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
Sexual Selection
Baba Brinkman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Girl, with my costly signaling
Rockin' the rhythm and all you keep thinkin' about
Is the offspring we'll bring into the world
And you're awfully tempting, so you got my genes tingling
Too, with your costly signaling
You're cute, but you gotta be considerate
And have a sense of humour, or you will not be interesting
Charles Darwin saw natural selection as the most serious cause
Of evolution, but what was going on with bird songs
And peacocks? They follow mysterious laws
And then Darwin had a curious thought
It probably occurred to him while explaining his theory
To a young Victorian blond, whose face displayed
A mixture of desire and feverish awe
The immediate cause of which Darwin clearly saw
So he said: "My dear, descent with modification comes from
The struggle for survival and reproduction
Hence, the reason for some structures must be seduction"
In fact, Darwin's brain was probably one such structure
Just as peacocks' tails show off the genes of the top males
And likewise the songs of nightingales, the fighting skills
Of elephant seals, and minnows with colourful scales
These are all traits that sexual selection has shaped
Through the female preference to get with the fittest mates
But in human beings that selection goes both ways
Pretty much anything that's just for display
And isn't meant dissuade or chase predators away
Was probably selected for in a sexual way…
But wait, isn't this just such a display?
I mean, I really thought I had something to say
But, is it just a demonstration of my DNA?
And, so what if it is? Great, what's to explain?
Okay, maybe a couple of things
First, to say that something ornate
Like complex language, first evolved as a seductive display
Doesn't mean that people only use it just to get laid
Darwin leaves Freud in the dustbin, okay?
For instance, I could use a urine stream to put out a fire
But that doesn't mean the penis evolved as bush fire fighter
This is a theory of language function
A theory of where it comes from; what it's used for now
Is a separate discussion; so which was it?
Was language originally a mechanism for survival or reproduction?
Can you talk a predator out of attacking?
Can you talk a parasite out of infecting?
Can you talk a potential mate in to consenting?
Potentially, right? Hence, presenting
The grand unified theory of rhyme
The mating mind uses lyrical signs, combined with wit
And wordplay, conversation, humour and different narrative styles
To appraise the fitness of mates, both for the purpose of marriage ties
And for mates of the more temporary kind
These are the humble roots of the literary sublime
We're all just Shakespearean primates verbalizing our cherry behinds
But how could we test this theory of mine?
Ideally, we could use experimental holding zoos
Filled with human subjects, and with an overhead view
We could observe which breeding pairs reproduce
And how often they use their verbal ornaments to seduce
We could even separate them into control groups
To see whether male or female vocals
Are more prone to be used to stimulate hormones
Although, it's true that this sort of method isn't normally approved
If only there existed in a state of nature
Some cultural group preoccupied with makin' paper
And parading naked women shakin' their money makers
In front of competitive males displaying mating behaviour
While trading their creativity for sexual favours
If such a group existed, I predict it would be a major
Player in the entertainment industry, and would be in major
Danger of being overwhelmed by angry player haters
But I may have to save some of my research for later
And how do I answer the charge that I'm participating
In this mating dance myself with these dazzling bars?
That isn't hard – I plead guilty
I worked hard to achieve this ability
And if it also gives my genes visibility then so be it
But, I confess, it also reveals my unique disability
See, my tendency to tell these monkey fables
And funny medieval tales, generally fails
To attract any nubile young females
It does attract women a lot though
All highly-educated and post-menopausal!
I know, isn't it awful?
I get mobbed after my Chaucer shows
By grandmas thanking me for making it possible
For them to appreciate a hip-hop flow
And, you might ask, where are their granddaughters?
My guess is, they're at gangster rap concerts
But that's how sexual selection works
Any mutation gets tested first
And if it doesn't get spread, then it gets purged
So this experimental hip-hop mix
Where it gets crossed with literature and lectures
Will probably get the burial that it deserves
That is, unless you spread it like whispers
I'm cocky and single and I got your genes tingling
Girl, with my costly signaling
Rockin' the rhythm and all you keep thinkin' about
Is the offspring we'll bring into the world
And you're awfully tempting, so you got my genes tingling
Too, with your costly signaling
You're cute, but you gotta be considerate
And have a sense of humour, or you will not be interesting
In "Sexual Selection," Baba Brinkman delves into the theory proposed by Charles Darwin regarding how sexual selection can shape traits in living organisms. Darwin suggested that structures and behaviors that are just for display, and not meant to dissuade or chase predators, were probably selected for in a sexual way. Brinkman discusses how this theory applies to humans, stating that anything ornate and showy, like language, may have evolved as a seductive display.
