Hak Baker’s debut album World’s.

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Hak Baker, the singer-songwriter hailing from East London, is taking listeners back to the area of his childhood with his debut album, World’s End FM. He laments the effects of gentrification on the area, saying that the old guard is being priced out and a sense of belonging is becoming increasingly hard to find. Born to Jamaican and Grenadian parents, Baker was raised on the Isle of Dogs, where he discovered grime in his teen years. He went on to rap in Bomb Squad, a rap collective where he felt a sense of safety in brotherhood. However, in his mid-twenties, Baker was sentenced to two years in jail for robbery. This experience gave him time to think and re-assess what he wanted for himself. He learned to play the guitar and coined his own genre, G-Folk, through which he tells stories in his cockney accent. Baker hopes that his music will connect him with his community and provide a space for people to open up and share their stories.

World’s End FM covers a range of topics. Baker talks about gentrification and its effects, as well as the heartache of cultural displacement. He also touches on colonialism, surveillance and depression. Despite dealing with these heavy topics, the album is vibrant and full of contradictions. Baker wants people to continue living life joyously, even amid the chaos. He is proud of the hard work that he and his generation put in and believes that they will make a better world.

Baker has been connecting with socially conscious musicians like Pete Doherty and Jamie T. He recently supported Doherty at the Royal Albert Hall and will be performing at Jamie T’s Finsbury Park all-dayer in June. Baker hopes that his emphasis on community will help young men open up and share their experiences. He recognizes the difficulty that men face in keeping calm amid trauma and encourages them to seek out a space to express their emotions.

Hak Baker’s World’s End FM is set to release on June 9th on Hak Attack Records (AWAL Recordings). He will be touring the UK from September, beginning at St Luke’s in Glasgow. Baker’s infectious and honest cockney sound is sure to connect with listeners and encourage conversations about tough topics.