Baka Not Nice | |
---|---|
Birth name | Travis Savoury |
Born | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | March 6, 1979
Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Genres | |
Occupations |
|
Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 2013–present |
Labels | |
Website | bakanotnice |
Travis Savoury (born March 6, 1979), known professionally as Baka Not Nice, is a Canadian rapper and former security guard. He signed with Drake's record label OVO Sound, an imprint of Warner Records in 2017.
Baka's career began as part of Drake's security team. He went on to contribute background vocals while working on his own solo music. [1]
He can be heard at the end of "From Time" from Drake's 2013 album Nothing Was the Same . He also provided the outro to Drake's "Free Smoke" and backing vocals on "Gyalchester", both from the 2017 album More Life. [2]
On June 27, 2017, he signed to Drake's record label OVO Sound and Warner Records, signing the contract in front of a crowd. Three days later, he released his first single "Live Up to My Name", co-written by Drake. [3] "Live Up to My Name" peaked at number 77 on the Canadian Hot 100.
In 2014, Baka was arrested and charged with forcing a 22-year-old woman into prostitution and taking her money. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman and an unrelated weapons charge. He was sentenced to six months, but since he had already spent ten months in custody, he was not required to serve any additional time. [4]
The woman refused to testify which led to the charges for procuring prostitution and human trafficking to be dropped. She was working as an escort and had an on-and-off relationship with Baka. She moved from Toronto by the time the trial was underway. [4]
Baka has prior convictions for armed robbery, assault, discharging a firearm while committing a robbery, and possession for the purpose of trafficking. [5] [4] Upon his release, Drake said: "When [he] got out of jail there was a lot of different paths he could've took and he decided to focus on music." [1]
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|
CAN [7] | ||||
"Live Up to My Name" | 2017 | 77 | 4Milli | |
"Money in the Bank" | — | non-album singles | ||
"I Am Who I Am" | — | |||
"UP" [10] | 2019 | — |
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"From Time" (featuring Jhené Aiko) | 2013 | Drake | Nothing Was the Same |
"Free Smoke" [11] | 2017 | More Life | |
"Gyalchester" [11] | |||
"Talk Up" (featuring Jay-Z) | 2018 | Scorpion |
Film and television | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2019 | Remember Me, Toronto | Himself | Short film by Mustafa the Poet |
Aubrey Drake Graham, known mononymously as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, and actor. An influential figure in popular music, he has been credited with popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip hop artists. Gaining recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2008), Drake began his recording career in 2006 with the release of his debut mixtape, Room for Improvement (2006). He followed up with the mixtapes Comeback Season (2007) and So Far Gone (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment.
Andrae Hugh Sutherland, known professionally as Popcaan, is a Jamaican deejay.
OVO Sound is a Canadian independent record label, founded in 2012 by rapper Drake, producer 40, and manager Oliver El-Khatib. The label operated as an imprint of Warner Records from its formation until 2022.
Nothing Was the Same is the third studio album by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on September 24, 2013, through OVO Sound, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Republic Records. Work on the record began in 2012 and continued through 2013. As an executive producer, Drake enlisted collaborators such as 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Majid Jordan, Jay-Z, Jhené Aiko and Sampha for guest appearances on the album. The album's production was primarily handled by 40 and other OVO Sound producers; including Boi-1da, Mike Zombie, Nineteen85 and Detail.
Jahron Anthony Brathwaite, known professionally as PARTYNEXTDOOR, is a Canadian R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the first artist to sign with Drake's record label OVO Sound, an imprint of Warner Records in 2013. PartyNextDoor released his debut self-titled extended play in July that year to positive critical reception.
Majid Jordan is a Canadian-Bahraini R&B duo, consisting of singer Majid Al Maskati and producer Jordan Ullman from Toronto, Ontario. They formed in 2011 and signed to OVO Sound, the record label co-founded by rapper Drake, producer Noah "40" Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib, releasing their debut EP, A Place Like This, in 2014.