Brinkman acknowledges that this theory does not mean people only use language to get laid, as language has a separate function beyond seduction. He suggests that language could have evolved as a mechanism for both survival and reproduction. Furthermore, he suggests that the literary sublime has humble roots in lyrical signs, combined with wit, wordplay, conversation, humor, and different narrative styles, to appraise the fitness of potential mates for both temporary and long-term relationships.
The song also touches on how sexual selection works and why some mutations get tested first and are spread, while others get purged. The ultimate goal of sexual selection is for individuals to produce offspring with the fittest and best genes. Brinkman’s lyrics suggest that he himself is participating in the mating dance, revealing his unique disability to attract younger females with his storytelling and medieval tales. However, he acknowledges that he has attracted women who are highly-educated and post-menopausal.
Overall, "Sexual Selection" is a thoughtful exploration of Darwin’s theory and how it applies to human behavior and language. Baba Brinkman's lyrical storytelling and analyses make the song an insightful and insightful piece of work.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm cocky and single and I got your genes tingling
I am confident and unattached, and my attractive qualities are activating your evolutionary desire to reproduce.
Girl, with my costly signaling
My expensive displays indicate that I am a high-quality mate worth reproducing with.
Rockin' the rhythm and all you keep thinkin' about / Is the offspring we'll bring into the world
My musical ability excites you because you are imagining the children we could create together.
And you're awfully tempting, so you got my genes tingling / Too, with your costly signaling
Your alluring qualities and displays are also activating my evolutionary desire to reproduce.
You're cute, but you gotta be considerate / And have a sense of humour, or you will not be interesting
Your physical attractiveness isn't enough; to be a desirable mate, you must also show empathy and the ability to make me laugh.
Charles Darwin saw natural selection as the most serious cause / Of evolution, but what was going on with bird songs / And peacocks? They follow mysterious laws
While Darwin focused on natural selection, he also observed the bizarre behavior of birds with ornate features and mating rituals.
It probably occurred to him while explaining his theory / To a young Victorian blond, whose face displayed / A mixture of desire and feverish awe / The immediate cause of which Darwin clearly saw
Darwin likely realized the sexual implications of his theory while discussing it with an attractive, aroused woman.
So he said: "My dear, descent with modification comes from / The struggle for survival and reproduction / Hence, the reason for some structures must be seduction"
Darwin believed that the desire to reproduce is a fundamental driver of evolution, and therefore some structures have evolved to be seductive in order to attract mates.
But in human beings that selection goes both ways / Pretty much anything that's just for display / And isn't meant dissuade or chase predators away / Was probably selected for in a sexual way
In humans, both males and females have evolved ornate displays that serve no practical purpose beyond attracting mates.
The grand unified theory of rhyme / The mating mind uses lyrical signs, combined with wit / And wordplay, conversation, humour and different narrative styles / To appraise the fitness of mates
This song proposes that the ability to create clever rhymes and engage in witty banter is a way for potential mates to evaluate each other's intelligence and compatibility.
We're all just Shakespearean primates verbalizing our cherry behinds
Humans are still animals, and even our most sophisticated displays are ultimately driven by animalistic desires.
But how could we test this theory of mine? / Ideally, we could use experimental holding zoos / Filled with human subjects, and with an overhead view / We could observe which breeding pairs reproduce
The song jokingly suggests that a zoo-like environment could be set up to test the theory of sexual selection, although obviously this would be unethical and impractical.
And how do I answer the charge that I'm participating / In this mating dance myself with these dazzling bars? / That isn't hard – I plead guilty
The artist admits that his ability to create clever rhymes is a display that likely evolved to attract mates.
But, I confess, it also reveals my unique disability / See, my tendency to tell these monkey fables / And funny medieval tales, generally fails / To attract any nubile young females
The artist humorously acknowledges that his particular style may not be the most effective at attracting mates.
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.