. (ABC News, 2017)

“I don’t see or hear anyone that raps in language in Australia… I wanted to be the first Aboriginal rapper to rap in language, so I started writing,’’ he said, (ABC News, 2017).

(ABC,2021)

Baker Boy is passionate about inspiring the younger generations, and speaks often about the importance of kids living in remote communities to see and hear themselves represented in popular culture. He has travelled the Country working with young people and communities with the aim to direct them towards a positive future. (ABC News, 2017)

One of the key projects he has been working on is Indigenous Hip-Hop Projects, IHHP, which provides at-risk young people with opportunities to express themselves through musical form. Using music, Baker helps Indigenous kids navigate through both traditional and Western worlds. (ABC News, 2017)

“I’m trying to inspire young kids… I’m trying to get them back on track and try to jump in their culture,” he said, (ABC News, 2017).

Baker Boy’s music has an undeniable positive vibe and is a joy to listen to. He has had an incredible career so far and it will be exciting to see where he goes from here.