From the streets of south-west Sydney to national and international stages, Barkaa has built a reputation as one of Australia’s most uncompromising and vital voices in hip hop. Fierce, funny and politically charged, her music is grounded in lived experience – shaped by place, community and an unshakeable commitment to telling the truth.
Growing up in the Merrylands suburb of Greater Western Sydney, Barkaa’s early surroundings were foundational to her sound and identity as an artist. As a young listener, she gravitated toward local rap crews who reflected her own reality. “The environment around me really influenced me to become the rapper I am today,” she says. “Early on, I was introduced to a crew called Sydney Serchaz… Kerser, Fortay, NTER, SkyHigh. I really looked up to [them] at the time. It was like, they’re like me – they’re singing from the same struggle I am.” That recognition, hearing her own life mirrored in music, gave Barkaa permission to speak in her own voice. “It really paved the way, in terms of the way I talk, the way I’ve got that Sydney slang.”
That authenticity became the backbone of her 2021 debut EP Blak Matriarchy, a project Barkaa still holds close. “That’s my baby, and will always be my baby,” she says. Created during a period of defiance – she previously described the project as “a middle finger to all the people who discriminated against me” – the EP was a statement of arrival. “It came from a time where I was hungry and I had something to prove.” Looking back now, she sees it as some of her strongest work – raw, focused and unapologetic.
Her follow-up EP, Big Tidda, marked a shift. Where Blak Matriarchy was guarded and subversive, Big Tidda allowed more softness, humour and contradiction to come through. “I really opened myself up… was a little bit more vulnerable, but more cheeky and more fun,” Barkaa explains. “I’m not just the angry Black radical woman; I am the caring, nurturing woman too.” The EP expanded how audiences could see and relate to her. As she jokes, “I am angry, but I’m also a silly cunt and a funny cunt.”
Politics are inseparable from Barkaa’s music, not by design but by necessity. “When people say, keep politics out of music, it’s like music is politics,” she says bluntly. For Barkaa, hip hop’s roots lie in resistance and survival. “Hip hop is birthed on politics and birthed on injustice and from everyday people who are struggling, people who come from poverty, and people who come from intergenerational trauma.”
Central to that lived experience is her Barkindji identity. Representing her mob on big stages is both an honour and a responsibility. “It means everything for me to be able to represent my people,” she says, acknowledging the need for constant reflection and guidance from elders. Barkaa is also determined to challenge misconceptions about First Nations peoples. “People always get confused… thinking we’re just one big happy mob, when there’s multiple mobs.” For her, putting Barkindji country “on the map” is about visibility, education and pride.
Ultimately, Barkaa hopes her music forces uncomfortable but necessary conversations – about racism, addiction, teenage motherhood and systemic inequality. “I hope it breaks stigmas… and educates people and opens their eyes to a world that they’re not really privy to.”
As Australian music enters a new era of representation, Barkaa sees herself as both a product of progress and a driver of it. “My kids are seeing themselves in this industry. Young kids are seeing themselves in this.” Looking ahead, she’s gearing up for her debut album, major touring and creative domination – all while balancing motherhood. “Creatively, I’m just looking forward to taking over,” she laughs. “I’m coming for all of you! Jokes – no, creatively, I’m really excited to be releasing my debut album, working on that, touring with powerhouses, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, and having that First Nations connection.
“I’m going to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne,” she continues, “and just doing a whole bunch of exciting stuff. And of course, being a mummy and an artist and all things in between.”
Barkaa plays WOMADelaide on Sat 7 Mar.
WOMADelaide, Botanic Park / Tainmuntilla, 6-9 Mar