Fiston Baraka, aka Baraka the Kid, is representing the new home of Australian hip-hop on the rise as one of that city’s brightest stars. He is quickly becoming a huge fan-favorite. His story is one of incredible grit and perseverance. It started in a Zambian refugee camp where his family resettled after fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo. What he did not expect was that after arriving in Australia in 2010, he would struggle as an English learner. Today, he’s one of the hottest artists in the world.
Musically, Baraka’s music has something for everyone, as he sings both in English and Swahili. His ability to weave personal stories into his lyrics has garnered him a following in countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, and the United States. He continues to break down walls in the music industry. His struggles inform much of his music and connect with millions of fans.
After enduring significant challenges while settling in Australia, including language barriers and cultural adjustments, Baraka persevered through high school and pursued tertiary qualifications. She recently completed a six-year stint in construction. He ultimately chose to leave his full-time job to follow his dream of becoming a musician.
Whatever the case, Baraka credits a lot of his good fortune to crossing paths with his music mentor Joel Ma, aka Joelistics. Their fruitful relationship has influenced his artistic vision and empowered his individuality in terms of heritage.
“When Fiston and I first met, he was really open to exploring that legacy and that family story,” said Ma. “A lot of our conversation was just about life… how much of a shock, cultural shock that would’ve been for Fiston in his family.”
Baraka’s passion for music blossomed unexpectedly. Though he first considered it a side-hustle, he eventually adopted it as his full-time profession. His commitment is evident in ballads that give voice to his experience. One song poignantly captures his family’s struggles, featuring a line in Swahili that translates to “remember when they said we wouldn’t go forward or wouldn’t make it.”
“Kumbuka means remember,” Baraka explained. “It’s me looking back at all of times where people were telling me ‘Hey, you need to stop music, you’re just wasting your time’.”
Though he was greatly challenged in his English language acquisition, most notably not being able to read or write very well, Baraka made creative solutions to survive. Cartoons, he says, became an invaluable resource for learning the new language.
“The reading part was hard because I couldn’t write and I couldn’t read the words either,” Baraka recalled. “The quickest way that I learned was by watching cartoons on television.”
His creative path began to blaze when he became a member of the Grid series. This artist development project, funded through Creative Victoria, kicked off in 2013 and powered his trajectory. This program helps build rich and varied local talent as part of the Australian music industry. As a consequence, artists such as Baraka are born.
“I’ve always come from a part of the Australian music industry that is about telling stories and representing an Australia which is diverse,” Ma stated. “Grid had a much more open-minded and diverse group of artists, genres.”
Another one of Baraka’s breakout performances was an appearance at the Australian Open, an experience he labeled as surreal.
“The Australian Open, yeah that was crazy,” Baraka said. “It kind of made me feel seen, but at the same time it made me accept that the work that I’m actually putting in isn’t just going to waste.”
These themes in his music provide a powerful vehicle for many of his listeners to connect with one another through common experience. Baraka aims to teach with his music and believes storytelling is the key to education, particularly in his songs.
“In each song that I make, it always has to be a story,” he noted. “It’s either something that I’ve experienced or something that someone close to me has experienced.”
As Baraka continues to rise within the competitive music landscape, he remains aware of the challenges facing new artists trying to break into the mainstream.
“It’s a lot more challenging for new artists to break through into the mega-stream,” he remarked. “Not just that there are so many artists, but the platforms have made it much harder for newer artists to have a breakthrough as well.”
Baraka’s journey started in a refugee camp in Zambia. Today, he shares that remarkable talent on stages worldwide, a testament to the unstoppable force of will and heart. He is a living testimony of hope and perseverance for young musicians and people in general.
“I’m very happy to be where I am and just very proud to have come so far,” Baraka reflected. “I didn’t think of music as being anything than just like a hobby when I first started, but now it’s kind of become a passion and it’s become something I can actually make a career out of.”
