Shiny and New

I don't usually do headings, but this is a heady update. Each headline could have been its own email. I didn't want to carpet bomb you though, so here goes.

New Website

I have a brand new website! I am officially phasing out my old babasword.com site for the more straightforward bababrinkman.com, which has now been fully redesigned for ease and enjoyment. Please take a moment to check it out.

Twin Studies

In other news, I received a weird random Skype call from my long-lost identical twin brother recently, which was pretty surreal. Luckily I had the presence of mind to screen capture the whole thing. Have a look.

I'm A African!

Would you like to be in one of my music videos? We're doing a video for the song I'm A African and we need lots of people to send in video clips of themselves rapping along with the song, so we can cut between dozens of faces all proclaiming "I'm A African!" like any well-informed Homo sapien. If you'd like to join us, click here for instructions.

Fail Beyond Belief

The Rock Beyond Belief concert at Fort Bragg that I was so looking forward to performing at has been cancelled! This was a blatant example of discrimination against non-religious people by the US Army, but there's a chance it might be resurrected in the Fall, or it could result in a court challenge. Here's their latest update if you're curious about the unfolding drama.

Broken Ankle

As for me, I'm laid-up in Vancouver at the moment since I broke my ankle bone snowboarding a few weeks ago, which earned me 6-8 weeks in a cast and on crutches. This is inconvenient to say the least, but I'm cracking on with desk work in a state of general agitation while I heal.

Politricks

Speaking of agitation, I made some political videos, including one about Canada's sleazy Prime Minister and one about US Health Care Reform.

Tours and gigs

My upcoming off-Broadway run is now scheduled to start in mid-June, which clears some time for fun in the run-up. On May 9th I'll be presenting at TEDxEast in New York, and then I'm heading over to England for a few weeks. I'll definitely have a gig or two in London, but if anyone out there knows of a UK venue or event I could be part of roughly 11 - 30 May, I'm looking. I'll also be in Vancouver until May 7th or so if anyone wants to set up a local gig.

Rapping Chaucer

Yeah, I still do that, although lately I've spiced things up a bit with Beowulf and the Merchant's Tale. I'm still surprised that schools let me perform the material from Rapconteur in their classes, but I'm glad too, 'cause the kids lap it up. I'll leave you with a video of one of my recent school performances captured by a Vancouver TV crew.

I'm A African!

Calling all Homo sapiens!

I'm currently working with a video production team in London on a series of music videos for my album The Rap Guide to Evolution, funded by the Wellcome Trust and Crowdfunding. The result will be part hip-hop swagger and part educational nature documentary, showing the animal roots of human behavior and the unity of all living things by descent, and we need your help!

We need some additional footage for the "I'm A African" video - yes that means footage of you. If you would like to be a part of it, all I need you to do is download the song, familiarize yourself with it, and play it on your stereo in the background while making a video of yourself rapping along to the lyrics as close to in time with the rhythm as you can (keep the camera still!). Don't worry if it's not all perfectly in time, or if you just want to do a segment of the song rather than the whole thing, but keep in mind that we can only use the parts that are in time!

If you can memorize the lyrics great, but if not you can get them from Bandcamp, print them off, and place the cheat-sheet near the camera so you can read them while facing the lens. Please make sure the scene is well-lit, the background isn't too cluttered, and the camera captures you from the torso up or closer. iPhone4 is okay, or Quicktime via webcam (make sure the recording quality is set to "Best" under preferences), but if you have an HD video camera that would be even better, and of course all ages, races, genders, and body-types are welcome, that's the point!

If you would like to take part please email me at info [at] babasword [dot] com with the subject "I'm A African!" to confirm your participation (first come first serve!) and I'll respond with instructions on how to send me the files. All submissions must be received by April 15th!

**Note: this deadline has now been extended until April 30th, but please get them in soon!

Then once we get everyone's clips we'll cut back and forth between me rapping and all of you rapping to illustrate the evolutionary fact that we are all African under the skin. So say it loud and proud: I'm A African!

