Hailing from Stockton, California, rapper and producer Haiti Babii issued the independent mixtapes Welcome 2 da 9 in 2018 and Warrior in 2019 before a freestyle on Los Angeles radio achieved viral reach and highlighted his dynamic, highly unconventional approach. His third mixtape, Not My Album, followed in 2021.
Although raised in Stockton, Haiti Babii was born in Oakland and maintains strong Bay Area ties. His entry into rap came through his mother’s immersion in the hyphy sound of his birthplace, and he devoted himself to the form after finishing high school. He forged a singular microphone technique that employed his voice for rhymes and ad-libs as well as rhythmic elements, sound effects, and secondary vocal interjections, later teaching himself to self-produce and mix tracks on his own equipment. Commercial debut arrived in 2018 with the Unseen Asylum collaboration “Change Ya Life,” after which the nine-track Welcome 2 da 9 appeared at year’s end with backing from Bay Area platform Thizzler on the Roof. The next year, shortly after he released his second nine-track mixtape, Warrior, the unconventional freestyle on KRRL (Real 92.3) went viral and earned Rihanna’s admiration. Singles such as “King of the North” and “Thug Thizzle” appeared in 2020. The following year brought the high-energy single “Party Roccin” and then the Not My Album mixtape.
