Kendrick Lamar dropped a surprise track, using an eBay listing of beat-up black Air Force Ones as the cover art. Drake’s friend and OVO artist Baka Not Nice has not forgotten about that “Not Like Us” bar of: “And Baka got a weird case, why is he around?”
On Instagram, Baka hopped in DJ Akademiks comments to shade the new single: “Shit sound like how them shoes look lil n***a [trash emoji].”
In case you haven’t heard Kendrick’s single, “Time to Watch the Party Die,” you can hear it below.
Travis Savoury, the rapper better known as Baka Not Nice, has been riding with Drake’s OVO Sound crew for years. But Baka Not Nice also comes with a lot of controversies relating to his criminal background. . In the early 2000s, he did time for armed robbery and assault. He’s also got an assault conviction from 2015 for putting his hands on his ex-girlfriend.
However, the reason Baka Not Nice has become a social media study case can be traced back to 2014. Following Kendrick Lamar’s scathing “Not Like Us,” Drake and the OVO Crew have been viewed in a grimy light. The chart-topping diss track points a finger to Baka’s arrest back in 2014, on allegations of human trafficking and firearm offenses (“Baka’s got a weird case, why is he around?“) K-Dot highlighting the dodgy allegations surrounding Drake and his crew involving minors has put a spotlight on each individual. So what exactly happened with the charges and convictions against Baka Not Nice? Has K-Dot opened a can of worms in OVO’s basement?
Before he was rapping, Baka was moving as Drake’s security guard, so they went way back. Even with all the aforementioned legal drama, his career kept soaring higher and higher. He even had guest vocals on Drake’s albums, Nothing Was The Same, and More Life. Then, in 2017, Drake made it official and signed Baka to OVO Sound as one of the label’s artists.
The 2015 Assault Conviction
LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 20: Rappers Drake (L) and Travis “Baka” Savoury perform during the 2017 Billboard Music Awards at The Fountains of Bellagio on May 20, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/BBMA2017/Getty Images for dcp)
So here’s what happened with that 2015 assault conviction: Baka Not Nice pleaded guilty to assaulting a 22-year-old Toronto woman, who was reportedly his on-and-off again girlfriend at the time. The story was that, in 2014, Baka got drunk and passed out at home while food was burning on the stove. She started yelling at him about it, and Baka’s response was to push her to the floor. The following week, she called the police on him.
For the incident, Baka Not Nice pleaded guilty to the assault on his ex, and in exchange, some other unrelated firearm charges were dismissed. But the court still hit him with a 6-month prison sentence for the crime, though since he had already been locked up for 11 months after first an initial arrest in 2014, he was free to leave the court.
TORONTO, ON – APRIL 8: Drake sits with Baka Not Nice as the Toronto Raptors play the Houston Rockets during their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on April 8, 2022 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)”n”n”n”n”n
The reason Baka Not Nice was initially arrested and jailed for 11 months in 2014 was over some extreme allegations of human trafficking. Allegedly, he forced that same 22-year-old ex into prostitution. Notably, those human trafficking and prostitution charges were eventually dropped. This is because the woman in question refused to testify against Baka in court. Evidently, Baka Not Nice maintained his innocence throughout the whole case. Nonetheless, those horrific accusations are pretty damning for his character and reputation.
Throughout all this, OVO and Drake have mostly stayed tight-lipped about the case against Baka Not Nice. Neither party really addressed the human trafficking allegations. Unsurprisingly, some fans have questioned the hypocrisy of keeping Baka around after that mess, especially since Drake boldly alleged that Kendrick was violent towards his fiancée. Evidently, Drake does not mind OVO co-signing a man with these skeletons in his closet. For example, while speaking on signing Baka Not Nice, 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.”
The Aftermath And Unresolved Issues
Even with the human trafficking case dismissed, the stench of those allegations lingers around Baka Not Nice. While he’s still signed to OVO and moving forward with his rap career, the recent beef between Drake and K-Dot has dug up questions about him and his past life. The fact remains that Baka took a plea deal for assaulting his girlfriend. To many, that alone ought to have made OVO think twice about keeping him around.
Last year in 2022, AMARNI‘s “BEYONCE” was included in the Top 5 most played tracks on Instagram Reels, with over 1.3 million reels on both Instagram and TikTok. Now, the Australian recording artist continues on with the momentum: releasing her newest single titled “LOVER BOY,” featuring Baka Not Nice.
Not only does this serve as the first time Baka Not Nice is collaborating with a female artist, but AMARNI even went out to Toronto to shoot the official music video. Baka Not Nice is signed to Drake’s OVO imprint, so it was only right to go experience the city of Toronto of herself.
Speaking on the collab, AMARNI states, “We met out and just clicked. We are both Pisces as well. [laughs] I played him ‘Lover Boy’ and it was a no-brainer, he loved it. He pulled up on me in the studio the next day and dropped a verse. Studio was a big vibe. I respect what he stands on as a person and that’s reflected in his music. Talented & a real one so I value that.”
Being a lover boy means opening up and being more vulnerable, with AMARNI boasting the ability to turn gangsters into lover boys.
AMARNI adds, “This is two worlds colliding. I’m from Australia so I’m about to bring something Toronto hasn’t seen before, it’s only right. The visual is so fire. From the storyline/dialogue to the choreography, then Baka and I doing our thing, we really hope y’all enjoy it cause we had a blast in the process.”
AMARNI is also currently working on her forthcoming EP, which will show her versatility in a new light.