--

Disclaimer: I can't guarantee that everyone who sends me a video will appear in the final cut, as this will be left up to the discretion of the video design team and it will be based on video quality, timing, expressiveness, and the need to represent diversity of ages, races, genders, etc. However, we will stop accepting footage once we have enough to work with, so your chances are much better than average.

Legalese: we don't have physical consent forms for you to literally sign, so please be advised that sending us footage via email in accordance with the instructions attached means you consent to your image being used in the video for us to distribute and promote as we see fit, and for us to use in material for the purpose of promoting the video and the Rap Guide to Evolution project as a whole, worldwide, in perpetuity, etc, etc. That way you can't sue us if you get cold feet after sending something in!

Rock Beyond Belief Canceled Due to Lack of Intent

Some of you will have heard via Twitter and Facebook and other sources, but the concert that was due to be held at Fort Bragg, NC on April 2nd has been cancelled because the Army administrators reneged on their commitment to provide "equal support" to the event after sponsoring an evangelical christian concert on the base last year to the tune of over $50,000. Masala Skeptic over at Skepchick put it perfectly: Fail Beyond Belief.

As if this wasn't hypocritical enough, I recently heard from one of the organizers and apparently the Fort Bragg admin people are now trying to justify their decision to pull the funding and downgrade the venue by pointing out that the performers hadn't signed a "Statement of Intent" with the concert organizers. So they asked me to write a short letter confirming that I had indeed intended to be there. This is starting to take on the same surreal feel as the Dover Intelligent Design trial which put the whole "Liars for Jesus" phenomenon on full display. Anyway, here's the letter, now public:

Fort Bragg

Subject: Statement Of Intent

ATTN: Erica Walker, Benjamin Abel, Stephen Sicinski

It has recently come to my attention that questions are being raised as to the seriousness of my compact with SGT Justin Griffith to perform at a concert event he was organizing at Fort Bragg for April 2nd called "Rock Beyond Belief". Please allow me to clear up any confusion by saying that I did confirm this gig with SGT Griffith, in writing, and although my usual fee to perform is around $2,000 I had also agreed in writing to waive my honorarium for the event, because the cause (equal treatment of those with divergent religious beliefs, including atheists) is one I believe in strongly.

My written confirmation was sent to SGT Griffith via email on February 6th, and on February 13th I wrote a blog announcing the event to my fans online, which you can read here: http://babasword.blogspot.com/2011/02/shows-tours-vids.html. I also followed up with a newsletter that went out to my personal email list of more than 7,000 individuals, and I received many encouraging responses and expressions of interest from fans around the world. If you have any doubt about this I would be happy to show you the messages and/or send out a follow-up newsletter asking everyone on my mailing list to individually write to you via email in support of SGT Griffith and in protest of Fort Bragg's discrimination against his event on religious grounds, in clear violation of the US constitution. I was very disappointed to hear that the event was cancelled, but under the circumstances I think SGT Griffith made the right choice.

I should also add, in case anyone is foolish enough to quibble over the "official" status of email confirmation as a form of written compact or "Statement of Intent", that I currently perform more than 100 gigs per year and the majority of those events are confirmed via email with no formal contract, and never once have I canceled a gig for anything other than grave illness. Once an event has been confirmed via email and announced online and one's name has been added to the poster, it would be career suicide to treat such commitments frivolously. The music industry, like many other professions, is mostly governed by a code of honour enforced by peers with a strong interest in each others' reputation for integrity, something that is worth more than a signed contract in many spheres. I am proud to say SGT Griffith took me at my (written) word that I would be there, just like he seems to have (mistakenly) taken the word of Fort Bragg's administrators that he would receive "equal support" for his event.

At any rate, I sincerely hope SGT Griffith is able to resurrect Rock Beyond Belief at a future date, and please be assured that I will do everything in my power to attend and perform. As we say in the hip-hop world: "word is bond".

