Baka Not Nice’s entry into the music industry is unlike any other. The OVO Sound signee’s path wasn’t always that of a music creator. In fact, Baka’s first taste of the music industry was as his mentor’s Drake‘s bodyguard, and since then, the Toronto artist’s background vocals have been heard in multiple Champagne Papi records such as “Free Smoke” and “Gyalchester.” Thankfully for fans who have connected with Baka through those songs, the 40-year-old artist began releasing his own music, and he did not disappoint.
After signing with OVO sound on July 27, 2017, just three days later, he released his hit single “Live Up to My Name.” The song saw success around the world, peaking at number 77 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. Later on, Baka followed up with two EP’s. He released 4Milli in 2018, which spawned a certified-Platinum status in Canada and a certified-Gold in the U.S.
Most recently, Baka dropped his three-track project, no long talk. He gave VIBE a personal interview, in which he discussed the EP and his journey thus far in music.
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VIBE: I know you’re currently on Drake’s Assassination Vacation Tour, but you still managed to drop your latest project, and I wanted to know how was that for you, balancing being on tour with him and also dropping ‘no long talk’?
BAKA NOT NICE: Actually, that project was done before tour. It was actually supposed to be released before we went on tour. However, due to attempting to get certain things like legalities, lawyers and stuff, it took a while to get certain things cleared and what not. But yeah, it was done before the tour. It just happened that it dropped while we were on tour.
And what was the creative process like making ‘no long talk’? What was it like collaborating with Juicy J and Giggs?
Aw man, two legends you know? One from the UK and one from America. I feel like I was looking for a balance, so I think it worked out great. The vibe I was in was a laid-back vibe.
I actually had another project that I was working on, I was promoting it, it’s called Prada. But after all that crazy stuff happened with all the designers in America, and there was a lot of heat… I just didn’t want to have to answer any questions during it. So I just put [Prada] to the side for a bit, but then I had to put some music out, some content out. So then, I just decided to work on no long talk and that’s how that came up.
Why just three tracks for ‘No Long Talk’?
Because I plan on releasing — I don’t know if it could be a mixtape or an EP — but I plan on releasing this project in the spring or early summer. So I was just like, “Yo, I don’t want to not drop anything until then.” That’s a long time to not have any music out there, so I decided to make a little project with two collabs.
Is that the reason why you named it ‘No Long Talk,’ because it is a shorter project?
Yeah because, I didn’t scrap Prada, it just wasn’t the right time to put that out there. Like I said, I didn’t want to leave my fans with nothing until like mid-spring or even early summer, so three songs I felt was good enough to hold them over until then.
Now, speaking about your experience on tour, how has it been so far being on tour with Drake? How receptive have the fans been to you?
Aw man, it’s been crazy and only because, you know, I would say about a year-and-a-half ago or two years ago, my personal friends would tell me, “Baka, things are different for you, you know you got fans.” And I would always shrug it off like, “I don’t go no fans. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But now, being on tour and being on stage, I interact with the crowd and the people that are there. I want to know what’s going on, what they’re feeling, you know? So, I’m looking at everybody and what’s amazing is they’re rapping the lyrics to my song. So, then it comes back full circle like, “I really do have fans out here man.” I’m just humble about it because it’s new to me.
That must be a great feeling.
It’s an amazing feeling, man. The project just dropped, but they’re singing those songs too, so it’s like ‘wow.’ Pretty amazing, it’s a pretty amazing feeling.
So, you’re from Toronto and how do you feel that you influenced Toronto’s rap scene? How do you feel it has influenced your music?
I feel that they both go hand in hand. Of course, I feel like I influenced the rap game. The only reason why I’m saying that is because I feel like I’m giving young guys from where I come from, or dudes or females or whatever, that feel like they have [an] art. I feel like they see me, and my past and where I came from, and to see where I am now, I feel like they feel like they can do it too. That they have so much opportunity. It’s not just music– it can be anything.
Are there other ways that you feel like you have influenced or are influencing aside from music?
Yeah, because there’s the whole street side to it, too. Where I come from they know what I’ve been through. It just shows that when you put your mind to something and you say, “Okay listen, I wanna go a different route. I wanna try to do something positive and help my family” and stuff like that. I think it shows younger guys that are coming up like, “Yo, listen, all this fake stuff that’s out here ruining our lives, let’s take a different route.” The guys that are like, “I gotta be on the block, I gotta do this.” You gotta get alternate paths, you can’t just be like that’s our only way out.
Because there are multiple ways out from where you’re from.
There’s multiple. We gotta stop using that excuse, I’m tired of that sh*t for real.
You’re signed to OVO Sound, and your signed to the label with PartyNextDoor and Majid Jordan, and a bunch of others. Have you ever worked with them? Do you work closely with them? What’s that like?
Well, to be honest with you, they’re my label mates, but they’re my brothers first. Each one of us has our own different relationships. I’m definitely going to be working with my brothers. It’s crazy that you bring that up because before I came out on tour, Roy [Woods] sent my assistant a few songs that he wanted me to get on. But I just didn’t have the time because I was preparing for the tour. I went to them and I was like, “You guys need to make a beat, let’s rock out.” Things are going to be in the works, everything’s just timing, you know?
How did you feel when you found out your mixtape ‘4Milli’ was certified platinum in Canada and certified gold in the U.S.? What was that feeling of hearing that news?
My whole motto is “no long talk,” so I don’t really have that many words for it. But I was just really shocked because, like I said, my story will be a movie one day. It’s like… it’s one of those ones where you think it’s all over, you think you gotta hang it up and throw it out, and then bam… a light comes. A light at the end of the tunnel, and then you take off.
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You said that you have music coming eventually, and that Prada is coming later. What more can fans expect from you in the future? What do you hope to bring to the table?
I hope to bring some classic music. Obviously, I want to work with my mentor Drake, obviously that’s going to happen. There’s other artists I want to work with too, I want to try different stuff.
I’m just into music. My whole thing is: I just love music. Even though I didn’t know I could create it until recently, I’ve always loved music because music is a part of my life. My father’s a musician, he played the guitar for over 15 years. Music was always played in the house, you know how it goes. They always played the greatest, like Motown. I was surrounded, and then coming out of prison meeting with Drake, I was surrounded by it even more.
Coming out of prison, did that change your mindset completely?
It had to, because prison for young black men is a revolving door. It’s so easy to go back once you get out. The restrictions that they put on you, they set you up for failure. You gotta somehow break free of that. You gotta be like, “Nah enough is enough.”
And you succeeded at that. Now you’re doing music and you know that, [prison] is not something you want to go back to, ever.
Yeah, I don’t even think about that anymore. I thank God everyday that he opened my eyes. Now, I realize that there’s another way. My message has to be now, “Don’t give your life up, go, f**k the clout. F**k clout.”
