Baker Boy has returned with his first single of the year, a collaboration with his cousin Yirrmal titled ‘Ride’ that follows up the pair’s 2017 collab ‘Marryuna’.
Written with Yirrmal, frequent collaborator Dallas Woods and produced by Pip Norman, the new single is a hugely energetic, catchy cut that feels deliberately made for the dancefloor. Baker Boy has been vocal about trying to unite people through music and a positive message – ‘Ride’ feels like a natural progression in the rapper’s relatively small but consistent catalogue.
“I wanted to make a song that could bring people together on the dance floor, no matter who they are or where they come from. I’m driven by the vision that I have of people coming together, visions of positivity and fun and telling stories that people can relate to,” Baker Boy says.
“That’s the main message — just bringing people together, no matter what your background, or how you dance, let’s just get together and celebrate and I think that’s powerful. We need more of that.”
Yirrmal, who wrote the song’s infectious chorus, said he was glad he was able to “put that good Yolngu soul” into the track.
“I wrote ‘Ride’s chorus about my mob back here and when they want to go out. We see negative stuff around here, a lot of fighting, but with ‘Ride’ it’s like come on, don’t be shy, come to the town and let’s dance. Let’s be part of the team, think about the positive things and not the negative things.”
‘Ride’ follows a string of attention-grabbing singles over the last couple of years like ‘Cool As Hell’, ‘In Control’, ‘Move’ and ‘Better Days’. 2019 single ‘Meditjin’, a collaboration with JessB, recently scored a nomination for the 2021 APRA AMCOS Song of the Year, and earned second place in this year’s Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.
A Ryan Sauer-directed music video will accompany ‘Ride’ – it’s set to premiere on Baker Boy’s YouTube channel here from 7pm tonight. Until then, you can wrap your ears around the track below.
