Vancouver actor and rapper Baba Brinkman will return to the city to perform his unabridged production of The Rap Guide to Evolution from October 29 to November 10 at the Historic Theatre at The Cultch. Combining wit, poetry, and charisma with the accuracy and methodology of a scientist, Brinkman takes audiences on a hip-hop tour of modern biology, using Darwin as his inspiration.
“After taking the Edinburgh Festival by storm, and a wildly successful run off-Broadway, it was time to give Vancouver’s own Baba Brinkman a proper homecoming,” says Cultch Executive Director Heather Redfern. “The Rap Guide to Evolution offers something for everyone; from the science buffs who will appreciate its precision, to the hip-hop aficionados who recognize its tight rhymes, this piece simultaneously stimulates the heart and the mind.”
The genesis of The Rap Guide stems from a comment by Dr. Mark Pallen, author of The Rough Guide to Evolution. After seeing a sizzling performance of Brinkman’s internationally-lauded Rap Canterbury Tales, Dr. Pallen dared the discipline-mashing rapper to “do for Darwin what he had done for Chaucer.” Brinkman rose to the challenge, consulting Pallen throughout the creative process for scientific and historical accuracy, thus crafting the first peer-reviewed hip-hop show.
“In addition to exploring Darwinian evolution, I also speak to the evolution of hip-hop in The Rap Guide, combining two passions of mine,” says Baba Brinkman. “My hope for the piece is that it will stimulate another evolution; that audiences will see it and find a different way of looking at both nature and culture. Maybe they’ll find another way of relating to the world, and pass that on in their lives.”
Hilarious, provocative, and sophisticated, The Rap Guide to Evolution is elevated by DJ and Music Producer Jamie Simmonds and is directed by Dodd Loomis.
Baba Brinkman’s The Rap Guide to Evolution
Date: October 29 to November 10: October 30, 31, November 1 to 3, and 5 to 10, 8 pm; November 2, 3, 9, and 10, 2 pm
Venue: Historic Theatre at The Cultch, 1895 Venables Street, Vancouver
Tickets: Starting at $18, available online, in person at 1895 Venables, or via phoning 604.251.1363
Post-show talkbacks: October 30, November 5
The Rap Guide is produced by New York-based Dovetail Productions and is developed with the support of the British Council. All photos by Yuval Binur.