Jam Baxter is an English

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, UK. Since 2009, he has released 7 solo albums and several EPs on UK-based labels

High Focus Records High Focus Records is an independent British hip-hop record label founded by rapper Fliptrix in 2010, following the collapse of Low Life Records. History In 2008, Fliptrix was in the process of releasing his first album on Low Life Records ...

and, since 2019,

Blah Records Blah Records is a British hip hop and alternative hip hop record label owned and managed by Lee Scott and Salar Saajedi. It was founded by Lee Scott and producer Molotov (now part of the management of High Focus Records) in 2006, with label rap ...

. He is noted for his surreal and cryptic lyrics, described variously as being "outlandish" and "vivid and disturbing"

Style and Works

Baxter's first releases were as part of Brighton-based crew Contact Play. They dropped their album ''Champion Fraff i''n 2009. His first solo release was on High Focus in 2010, entitled ''Rinse Out Friday/Spack Out Monday''. He followed that up with ''Gruesome Features'' in 2012 and ''So We Ate Them Whole'' in 2014. ''So We Ate Them Whole'' was critically praised, with reviewers calling it a "genuinely beautiful UK hip hop record" that is "quintessentially surreal and riddled in complexity". Baxter has been a long-time collaborator with producer Chemo since then. After ''So We Ate Them Whole'', Baxter left the UK and spent a lot of time travelling in

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea ...

then

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

. His albums written in that time, 2017's ''Mansion 38'' and 2018's ''Touching Scenes'', were partly inspired by those experiences. “I never stop writing, but I felt I needed to go somewhere else to make sure my output was good as it can be," he said in an interview after ''Mansion 38'' was released. Baxter's last release to come on High Focus was 2019's ''Off Piste'' EP. The 4 track tape came with a limited edition book of lyrics and short stories under the same title. He has since released three albums on

, starting with a collaboration tape with Blah co-owner Lee Scott in 2019. That was followed by solo projects ''Obscure Liqueurs'' in 2021 and then 2022's ''Fetch the Poison.'' ''Fetch the Poison'' was written while Baxter was residing in the town of

San Cristóbal de las Casas San Cristóbal de las Casas (), also known by its native Tzotzil name, Jovel (), is a town and municipality located in the Central Highlands region of the Mexican state of Chiapas. It was the capital of the state until 1892, and is still consid ...

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. He was isolated inside for a while due the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

and the state-wide alcohol ban at the time. Reviewers have compared Jam Baxter's lyrical style to that of the famously verbose rapper

Aesop Rock Ian Matthias Bavitz (born June 5, 1976), better known by his stage name Aesop Rock, is an American rapper and producer from Long Island, New York. He was at the forefront of the new wave of underground and alternative hip hop acts that emer ...

or the surreal prose of writers like J.G. Ballard and

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

. Baxter has collaborated with Kae Tempest,

Rag 'n' Bone Man Rag, rags, RAG or The Rag may refer to: Common uses * Rag, a piece of old cloth * Rags, tattered clothes * Rag (newspaper), a publication engaging in tabloid journalism * Rag paper, or cotton paper Arts and entertainment Film * ''Rags'' (191 ...

, Lee Scott,

The Four Owls The Four Owls, or simply The Owls is a British hip hop group formed in 2011. The group is signed to English label High Focus Records and is composed entirely of previously established High Focus members under bird-themed aliases: Fliptrix (Big Ow ...

Jehst William G. Shields (born 1979), better known by his stage name Jehst, is an English rapper and co-founder of hip hop label YNR Productions. Biography Born in Kent in 1979, Jehst spent his early childhood in Crowborough in Sussex before moving ...

Dizraeli Rowan Alexander Sawday, better known by his stage name Dizraeli, is a British rapper, poet and musician from Bristol, England. Though rooted strongly in hip-hop traditions, his work draws inspiration from old folk music, recognising the common ...

Verb T Thomas Conning (born 11 January 1981), better known by the stage name Verb T is a UK hip-hop artist based in London. Biography Verb T has released 10 albums and six EPs as well as numerous singles. His first release was the 12-track EP ''Bac ...

Nah Eeto Nah Eeto is a Kenyan rapper and videographer, currently releasing music on UK-based label Blah Records. She has collaborated with many English and African artists, and raps both in the Swahili and English language. She has worked with respected A ...

and many more across his career. He has released two joint projects with Dabbla and producer Ghosttown, under the name Dead Players, as well joint releases with Ed Scissor and Lee Scott.

Discography

* ''Fetch the Poison'' (2022) * ''Obscure Liqueurs'' (2021) * ''HAPPY HOUR AT THE SUPER FUN TIME PARTY DOME MEGAMIX 4000'' – with Lee Scott (2019) * ''Off Piste'' (2019) * ''Touching Scenes'' (2018) * ''Mansion 38'' (2017) * ''Laminated Cakes'' – with Ed Scissor (2017) * ''Freshly Skeletal'' – with Dabbla as Dead Players (2015) * ''... So We Ate Them Whole'' (2014) * ''Fresh Flesh'' EP (2014) * ''Dead Players'' – with Dabbla (2013) * ''The Gruesome Features'' (2012) * ''Rinse Out Friday / Spack Out Monday'' (2010) * ''Champion Fraff'' as part of Contact Play (2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baxter, Jam English rappers Living people Hip hop musicians British hip hop Year of birth missing (living people)