Typically Boney M, Ma Baker is based on the life of Kate Barker, whose sons became gangsters in the style of Bonny and Clyde, or John Dillinger. Her life has become the stuff of legends, and the song portrayes her as the leader of the Barker-Karpis gang, although in reality she was more of an accessory, not quite the go-getting crime mogul the song portrays.

Along with her son, Fred, she was killed by the FBI in January 1935. Apparently, around 1500 rounds of ammunition were fired, in what was then the longest-ever FBI shootout.