Hak Baker has a storied musical history despite being only 26 years old. He initially found success at the age of 14 as a member of the grime collective B.O.M.B. Squad, but his music career was halted when he was sent to prison. Upon release, the singer-songwriter picked up a guitar and began penning stripped-back soulful ballads laced with folk elements. Last year, Baker took part in the Levi’s Music Project curated by Skepta, earning the chance to perform alongside the grime legend.
Today, the London-based artist releases his debut visual, “7AM.” Baker is seen in the video at a party with friends, strumming his guitar as one of his guests enters a dreamlike state via the bathtub, taking us on a journey to a metropolis of sea, sand, and existential crisis.
"When I wrote '7AM' I didn't even realise it, that's the only way I write songs,” Baker told The FADER over email. “They are spoken reenactments of my own experiences mixed with others who shared them with me. This is the era of the misfitted people. The video is an expression of how the now have fun only to eventually, inevitably deal with their own issues and insecurities on their own; in their own world using their methods. We are all escapists at the end of the day”. Watch the video exclusively above.
Thumbnail image by David Stuart