The Rap Guide to Evolution

Click here to read the New York Times review by Olivia Judson



Winner! Scotsman Fringe First Award
for Innovation and Outstanding New Writing

Edinburgh 2009 Reviews:

"Brilliantly conceived and effervescently performed…not only is it factually correct, it's also dazzlingly intelligent…after seeing this show, you'll never look at a hip-hop music video in the same way again!"
★ ★ ★ ★
The Scotsman read more...

"Brinkman is an excellent performer, combining the boyish energy of a rapper with the clever wit of a comedian and the intelligence of a lecturer to create an excellent production, which could be a new and exciting art form."
★ ★ ★ ★
FringeReview.com read more...

"Instantly accessible, destroying creationism through the music of The Notorious BIG, Dead Prez, Mobb Deep, and his own flows, it's an entertaining and scientifically accurate display of lyrical dexterity. Perfect for your inner science geek."
★ ★ ★ ★
The List read more...

"As lyrically ingenious as it is scientifically accurate, the show caters for rap fans and biology enthuiasts alike. If life on the Fringe is indeed comparable to Darwin's survival of the fittest (as Brinkman would have us believe), then this show ought to be raking in bigger audiences each day, ultimately triumphing above its weaker competitors ."
★ ★ ★ ★
Three Weeks read more...

"One of the worldʼs great intelligent rappers…what Baba does is amazing - his knowledge of rap genres and styles is encyclopaedic…a flash of verbal fireworks."
★ ★ ★ ★
Broadway Baby read more...

"Baba Brinkman makes evolutionary science not only accessible but genuinely entertaining. Striking and surprising, but convincing, parallels between the theory of evolution and the theory of rap are tackled, without diluting his material or alientating his audience."
★ ★ ★ ★
Big Issue Scotland read more...

"The weirdness that is a rap show about evolutionary biology is like the weirdness that is the first appearance of a random genetic mutation. If the mutation turns out to beneficial, it should survive to the next generation; if the show turns out to be popular, Brinkman should be back with another next year."
★ ★ ★ ★
British Theatre Guide read more...

"Refreshingly original. Brinkman has a light touch and a way with words and rhythm that will appeal to rap aficionados, poetry buffs and anyone interested in science but bored stiff by text books."
★ ★ ★
Metro read more...

"Stimulating and intelligent...Brinkman's rhymes are sometimes Shakespearian in their beauty."
★ ★ ★
Fest Magazine read more...

"There aren't many hip-hoppers who use words like 'mitochondria' and 'phenotype' in their rhymes - but Brinkman wasn't just showing off for clever's sake; this was intelligent, informative and, crucially, hugely entertaining."
Chortle read more...

"Intelligent, entertaining, and passionately performed, Brinkman is as mucha wiz at the science bit as he is at the hip-hop."
Sunday Times

"In a blinding barrage of rhymes that find the missing link between Eminem and Richard Dawkins, the Canadian rapper turns in a brilliant gig-cum-lecture that is as educational as it is novel."
Scotland on Sunday read more...

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Other Reviews:

"Sadly reductionist, but [he] finds the courage to sin boldly"
Evangel.com (Christian website) read more...

"An intelligent, lyrical, witty collection of performance poetry that also manages to be an accurate popular-science discussion of modern evolutionary theory and its wider implications"
TREE Journal (Trends in Evolution and Ecology) read more...

"Hip-hop fans and scientists alike should marvel at Canadian Baba Brinkman's ability to distill Darwin's Theory through rapidfire rap routines... Highly-evolved entertainment!" ★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2
Adelaide Advertiser, Australia read more...

"Brinkman has a sublime knack for making sense of difficult texts... His playful nature and comic timing provides a platform for laugh-out-loud comedy and a toe-tapping treat. Despite the intellectual topic, expect high entertainment."
Glam Adelaide, Australia read more...

"The juxtaposition of hip-hop with Darwin is striking. By boldly making use of hip-hop in a most unusual but still provokative way, Brinkman harmoniously fuses art with evolution" ★ ★ ★ ★
Time Out Magazine, Hong Kong read more...

“With lyrics that were sometimes sly, often hilarious, and always smart and thought-provoking, Brinkman married the fast, complex, literate delivery of Eminem with the evolutionary expertise and confrontational manner of Dawkins… A mesmerizing performance, one that would probably do more to convince school children of evolution's validity than any BBC or PBS special could… Scientists, science teachers, and anyone evolution has provided with an open mind and a hint of musical rhythm should rush out to see this show if they're fortunate enough for it to make an appearance nearby.”
Science Magazine read more...

"A work of genius. Never since Charles Darwin have we had such an eloquent exposition."
Dr. Mark Pallen, Author of The Rough Guide to Evolution



About the show:

"Whoever is led to believe that species are mutable, would do good service by conscientiously expressing his conviction, for only thus will the load of prejudice by which this subject is overwhelmed, be removed." Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species

In 2008 Dr. Mark Pallen, a microbiologist at the University of Birmingham and author of “The Rough Guide to Evolution” asked me if I would “do for Darwin what I did for Chaucer” and I happily took up the challenge.

“The Rap Guide to Evolution” explores the history and current understanding of Darwin’s theory, combining remixes of popular rap songs with storytelling rap/poems that cover Natural Selection, Artificial Selection, Sexual Selection, Group Selection, Unity of Common Descent, and Evolutionary Psychology. Dr. Pallen has vetted the entire script for scientific and historical accuracy, making it a powerful teaching tool as well as a laugh-out-loud entertainment experience. The show also engages directly with challenging questions about cultural evolution, asking the audience to imagine themselves as the environment and the performer as an organism undergoing a form of live adaptation.

“The Rap Guide to Evolution” was developed with the support of the British Council. Full-length album available now!




Further Reading: Jared Diamond, "The Third Chimpanzee" and "Guns, Germs, and Steel"; Geoffrey Miller, "The Mating Mind"; E O Wilson, "Consilience"; Richard Dawkins, "The Ancestor's Tale” and “The Blind Watchmaker”; David Sloan Wilson, "Evolution for Everyone" and "Darwin's Cathedral”; Daniel Dennett, “Darwin's Dangerous Idea”; Charles Darwin, "The Origin of Species"; Mark Pallen, "The Rough Guide to Evolution"