Building his self-styled "G-Folk" (guv’nor folk) style on grounded storytelling and acoustic sonics, singer/songwriter Hak Baker delivered poignant narratives of life in East London, debuting in full with his 2019 album Babylon.

The East End talent spent his childhood in London’s Isle of Dogs -- an area that formed the eventual setting for his assured and vivid brand of storytelling. Though taking varied influences from ska, reggae, and punk, the young Baker began his musical journey in grime, joining local collective B.O.M.B. Squad at the age of just 14. Finding new direction amidst his turbulent late teens, Baker eventually pivoted toward the guitar, teaching himself how to play and landing himself a space on training scheme Levi’s Music Project in the process. A debut single appeared -- the drifting “7AM” -- before 2017 debut EP Misfits established him as ‘one to watch’ on the U.K. music circuit. His music reflected not only nostalgia and the changing landscape of his home, but the vital stories of the everyday; the six-track project built a modern mythology around the East End, painting candid stories of the city against a backdrop of emotive, earthy guitars. After issuing the stripped-back Misfits (Unplugged) EP in 2018, Baker moved through the latter half of the decade with a run of singles before issuing debut album Babylon in October 2019. A cohesive first LP from the vocalist, Babylon expanded his sound substantially, reminiscing over the young and wild, rallying against his city’s authoritarianism, and addressing disguised internal struggles. The early 2020s saw Baker collaborate with U.K. rap royalty the Streets for “Falling Down” before issuing a second EP, Misled, in October 2021. The rollout for a second album began with a four-pack of singles, including the poignant “Windrush Baby," before he issued Worlds End FM in June 2023. Framed around a fictional radio station, Baker’s second set expanded his sound further, combining a sharper electric sound and new song structures with a more critical and direct pen. ~ David Crone