- It’s been a long-awaited release, but Yolngu rapper, dancer, and artist Danzal Baker, better known as Baker Boy, has finally dropped his debut album. Since January of 2019, the former Young Australian of the Year has been piecing together Gela with consistently catchy and addictive pop tunes written in both English and Yolngu Matha, leading to anticipation for the album’s release to grow steadily over the last few years. With immense pride for his Indigenous heritage and infectious dance beats at the forefront of all of his music, Gela is a masterfully told reflection of Baker Boy’s identity and inspirations.
Six of the fourteen tracks on the album have already been released as singles, the first of which, Cool as Hell, was released way back in January of 2019. The full album still manages to be a refreshing listen, despite almost half of the songs already having been available for the past few months or even years.
Featured artists are a major part of the album, with eight tracks being collaborative, nine if you include the short introductory track Announcing the Journey, performed by Glen Gurruwiwi. Other artists include fellow Yolngu rapper Yirrmal, up-and-coming Fillipino-Australian Lara Andallo, indie-pop icon G Flip, and so many others, all with immensely diverse backgrounds. Baker Boy doesn’t seem to shy away from featuring friends and even family on tracks, and this diversity only strengthens an already solid body of work, as well as reinforcing the idea that Gela is created from love and connection to identity.
My Mind, the fifth leading single with the aforementioned G Flip feature, is a vibrant electro-funk track and a musical match made in heaven. I’ve heard this pairing described as surprising, but the two have a lot in common- both artists have an infectiously positive energy, and a strong voice in their respective communities (G Flip being an outspoken and proud non-binary person). The track, as well as the video that accompanies it, is colourful, upbeat and warm.
Survive is one of the more interesting tracks both conceptually and musically, its intense layered vocals in the chorus repeating “We just survive, we just survive/ I don’t know how we continue to thrive.” Intense synths punctuate the verses and explode into a wall of noise when the chorus hits, all above a sparingly used didgeridoo drone. Elder, actor, musician and artist Uncle Jack Charles features in the final verse, delivering a stunningly forceful spoken word passage.
Since his breakthrough into the scene in 2017, Baker Boy has been stating his intentions for a full-length album. Four years later, Gela's here and well worth the wait. From the artist features, use of Yolngu Matha, and extremely well-crafted and personal story-telling, this is not just a work born of musical talent but one of love and pride.
- Alison Paris.