Baka Not Nice Explained

Baka Not Nice
Birth Name:Travis Savoury
Birth Date:6 March 1979
Birth Place:Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Origin:Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Instrument:Vocals
Years Active:2013–present

Travis Savoury (born March 6, 1979), known professionally as Baka Not Nice, is a Canadian rapper and former security guard. He signed with Drake's record label OVO Sound, an imprint of Warner Records in 2017.

Career

Baka's career began as part of Drake's security team. He went on to contribute background vocals while working on his own solo music.[1]

He can be heard at the end of "From Time" from Drake's 2013 album Nothing Was the Same. He also provided the outro to Drake's "Free Smoke" and backing vocals on "Gyalchester", both from the 2017 album More Life.[2]

On June 27, 2017, he signed to Drake's record label OVO Sound and Warner Records, signing the contract in front of a crowd. Three days later, he released his first single "Live Up to My Name", co-written by Drake. "Live Up to My Name" peaked at number 77 on the Canadian Hot 100.

Criminal history

In 2014, Baka was arrested and charged with forcing a 22-year-old woman into prostitution and taking her money. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman and an unrelated weapons charge. He was sentenced to six months, but since he had already done 10 months in custody, he was not required to serve any additional time.[3]

The woman refused to testify which led to the charges for procuring prostitution and human trafficking to be dropped. She was working as an escort and had an on-and-off relationship with Baka. She moved from Toronto by the time the trial was underway.

Baka has priors for armed robbery, assault, discharging a firearm while committing a robbery, and possession for the purpose of trafficking.[4] Upon his release, Drake said: "When [he] got out of jail there was a lot of different paths he could've took and he decided to focus on music."[1]

Discography

EPs

Singles

TitleYearPeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum
CAN
[6]
"Live Up to My Name"201777 4Milli
"Money in the Bank"non-album singles
"I Am Who I Am"
"UP"2019

Guest appearances

Title! scope="col"
YearOther artist(s)Album
"From Time"
(featuring Jhené Aiko)
2013DrakeNothing Was the Same
"Free Smoke"[9] 2017More Life
"Gyalchester"
"Talk Up"
(featuring Jay-Z)
2018Scorpion

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Longtime Drake Affiliate Baka Not Nice Signs To OVO. Genius. June 28, 2017 . en. 2017-09-15.
  2. News: Drake Signs Baka to OVO Sound. Rap-Up. 2017-09-15. en-US.
  3. News: Drake entourage member guilty of assaulting woman. Toronto Sun. 2017-09-15. en.
  4. News: Deported man faces firearms charges. Powell. Betsy. October 30, 2007. The Toronto Star. 2018-02-14. en-CA. 0319-0781.
  5. Canadian Albums: August 18, 2018. Billboard. August 14, 2018.
  6. Web site: Billboard Canadian Hot 100 Chart. Billboard.com.
  7. United States. Baka Not Nice. March 25, 2024.
  8. Canada. Baka Not Nice. March 25, 2024.
  9. News: Here Are The Full Credits For More Life. The FADER. 2017-09-15. en.