Signed,

Baba Brinkman

The Rap Guide to Evolution

PS - if anyone does want to support SGT Griffith and the Foxhole Atheists by donating or writing in, here's how you do it.

Shows, Tours, Vids

I'm just writing to give you a quick update, share a new music video, and put the word out about some upcoming gigs and tours, including Vancouver, California, and the Eastern USA.

First the update: we exceeded the Crowdfunder target with flying colours back in January, raising £12,588 from 304 funders in 60 days, a fantastic response! The video team in London is now putting these funds to good use on post-production, and we're hoping to have the videos ready for release by April or May, so standby for more!

Speaking of videos, here's a new one that was commissioned by Macmillan Dictionary, a battle between Canadian and British slang, pitting my own verbal skills against the inimitable Professor Elemental. It is an exercise in exalted silliness and was lots of fun to put together, with fine music by Mr Simmonds and visuals by Tommy Nagle who also did the video for Off That. Click here to watch it.

Elemental is an old friend and collaborator of mine and one of the finest MCs I've encountered in the UK. He has an upcoming tour of Eastern Canada and the USA in April and May, so if any of you know of a venue or event he could grace I think he still has dates to fill. Check out his website for more info and to get in touch with him.

Another friend with a great project is David Sloan Wilson, the author of Evolution for Everyone which was a major inspiration for the Rap Guide to Evolution (seriously, if you read it you'll be startled by how many of his ideas I adapted). One of David's best ideas was the Binghamton Neighborhood Project, a real-world application of evolutionary theory that is currently transforming his city for the better, and one of the project's initiatives, the Design Your Own Park Contest, was recently shortlisted for a major urban achievement award, but he needs your vote to win it! To learn more about the project in David's own words just click here, or go directly to the voting page to support him.

As for me, I'm hanging out in Vancouver until the next round of touring kicks off. I'll be performing the Rap Guide to Evolution as a fundraiser for CFI Vancouver on February 20th at the Railway Club, supported by Aaron Nazrul and Boom Booms, my last show in Vancouver before I decamp for New York, so please come if you can! Here's the Facebook event page and the CFI announcement.

Next I'll be performing my new-ish show Rapconteur at the Fresno Rogue Festival March 5-12, so if any of you know of a venue in California I could add to that tour, I could probably make it work in March.

Then in April I'm off to Fort Bragg in North Carolina to perform for the troops alongside Richard Dawkins and others at an event called Rock Beyond Belief, organized by some non-religious soldiers (who call themselves Foxhole Atheists!) as a response to an evangelical christian concert held on the base last year. It's not exactly a "counter-event", more of an attempt to celebrate critical thinking and foster community and solidarity among nonbelievers, especially ones who often feel like they are under siege from religious zealots. It's a pretty interesting backstory if you want to read about it.

After that it's off to New York for the big off-Broadway run, although I might have a few weeks free before rehearsals begin, so if any of you wants to organize a gig in early April just get in touch.

Two Weeks' Notice (Help!)

Happy New Year!

It's the final two weeks of the Rap Guide to Evolution DVD Crowdfunder drive and we're only at 81%, which is much better than I had feared, but Crowdfunder's rules are strict. If we don't meet or exceed the £10,000 target in the 60 day timeframe everyone gets their money back and we're stuck with our original (highly stretched) budget. We can't let this happen! There are 13 days left as of today, so this is a call to arms. Please share the link below on facebook, twitter, blogs, and emails, and if you've been thinking of contributing, now is the time!

http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/investment/the-rap-guide-to-evolution-educational-dvd-58

And here's a recent post on BoingBoing.net that has given the pitch a nice boost, literally a 6% increase in the past 48 hours, thanks in part perhaps to the heated debates raging in the comments section, including a spat between myself and a semi-famous transexual blank-slatist over the scientific validity of evolutionary psychology: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/01/05/the-rap-guide-to-evo.html

Also, I'm accepting bookings through the Crowdfunder drive, and so far two different venues have secured bookings by contributing £1,000. Email me to check about possible dates and availability first, as this is currently the only way I'm booking events for 2011 due to the off-Broadway run that's scheduled to start in New York in March. So if you've been thinking of organizing a performance of the Rap Guide to Evolution or Rap Canterbury Tales this year, let's do it through Crowdfunder and put the money towards the DVD post-production costs!

