THE ARTIST
ABOUT
BAKES
Most artists can tell you the moment music chose them. Bakes' version starts before memory: a toddler in front of the television, rehearsing songs, playing toy instruments, performing entire concerts for the living room and walking out of the hallway for the encore. The oldest of four kids raised in San Ramon, in the East Bay, he grew up watching rappers the way other kids watched astronauts. To him they were superheroes: the vocabulary, the rhythm, the poetry, the intelligence, and the fashion and edge that came with it.
College at San Diego State was supposed to answer the practical questions: a career, a path, a place in the workforce. Music kept interrupting. He started writing and recording, learning what it takes to be an independent artist one moving part at a time, and the pull he had felt since childhood sharpened into a conviction: he had something to say to the world.
He has run it himself ever since. Self-managed and self-funded, Bakes built his career from nothing, bringing in the right people for production, visuals, and marketing while keeping the direction his own. What came out of it is a catalog audiences describe as modern hip-hop purism: intricate, message-driven records from a rapper's rapper. The fanbase runs wide because the music gives everyone a door in: kids look up to him, older heads respect the craft.
THE STORY
The work compounded show by show across Southern California until the names on the flyers got heavy. “1AM Somewhere” went into rotation on the Bay Area's Wild 94.9 and more records hit San Diego's JAM'N 95.7. The “Divine Timing” video charted #3 on VEVO's Incoming Hip-Hop playlist, and GQ South Africa, The Source, Thisis50, and HipHopWeekly all wrote his name.
Then came the decision that tells you who he is. The club records were working: DJs kept them in rotation, rooms moved, the numbers climbed. But the songs stopped feeding the person writing them. So Bakes stepped out of the release cycle and replanted. He went back to purpose and wrote toward the artist he set out to become: music honest enough to play for his future kids, sharp enough to hold up in front of his toughest peers, without losing the bangers.
That version is here. With his own recording studio taking shape and a stack of new writing ready, the relaunch is underway: new music, new visuals, new merch through 2026, from a more mature, grounded, sharper artist than the one who started at San Diego State.
HAS OPENED FOR
WHAT BAKES STANDS FOR
No shortcuts. Not in the writing, not in the recording, not in anything that carries the name. The music is for people building something real, whatever that looks like for them.
That standard carries into everything with his name on it, from the records to the Divine Timing capsule, the first clothing drop from the brand. If it says Bakes on it, he made it with intention.
AS SEEN IN
VEVO
#3 Incoming Hip-Hop Playlist
Music video for 'Divine Timing' charted on VEVO's editorial incoming hip-hop playlist, reaching listeners worldwide.
GQ South Africa
10 Songs to Sweat To
Song 'Effortless' featured in GQ's curated workout playlist, cementing Bakes as a crossover artist beyond the hip-hop lane.
The Source Magazine
Featured Artist
One of hip-hop's most storied publications recognized Bakes as an emerging voice in lyrical rap.
HipHopWeekly
Featured Coverage
In-depth coverage as an independent artist building an authentic career from the West Coast.
Thisis50
New Artist Feature
Featured on one of hip-hop's most visited platforms, exposing Bakes to millions of hip-hop fans globally.
Lord Sear
New Artist Spotlight
Highlighted by legendary New York DJ Lord Sear as a new artist worth watching.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
From the Ground Up
Album
2021
Shadows in the Basement
Album
2017
Illusion
EP
2021
Trust Yourself
EP · home of “Divine Timing”
2020
Effortless
Single · featured by GQ South Africa
2021
My Opinion
Single · featured on Thisis50
2022
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