"Wu-Tang Forever" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his third studio album Nothing Was the Same (2013). The song was released as the album's first promotional single on September 12, 2013. "Wu-Tang Forever" features a significant sample of "It's Yourz" by the Wu-Tang Clan. The song was produced by frequent collaborator Noah "40" Shebib. The song has since peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"From Time" is a song recorded by Canadian recording artist Drake for his third studio album, Nothing Was the Same (2013). The song was written by Drake and its producers Chilly Gonzales and Noah "40" Shebib, while American singer-songwriter Jhené Aiko provided additional vocals and writing. "From Time" is the second collaboration between Drake and Aiko, during which she wrote to the music Drake provided for her.
Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson, known professionally as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian singer and rapper. First discovered by Sean Kingston, he received initial recognition for his mixtape Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story, released in August 2013. In 2015, Lanez signed with record producer Benny Blanco's Mad Love Records, an imprint of Interscope Records.
Willie Junior Maxwell II, better known by his stage name Fetty Wap, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He quickly rose to mainstream prominence after his 2014 song "Trap Queen" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and led him to sign with 300 Entertainment, an imprint of Atlantic Records. Two of his 2015 singles, "679" and "My Way", peaked within the top ten of the chart; all three—as well as the top 40 single "Again"—preceded his eponymous debut studio album (2015), which peaked atop the Billboard 200. During this time, he became distinctive for his melodic blending of singing and rapping, lighthearted lyrics, "bouncy" production, and exclamation of various catchphrases such as "1738!"
Denzel Spencer, better known by his stage name Roy Woods, is a Canadian singer, rapper, and songwriter. He signed with Drake's record label OVO Sound, an imprint of Warner Records in 2014. His first two albums, Waking at Dawn (2016) and Say Less (2017), both moderately entered the Canadian Albums Chart and US Billboard 200. Woods has also founded his own collective, Unlock the Underground.
Jahkoy Palmer is a Canadian R&B singer and rapper. He has released several projects, including the mixtape Forward Thinking, and the singles "Still in Love", "Hold Your Hand", and "Odd Future". His most recent single, "Odd Future," premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show in January 2016 and was played by Drake on OVO Sound Radio.
Sean Seaton, known professionally as Neenyo, is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. He is known for his works with Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR as well as various artists including Future, Mr. Probz, blackbear, Jadakiss and Lloyd Banks.
"Free Smoke" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his album, More Life (2017). The song was released on April 18, 2017, as the third single from More Life after "Passionfruit". The song features additional background vocals by Baka Not Nice, who is one of two credited musicians on More Life. The song was perceived by the media as a diss track to Meek Mill, as well as other rappers he could be feuding with. It reached the top 20 in Canada and the United States.
"Gyalchester" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his mixtape, More Life (2017). The ninth track on the playlist, the song was written by Aubrey Graham, István Megyimorecz, Rico Brooks, and produced by iBeatz. The song features additional background vocals by Baka Not Nice, who is one of two credited musicians on More Life. The term is a portmanteau of the patois-spoken word for girl ("gyal") merged with the name of the Jamaican parish Manchester.
Michael Martin Kaminski, known professionally as Plaza, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is best known for his singles "Personal", "All Mine", and "Use Me". From 2017 to 2021 he was signed to OVO Sound, the record label co-founded by rapper Drake, producer Noah "40" Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib.
Mustafa Ahmed, known as Mustafa, formerly known as Mustafa the Poet, is a Sudanese-Canadian poet, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker from Toronto. He released his debut studio album, When Smoke Rises, in May 2021.
Jahvante Jahqwane Sheldon Smart, known professionally as Smoke Dawg, was a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. He was a part of hip hop collective Halal Gang alongside Mustafa the Poet, Puffy L'z, Safe, and Mo-G who come together with the Prime Boys to make the supergroup Full Circle. His debut and only studio album Struggle Before Glory was released posthumously in 2018.
Lorenzo Lee-Jae Wright, better known by his stage name Big Lean, is a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. Lean began making music in 2008, two years after his friend and rapper Blits was shot dead as he felt that he should carry on his friends legacy. He gained attention in 2011 being featured on the single "Reality" by DJ Charlie Brown released alongside other Toronto artists P. Reign, Belly and Jahvon. He is independently signed to the label Da Degrees.
"Over the Top" is a song by Canadian rapper Smiley, featuring fellow Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on July 23, 2021, by OVO Sound and Warner Records and later appeared on Smiley's album Buy Or Bye 2. The duo had previously collaborated on Smiley's 2019 track "Organization" with Canadian rapper Booggz.