January 25th 2019 turned out to be quite a day for Danzal Baker aka Baker Boy. Since ‘Cloud 9’, the Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land has played over 70 gigs and collected 23 key awards. His feet don’t look like touching the ground anytime soon with the release of his first track for Island Records Australia/ Universal Music titled ‘Cool As Hell’. The date coincides with the announcement of Young Australian of the Year 2019 for which Danzal Baker has been nominated.
‘Cool As Hell’ was written by Baker Boy, along with Hip Hop greats Thundamentals and writer/producer Carl Dimataga; and is a fresh new style. With hooks galore, sprinklings of disco and a dancefloor bass-line, ’Cool As Hell’ proves “fun” is infectious. Working with Thundamentals pushed Baker Boy to build on his arsenal and embrace his singing nature. He rose to the challenge with ‘Cool As Hell’ where we get to witness another side of this brothaboy who has the innate ability to keep the element of fun and positive vibes burning bright.
Baker Boy knew he had to bring his hallmark positivity packed message and Thundamentals imagined a song Baker Boy and his crew dancing to. It didn’t need to be clever, it didn’t need to pull on the heart-strings, it just needed to be fun.
“I just came up with a loose concept of celebrating the way that music makes us all feel good”, says Baker Boy.
“Everyone latched on to the concept from the first few notes of the bassline and the song morphed really quickly and seamlessly from there,” says Carl, “basically we all had fun making this, and I think that’s come through in the finished song.”
They continue to write more songs for a forthcoming album in August.
Is it wrong that it’s like the hottest day ever outside and I’ve got my room blacked out with the blinds down, the aircon is doing everything in its power to help but struggling to survive and I’m playing video games rather than going to the beach and doing what most people would ? What you think? #OnlyOnSwitch #spon
Lifestyle, Kerser’s 8th album release in as many years is set for release on March 8th . The Campbelltown-bred emcee hit the studio and worked alongside acclaimed Sydney producer Open Till L8. The pair put their heads together to craft all of the beats and Kerser describes this process as returning to his roots – the last time he worked in this way was on album number 4, King.
On working alongside Open Till L8 to create the 15 tracks that would become Lifestyle, Kerser enthuses, “We were both in the studio at once and we were vibin’. Straight away we were on the same page.”
Kerser was in search of “a real modern sound” for ‘Lifestyle’ and found exactly what he was looking for in Open Till L8’s beats. “Staying relevant with the times, that’s always been a mission, ’cause this is album 8 in 8 years so I gotta make sure the albums don’t sound too repetitive,”The lead singleDa Kers Effectexemplifies thiswith its minimal intro of distorted vocal phrases making way for thunderous, vibrating bass. “I just wanna hear it through a massive venue system,” Kerser confesses. “Hopefully the whole venue shakes!”
Kerser fans will already have digested Exceptional, an album teaser/promo track from Lifestyle that dropped last month. A haunting, melodic intro is interrupted by a siren before Kerser announces, “I’m about to bring that real shit back/Shit’s turned into a fashion show“.
And of course it wouldn’t be an ABK Records release without a feature from one of Kerser’s label mates: Jay UF trades verses on What Ya Day Brings Part 2, a playful continuation of their previous collab track What Ya Day Brings.
Renewed vigour permeates all the way through album number 8 and Kerser admits, “When my voice came back it really inspired me to get back into the studio – once the tour was finished – and do as much recording as I can.“
At the beginning of 2018, just 2 weeks before he was due to head out on tour off the back of his 7th album, the ARIA-nominated Engraved In The Game, Kerser lost his voice. What was initially believed to be laryngitis was later diagnosed as a paralysed vocal cord. Tour dates were pushed back and Kerser was booked in for surgery. “They weren’t 100% on whether my voice would come back so I was full freakin’, thinkin’ I’d never be able to talk again,” Kerser recalls. “It was like, ‘Give me a broken arm or a broken leg, but don’t take my vocal cord!”
In 2017 the Ghosts In The Room-produced standalone single Total Concentration, featuring Kerser alongside Future and Young Buck – was released on Kerser’s own ABK Records via ADA/Warner Music Australia and it certainly helped place the Sydney emcee on the world stage. A YouTube mixtape that opened with Total Concentration attracted 3 million views and Kerser chuckles, “I think a lot of Americans would’ve been like, ‘Well who’s the Aussie rappin’ on it?‘”
See below for Kerser’s AUS tour dates. Tickets can be purchased HERE
FRIDAY 12 APRIL – PRINCE BANDROOM, VIC (18+)
SATURDAY 13 APRIL – PRINCE BANDROOM, VIC (U18)
SATURDAY 27 APRIL – THE METRO THEATRE, NSW (AA)
FRIDAY 3 MAY – HQ COMPLEX, SA (AA)
SATURDAY 11 MAY – CAPITOL, WA (18+)
SATURDAY 18 MAY – MODE BAR & NIGHTCLUB, LAUNCESTEN, TAS (18+)
FRIDAY 24 MAY – EATONS HILL HOTEL, BRISBANE, QLD (AA)
FRIDAY 31 MAY – THE JACK, QLD (18+)
✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾 Patrick Mills pre game repping the [-o-] If we believe in our young ones – they will be great! 👑 #AustraliaHasABlackFuture 🎵 Nooky 👕 Nooky (https://bit.ly/2uv2fk0)
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