Haiti Babii

A rapper and producer who calls Stockton, California his home, Haiti Babii released the independent mixtapes Welcome 2 da 9 (2018) and Warrior (2019) before his freestyle on Los Angeles radio went viral, showcasing his dynamic and highly unconventional style.
Although he was raised in Stockton, Haiti Babii was born in Oakland and has strong ties to the Bay Area. He got into rap music through his mother, who was into the hyphy sound of his birthplace, and dedicated himself to the artform after he finished high school. He developed a unique mike approach, using his voice not only for rhymes and ad-libs but also for rhythmic elements, sound effects, and secondary vocal interjections, and was eventually able to self-produce and mix tracks on equipment, completely self-taught. In 2018, he made his commercial debut, broke through with the Unseen Asylum collaboration “Change Ya Life,” and toward the end of the year issued the nine-track Welcome 2 da 9 with support from Bay Area platform Thizzler on the Roof. The next year, just after Haiti released his second nine-track mixtape, Warrior, his unconventional freestyle on Los Angeles’ KRRL (Real 92.3) went viral, and he earned the admiration of Rihanna. Singles such as “King of the North” and “Thug Thizzle” arrived in 2020. ~ Andy Kellman