A unique breed of theatre combining rap and science, Baba Brinkman’s The Rap Guide to Evolution is an entertaining introduction to evolution and the origins of hip-hop culture.

Commissioned for the Darwin bicentennial in 1999, the 'peer-reviewed rap' has since evolved and toured the world and now brings Baba to NZ for the ScienceTeller Festival in Dunedin this weekend.

During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?

10pm - 2am

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?

Cerebral, irreverent, confrontational

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?

Performing live gigs

How does your environment affect your work?

I write best on trains and planes, motion begets motion

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?

Big-as-possible picture

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?

Move like an amoeba

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?

The Rap Guide to Evolution

Who or what has inspired you recently?

The performances on Breaking Bad

Tell us a bit about your background (science and creative)

I studied undergraduate primatology and human origins with Birute Galdikas, but majored in English and finished with a masters in comp lit. Been rapping since age 19 (15 years) and only in the past five began tackling scientific subjects. Now science rap is my chief passion and living.

Tell us about the rap guide to evolution – from inception to conception?

The show was written in 2009 for the Darwin bicentennial, and has since toured the world including runs in Edinburgh and off-Broadway. It was commissioned by a scientist and has been fairly extensively fact-checked over the years. My goal was to capture and communicate the current scientific consensus on the value and import of Darwin's theory.

How has it evolved since then?

Probably 50 percent of the script is new since 2009. The show underwent a major overhaul when it went to Broadway.

What do creatives and scientists have in common?

Curiosity, ingenuity, tenacity, rebelliousness

How can the arts and storytelling contribute to science?

They can help tell science's great stories in a way that inspires interest and provokes thought. Dissemination is necessary for science to continue to play an active and dynamic role in its host culture.

What are you looking forward to about the Science Teller Festival?

I love performing for science-literate audiences, more laughter at my more arcane in-jokes.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?

Computer science

What place is always with you, wherever you go?

The Rocky Mountains

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?

In your car, because you can sing along as loud as you please

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?

A scarecrow

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?

Count to ten

What’s great about today?

I got lots of happy birthday posts on my Facebook wall, making me feel loved.

What’s your big idea for 2014?

Lighten and have more fun, and the rest will follow

* * *

Baba Brinkman is a Canadian rap artist, playwright, and former tree-planter who worked in the Rocky Mountains every summer for over ten years, personally planting more than one million trees. He is also a scholar with a Masters in Medieval and Renaissance English Literature. His thesis drew parallels between the worlds of hip-hop music and literary poetry. After graduating in 2003, Baba began his career as a rap troubadour.

To date Baba has written or co-written five hip-hop theatre shows, including The Canterbury Tales Remixed, The Rap Guide to Evolution, and The Rebel Cell, with MC Dizraeli. He won three awards and entertained thousands while performing six full seasons at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Baba is also the founder of Lit Fuse Records, which represents Aaron Nazrul and the Boom Booms, Smoky Tiger, and Mud Sun, as well as his own music. Besides executive producing and developing new talent through his label, Baba has recorded and released eight solo albums since 2004.

The Rap Guide to Evolution won the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award in Edinburgh in 2009, and went on to tour the USA, Australia, and the UK, including three appearances at regional TED conferences and a performance on national TV on The Rachel Maddow Show. The Rap Guide to Evolution and the Canterbury Tales Remixed both recently played extended off-Broadway runs at the Soho Playhouse. When he is not on tour, Baba resides in New York city.

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