Live Review: Baro '17/18' EP
...just have a listen to any of the tracks on his new 17/18 EP, which are so expertly done you'd be forgiven he has been around for years.
He's only 18 but Baro has already released a mixtape which saw him support the likes of Remi, Illy, Thundamentals, Spit Syndicate, Freddie Gibbs and Badbadnotgood, tour with Allday, and now release an official EP. If that doesn't make you feel bad about yourself just enough, just have a listen to any of the tracks on his new 17/18 EP, which are so expertly done you'd be forgiven he has been around for years.
Such is the quality of the Melbourne rapper and his rhymes, which are laid down over a bed of warm soul music and jazz infusions. It's not gangsta and in your face, it's intelligent and refined, and significantly more mature than anything I was capable of when I was 18.
The seven track EP (plus two bonus tracks if you're lucky), are smooth and nonchalant; cool and collected. From the lead single, 'Bears', with it's feel good vibes and catchy hook courtesy of Venus Court, to the way his voice glides across 'This For You, Fuck Everybody', Baro shows there is a lot more to him than his age lets on.
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His lyrics are real and relatable and they're delivered with such an ease that Baro almost sounds bored. That's not a bad thing though, as it simply reaffirms his carefree and brash attitude. He pays tribute to his predecessors whilst giving his tracks a modern twist, and leaves no question that he, his crew and his sounds are the new frontier.
He's currently in the middle of a national tour to celebrate the release of 17/18, and will also be playing at Splendour In The Grass this week. Something tells me we are only going to hear more and more about Baro, and I can't wait.
Words by Emma Jones.
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