Since 2004 Baba has toured his award-winning hip-hop theatre show, "The Rap Canterbury Tales", to dozens of cities around the world, including two tours of Australia, three critically-acclaimed runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, several college campus tours of the USA, including Harvard, and frequent returns to the UK and Europe. His rap adaptations are now used in hundreds of classrooms around the world.
In 2007, Baba founded the indie record label Lit Fuse Records, and released the debut album "Butterfly Man" from up-and-coming Vancouver singer/songwriter Aaron Nazrul. The lead single "When the Night" was recently featured on network television on 90210, and the video enjoyed Top Ten rotation on Much Music.
In 2008, Baba joined forces with UK BBC Slam Champion MC Dizraeli to form the hip-hop group Mud Sun, and they co-wrote and released two albums, including "The Rebel Cell", a hip-hop play that was one of the biggest critical successes of the Edinburgh Fringe, winning the "Spirit of the Fringe Award".
Baba's latest project, "The Rap Guide to Evolution" won the prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2009, and went on to tour the UK and USA, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.
Baba is currently working with Brighton-based DJ/producer Mr. Simmonds on two new shows (and CDs) for the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe, a sequel to the Evolution show entitled "The Rap Guide to Human Nature" about the science of human behaviour, and a new rap storytelling show, "Rapconteur", which will feature adaptations of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and the Finnish Kalevala.
When he is not touring, Baba Brinkman resides in Vancouver.
-Bio from his website, http://www.babasword.com
Induction
Baba Brinkman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the middle of the night
Got me livin' alive
With a little bit of spice
I'm not a literal type
So I consider it wise
To deliver the hype
In a critical light
The subliminal – psyche!
If I'm winnin' the fight
And beginnin' to thrive
It's 'cause I'm not liftin' the mic
And grippin' it tight
To be given a prize
Or fixin' my sight
On a visible height
To legitimatize
My difficult plight
'Cause if I did then I might
Just limit the size
Of my physical flight
And get cynical, right?
Let the pinnacle rise
'Til the minute is ripe
I'll give it a nice
Welcome when it arrives
At the end of my life
When my differences, like
Reciprocal sides
At the edge of the knife
Together unite
In Baba Brinkman's song Induction, the lyrics explore the art of writing intricate and complex riddles. In the first few lines, Brinkman describes how he writes these riddles in the middle of the night, suggesting that this is a time when he is most creative and inspired. The use of the phrase 'livin' alive' indicates the intensity and excitement that he feels about creating and solving these riddles.
Brinkman goes on to explain that he is not a 'literal type', indicating that he enjoys the challenge of creating riddles that require deep thought and intellectual curiosity to solve. He believes that it is important to 'deliver the hype' in a critical light, indicating that he wants his riddles to be both challenging and entertaining. Brinkman emphasizes the importance of 'minimalizing the subliminal-psyche', indicating that he wants his riddles to be straightforward and not manipulative.
Towards the end of the song, Brinkman contemplates the impact of his riddles on his legacy. He suggests that if he were to fixate on attaining a visible height or limiting the size of his physical flight, he would become cynical and unable to appreciate the true value of his work. Instead, he looks forward to the end of his life when his 'differences' will unite at the edge of the knife. This suggests that he believes his riddles have a deeper meaning that will reveal itself over time.
Line by Line Meaning
These riddles I write
I compose these puzzles
In the middle of the night
During the wee hours
Got me livin' alive
I'm living energetically
With a little bit of spice
Amidst a little bit of flavor
I'm not a literal type
Literature isn't my forte
So I consider it wise
Therefore, I believe it's prudent
To deliver the hype
To generate excitement
In a critical light
In a scrutinizing manner
And minimalize
And to reduce
The subliminal – psyche!
The subconscious - mentality!
If I'm winnin' the fight
If I'm succeeding
And beginnin' to thrive
And prospering
It's 'cause I'm not liftin' the mic
It's because I'm not forcefully promoting myself
And grippin' it tight
And holding the microphone tightly
To be given a prize
To receive an accolade
Or fixin' my sight
Or focusing my vision
On a visible height
On a prominent status
To legitimatize
To validate
My difficult plight
My challenging circumstances
'Cause if I did then I might
Because if I did, I may
Just limit the size
Decrease the scope
Of my physical flight
Of my creative imagination
And get cynical, right?
And become pessimistic, correct?
Let the pinnacle rise
Allow the pinnacle to ascend
Til the minute is ripe
Until the moment is suitable
I'll give it a nice
I'll provide a pleasurable
Welcome when it arrives
Reception upon its arrival
At the end of my life
Towards the conclusion of my existence
When my differences, like
When my disparities, comparable to
Reciprocal sides
Corresponding halves
At the edge of the knife
At the brink of a critical situation
Together unite
Conjoin in harmony
Contributed by Camilla C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Briar
Underrated song. Jarang bgt nemu lagu satire-skeptisisme terhadap ajaran teologis. Terlebih lagi ini kualitasnya keren bagus. Thank you for this piece.
Simian
This (and your other songs) have been on repeat around our abode of late. My 10 year old wanders around when she is playing, singing God of the Gaps. Thank you for helping me to educate my daughter. We live in a place with a diversity of religion in it, and being an a-religious family it can sometimes be hard to explain. You're an educator and an artist. Keep it up... please. Thanks!
Cyan Sloth
This is so awesome. Can't believe I'm just finding this now! You got a super fan right here OMG seriously I'm crying for some reason it really hits home.
Gaia's Eye - Gaia • is • I
I fucking love this!!! Brilliance on the animation and the original concept you brought to life Baba. Absolutely mind blowing star stuff! It literally took my head off my shoulders when the second chorus came in and I saw a figure who took me back to Kind David's temple days... I've always imagined my ancestors inventing Judaism (and by accident the other two major religions) and literally saw myself (or a great great grandfather) in that moment. With the animal sacrifice after (something I obviously do everything I can to prevent these days) I just couldn't handle the time travel you took me on. Sheer genius Baba, Cosmic.
Baba Brinkman
+GaiaisiMusic Awesome, thanks for your words and for bringing some incredible soul to the chorus. Onward and upward!
Zim the Vixen
I love love love love this video so much :3 I am not sure why, but it makes me feel warm inside. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it's because I'm glad that we as humans have advanced so much! And it exposed me to some neat concepts I hadn't thought about.
The song is really lovely and so is the video. That's the best word for it.
Brett Dworaczyk
Fantastically done! Great song and great animation work.
hardc00re10
Really impressive stuff Brinkman! keep doing your thing man this is a legacy to be proud of!
mrx00666
Love the optimism in this video so much.
laraesque
Kudos! It pops. Upbeat, catchy, Love the animation of the clever little hominids. The scene with the observable cause and effect using DNA and a fruit fly is concisely brilliant. Keep up the good work! We need intelligent rap.