Baker Boy
★★★★
Baker Boy bringing a breath of fresh air to the hip-hop genre.
Lansdowne Hotel, June 9 (2pm show)
Reviewed by Paul Smith
An afternoon show can be a tough gig but if they are all as thrilling as this one, bring them on.
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After support act and close friend of the headliner Dallas Woods warmed up the room with passion, honesty and a whole lot of heart, in his own mission to bring back old-school hip-hop, Danzal Baker, aka Baker Boy, quickly got it fully pumped.
Bursting into powerful opener Black Magic, he channelled the music through every inch of his being; the impact was akin to being thrown into a spin dryer.
Mr La Di Da Di, complete with a mesmerising synchronised dance, turned the already jumping crowd into a tidal wave. Sweat Limit saw Baker work up a fair bit of aggression but, as with everything he does, it was full of positivity – which is exactly how the appropriately dubbed "Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land" is bringing a breath of fresh air to the genre.
Hip-hop may have had a bad rap of late but this was something different: as if urban grit was replaced with outback dust, and with a real sense of brightness in the performance.
The harder edges to Baker's music were constantly softened by his personality and good intentions. The soul of it was amplified through his switching between English and Yolngu Matha, the Indigenous language of his Milingimbi community.
Baker also demonstrated his dance skills with his onstage crew, more often through breakdance moves but also at one point with a traditional, beautiful contemporary dance.
His remix of Yothu Yindi's Treaty may have given the song renewed directness but as Indigenous anthems go, his own, closing Marryuna looks set to top it. The Triple J favourite (No 17 in the most recent Hottest 100) is destined to become a classic in its own right, Baker showing perfect control of its ebb and flow, further enhancing the song with his didgeridoo playing.
It is hard to believe that this is his first headline tour and he is yet to release his debut album. On the basis of this show, the guy is going to be huge.
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