How Birgundi Baker Is Balancing Donuts & Music After 'The Chi'

A smiling woman with curly hair speaking into a microphone, with the text "Birgundi Baker The Interview" and "The Morning Hustle" displayed. — Source: Reach Media / other

Birgundi Baker Pulls Up on The Morning Hustle to Talk The Chi, Music, and Business

Birgundi Baker sat down with The Morning Hustle for a conversation that hit every corner of her hustle. She kept it real about acting, mental health, community, and building her own empire.

The Chi’s Final Season. Baker reflected on closing out eight seasons as Keisha. She grew up on that set, playing a teen to grown woman on screen. Keisha stood as a loving, firm representation of Black women in relationships, and Baker took pride in playing her through the emotional series finale.

Mental Health and Therapy. Baker got vulnerable about the cost of the work. To play Keisha’s Season 3 kidnapping storyline, she isolated herself and stayed out of the set’s fun energy to hold her dark headspace. She stressed a clear point: therapy matters for Black people and for actors processing heavy trauma. Baker partnered with the Black and Missing Foundation to portray a missing girl the right way. The goal was accuracy, honoring the real crisis of missing Black girls and keeping the community aware.

Duck Donuts Owner. She revealed why she opened a Duck Donuts franchise in Wendell, North Carolina. The business protects her peace and gives her stability outside the entertainment grind.

New Music. Baker is back in the booth. She dropped her singles “Bad” and “What Can You Tell Me,” pulling from her roots in dance and musical theater.

Did You Know? At 8, she flipped Aretha Franklin’s “Chain, Chain, Chain” into “Cheese, Cheese, Cheese” to win a spot on the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese box. The kicker? She had never even tasted it.

How Birgundi Baker Is Balancing Donuts & Music After 'The Chi'