Hak Baker (born 1991) is a British singer and rapper from London.
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]
Baker performed musical collaborations with the Streets. [5] In 2022, he performed at Glastonbury festival.
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]
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]
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]
Dylan Kwabena Mills, known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is a Nigerian-Ghanaian-British rapper and MC. He is often credited as a pioneer of British hip hop and grime music and was ranked by Complex as one of the greatest British rappers of all time. His work has also incorporated elements of UK garage, bassline and R&B.
UK rap, also known as British hip hop or UK hip hop, is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of R&B/Hip-Hop. British hip hop can also be referred to as Brit-hop, a term coined and popularised mainly by British Vogue magazine and the BBC. British hip hop was originally influenced by the dub/toasting introduced to the United Kingdom by Jamaican migrants in the 1950s–70s, who eventually developed uniquely influenced rapping in order to match the rhythm of the ever-increasing pace and aggression of Jamaican-influenced dub in the UK. Toasting and soundsystem cultures were also influential in genres outside of hip hop that still included rapping – such as grime, jungle, and UK garage.
Richard Kylea Cowie Jr., better known by his stage name Wiley, is a British grime MC, rapper, songwriter, DJ and record producer from Bow, London.
Leslie McGregor "Leee" John is an English musician, singer and actor of St Lucian descent. He rose to fame as the lead singer of the soul band Imagination, which had three UK top 10 hits in the early 1980s. He is known for his falsetto voice and his flamboyant sense of fashion and outfits.
Justin Jude Clarke-Samuels, better known by his stage name Ghetts, is a British grime MC, rapper, songwriter and actor. His music has been played on national radio stations such as BBC Radio 1, Kiss 100, BBC Asian Network, and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Currently, Ghetts is signed to independent record label Disrupt, and released his debut studio album, Rebel with a Cause, on 9 March 2014. Known for his hard hitting lyrics and intricate rhyme schemes, he is associated and has toured internationally with such acts as Kano and was a member of NASTY Crew.
Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr., known professionally as Skepta, is a British grime MC, rapper, record producer and DJ. Alongside his younger brother Jme, he briefly joined Roll Deep before they became founding members of Boy Better Know in 2005. With Boy Better Know, Skepta clashed with fellow MC Devilman for the video release Lord of the Mics 2, in what is remembered as one of the biggest clashes in grime history.
Colson Baker, known professionally as MGK, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is noted for his genre duality across alternative rock with hip hop.
Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr., known professionally as Stormzy, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter. In 2014, he gained attention on the UK underground music scene through his Wicked Skengman series of freestyles over classic grime beats. Stormzy's song "Shut Up", which was initially released as a freestyle on YouTube, became popular and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart after he launched a campaign to reach Christmas number one.
Ché Wolton Grant, known professionally as AJ Tracey, is an independent British rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is from Ladbroke Grove, West London. Tracey rose to popularity in 2016 and was listed by The Guardian in a list of "best new acts to catch at festivals in 2016".
David Orobosa Michael Omoregie, known professionally as Dave or Santan Dave, is a British rapper and actor. He is known for his socially conscious lyricism and wordplay.
Stephanie Victoria Allen, better known by her stage name Stefflon Don, is a Jamaican rapper and singer. She rose to fame after her 2017 single "Hurtin' Me" peaked at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2016, Allen released her debut mixtape Real Ting followed by another mixtape, Secure, in 2018.
Kenneth Charles Blume III, known professionally as Kenny Beats, is an American record producer, DJ, audio engineer, and songwriter.
Gaika Tavares, better known simply as Gaika, is a British singer, songwriter and rapper from South London. His debut album, Basic Volume, was released in July 2018 by Warp Records, who describe the sound as "gothic dancehall and industrial electronics".
Errol Kojo Bellot, known professionally as Kojo Funds, is a British singer, rapper and songwriter. His music blends West African and Caribbean sounds with road rap, dancehall and pop. He is of Ghanaian descent.
Octavian Oliver Lanoire, known mononymously as Octavian, is a French-British rapper, singer, and songwriter from London. In 2019 he won the BBC's Sound of Award, their top award for new artists. He has appeared on tracks produced by Diplo, Mura Masa, Take a Daytrip, JRick and A2. He has collaborated with Skepta, A$AP Ferg, Gorillaz, and many others.
Tyron Kaymone Frampton , better known by his stage name Slowthai, is a British rapper. Raised in Northampton, he rose to popularity in 2019 for his gritty and rough instrumentals and raw, politically charged lyrics, especially around Brexit and Theresa May's tenure as British prime minister. Slowthai placed fourth in the BBC Sound of 2019 and followed up in the same year with his debut studio album, Nothing Great About Britain. The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize; at Slowthai's 2019 Mercury Prize ceremony performance, he held a fake severed head of British prime minister Boris Johnson on stage, prompting controversy. Ensuing years saw the releases of his second and third studio albums, Tyron (2021) and Ugly (2023).
Sarah Faith Griffiths, known professionally as Griff, is an English singer-songwriter. In 2019, she released her debut single, "Mirror Talk", through Warner Records. This was followed by her debut extended play of the same name, released later that year. Griff was named the Rising Star at the 2021 Brit Awards, becoming one of the youngest winners in the category at 20. Later that year, she released her debut mixtape, One Foot in Front of the Other, to commercial success and critical acclaim. On 12 July 2024, Griff released her debut studio album, Vertigo.
Oakley Neil Caesar-Su, known professionally as Central Cee, is a British rapper from Shepherd's Bush, London. He rose to prominence in 2020 with the release of the singles "Day in the Life" and "Loading". His first mixtape Wild West was released on 12 March 2021, which debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart. His second mixtape 23 was released on 25 February 2022 and debuted atop the UK Albums Chart.
Zack Nimrod D. Tabudlo is a Filipino singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Tabudlo has collaborated with fellow artists like Sharlene San Pedro, Moira Dela Torre, James Reid, Violette Wautier, and Al James. He was first seen as a contestant on the first season of The Voice Kids under Bamboo Mañalac's mentorship, where he was eliminated in the competition's second round. He later began his musical career in 2018 before he rose to fame in 2020 when he joined MCA Music through sub-label Island Records Philippines.
Ashley Afamefuna Nwachukwu, better known by his stage name Knucks, is a British rapper and record producer.