Waving peace signs in the air and repeating choruses of “I’m ‘A’ African,” students and faculty hardly looked like they were gathered in Love Auditorium to learn anything. Yet they were treated to a unique and original lesson in evolutionary biology – in rap format.
Baba Brinkman, a “rap troubadour” from Vancouver, Canada, brought his award-winning performance to campus Wednesday. Without a doubt, he proved that it is possible to drop a beat while explaining Darwinism.
He originally composed the rap at the request of the committee honoring Darwin’s bicentennial in 2009, after the chairperson heard his rap of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. He researched evolution and then submitted his lyrics to a handful of scientists, to ensure its factual correctness – so, as he noted, it’s the first ever peer-reviewed rap.
Reworking classics by the Notorious B.I.G. and Dead Prez, among others, Brinkman deftly presented heavy and complicated information in a fun and engaging format. His rhymes explained, for example, how all human life came from Africa – at one point in history, the species was concentrated there. Hence, as he noted, everyone in the audience could proudly shout, “I’m a African.”
Geology professor Constance Soja was the primary force behind bringing Brinkman to campus, having seen his performance while leading the Australia study group in spring 2010.
“It’s unconventional, and that’s the goal,” she said. “I thought he would be perfect for vlog, because we love to do things here that cross disciplinary boundaries. [It’s] science, even though he’s not a scientist … it’s rap so it’s music, it’s performance, it’s social commentary. I just thought, this is so unique and innovative.”
Indeed, Brinkman managed to apply the abstract scientific concept of evolution to modern social issues, such as teenage pregnancy in violent inner-city neighborhoods. Because life expectancy is lower there, in theory the biological need to pass on genes manifests itself earlier – leading to higher levels of pregnant minors.
Soja liked that Brinkman made the connection between evolution and our world today, and hoped that students would leave the performance with a new perspective on Darwin’s theories.
“Darwin and evolution speak across the ages, evolution relates to everyone,” she said. “It’s got a bad rap – pun intended – but I think he explains that it doesn’t have to be frightening, that it’s something we can embrace in any society.”