Supporting hip hop heavyweights 50 Cent, Dizzee Rascal and Big Boi, claiming two spots in Triple J’s Hottest 100 for 2017, and currently touring Australia for Groovin the Moo 2018, it’s hard to believe Danzal Baker aka Baker Boy, first started rapping less than 18 months ago. We caught up with the award-winning rapper who melds his native Australian language Yolgnu Matha and English together to spread messages about social change.

Born in Darwin, growing up in remote Northern Territory communities of Milingimbi and Maningrida, Danzal Baker was a world away from the media spotlight, stages and recording studios the rapper, dancer, actor and artist now frequents. The 20-year-old is one of the hottest Australian acts in 2018, off the back of the first two songs he’s ever written, Cloud 9 and Marryuna, placing Triple J’s Hottest 100 for 2017, and supporting big (big!) international hip hop acts like 50 Cent, Dizzee Rascal and Big Boi in February and March. His rise has been high and fast, particularly considering Baker only first tried his hand at rapping in late 2016.

“I grew up performing alongside family,” recalls Baker. “Before I became a rapper, I danced [Baker toured with Indigenous Hip Hop Projects (IHHP) for several years], and I still dance. I learned hip hop from my dad, which was amazing.”

It was his time with the IHHP crew, who introduced Baker to beatboxing and freestyling, that sparked his turn at rap. “One of the guys started rapping, and they tried to get me to do it but I was like ‘Nah, can’t do it because English isn’t my first language. Then I got an idea and went home to write a few bars.” The next time the crew asked Baker to rap, he went nuts, unleashing his unique mix of English and his native Yolgnu Matha. The crew loved it, and so did Danzal’s boss, one of the IHHP co-founders who was there and told Baker to get into the studio and start recording right away. That first rap was Baker’s debut Cloud 9.

“I thought it would be a little muck around, just put it on YouTube and see what happens; next thing I know it went viral. And I thought, might as well do something with it. I kept going, and I’m loving it!”

Soon after releasing Cloud 9, Baker won the Triple J Unearthed National Indigenous Music Awards prize. The moment Baker realised this could be a real career came in November 2017 when he performed at Live at the Steps in Melbourne. “That’s when I started seeing everyone enjoying my music, dancing, having fun. I thought, ‘wow, that’s so cool’.”

It’s his signature style of rap, English and native Australian language that has fast-tracked his success. It’s a combination that sounds so good, it’s makes you question why it hasn’t been done before. “I just wanted to give it a crack,” he recalls of his idea to blend the two languages for his first songwriting attempt, and it cracked open.

“I want the next generation to rise up for the community.”

“We’re the oldest living culture in the world. There are still a lot of native languages in Australia that people still speak.” English is actually Baker’s third language, and he credits his time at Shalom Christian College, a boarding school in Townsville that has since closed, with helping him bridge his two worlds – the remote community he calls home, and the wider world we live in.

“I pretty much got all of my English from there [boarding school], it was where I started getting comfortable around people, my confidence, that school got me where I am – it was the start of a journey, taking that big step out of the community. Hopefully when I get rich and famous I can get it happening again. It meant a lot for me.”

In the meantime, Baker is enjoying putting his new-found fame to use inspiring children in remote communities to be confident and take opportunities. “It’s a good feeling seeing kids look up to me. It means I’m doing what I want to do. I want the next generation to rise up for the community.”

His songs are filled with messages promoting social change, and his film clips are filled with shots of our beautiful country. It’s no wonder he’s been nicknamed the ‘fresh new prince of Arnhem Land’.

“There are a lot of beautiful places in Australia, yet some people will go overseas to see a beautiful place when they could just go to The Kimberley, Uluru, the rainforest in Queensland, floodplains in Arnhem Land, Great Ocean Road in Victoria, so many places.

“My dad’s always calling me and saying ‘I’m really proud of you, keep making music and show them that Arnhem land is a beautiful place.’”

Baker Boy will perform at Groovin the Moo, including in Townsville on Sunday 6 May. 

Visit gtm.net.au for the full line up.