Speaking of the upcoming off-Broadway run, Sharon Levy of Dovetail Productions is currently organizing the venue, hiring the team, and raising the crucial funds to make this happen, mostly through private investment. She needs to secure $300K (minimum $5-$10K units), standard for New York off-Broadway theatre, and she is open to investors from my network (that's y'all). Be warned that there is risk involved, but also possible financial reward (if you think I'm bankable prospect!) Let me know if you're seriously interested and I'll connect you with Sharon, but first read her Executive Summary with the pitch.

In other news, we have now finished all of the live filming for the music videos and the footage we have is amazing! We filmed a Galapagos beach party for "Worst Comes to Worst", a grimy snarling fire-in-a-barrel rudeboy video for "Survival of the Fittest", and a breakdance battle between Darwin, Sarah Palin, Michel Foucault, and *God* for "Survival of the Fittest". Check out the photos on the bottom of the Crowdfunder pitch page.

Next, crowdfunder willing, is the editing and post-production phase, and finally the release party, hopefully in early April to coincide with the off-Broadway run. One final push to make it happen!

Thanks for your support and continued efforts,

Baba

Epic Battle

On Friday we filmed an epic breakdance battle with Darwin facing down his detractors, Michel Foucault (representing social constructivism), Sarah Palin (representing the christian right), and God (representing Himself, of course). It was a satirical reconstruction of the evolutionary culture wars on the dancefloor and Darwin reigned supreme! Check out the new photos posted to the pitch page, or view them on facebook here.

The videos are shaping up amazingly well and we have our final two days of shooting Monday and Tuesday this week, wrapping up Hynotize, Sexual Selection, and Worst Comes to Worst. Then we move into the post-production phase, which will rely hugely on crowdfunding support. We're now 1/3 of the way into our alloted time and we've almost hit 2/3 of our target, so the end is in sight, but this is no time to let it slip! If you have already contributed, please tell a friend, and if not, now is the time! Click here to help fund the project.

Also just announced: I will be performing my two new rap/comedy/storytelling shows, The Rap Guide to Human Nature and Rapconteur one last time in London on December 20th. Both of these shows were written in 2010 and both of them premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe to great acclaim, so we are filming a live DVD of both shows next Monday starting at 6:30pm at the Alley Cat in Soho, two 50 minute halves with a 15 minute intermission. Last chance to see these shows in England for some time! Click here to check out the facebook event page.

Gangbusters!

The crowdfunding drive I started just over two weeks ago to increase the production value of our Rap Guide to Evolution DVD project is going gangbusters, with 143 individual funders so far, and the vast majority of them have chosen the vanity package: £30 for a pre-order copy of the DVD and the use of your picture somewhere in the animation. We're at 61% of our £10,000 target after just fifteen days!

It's awesome progress, but we're still a ways from the mark, so if you've been thinking about buying in but haven't gotten around to it, now is the time! Click here to check out the progress so far, or to buy your little slice of immortality.

By the way, if you're one of the 143 beautiful people who have already signed on, thank you! And if you're one of the extreme keeners who've written to ask me where to send the photo, or who just went ahead and emailed me your photo already, take it easy! I won't collect the images until we actually hit the target, because if we don't hit it within the 60 day time limit everyone gets their money back and no one's photo will be used, so please don't send me any more pics. It's not that you're not attractive, it's just that we'll do it all together with an upload page once we've reached the target : )

One of the most amazing things about the past two weeks is the degree to which blogs and social networking sites have taken up the cause. It's not yet a full-blown viral outbreak, but there are some promising early warning signs. The project was mentioned in David Sloan Wilson's Evolution for Everyone blog, as well as by New Humanist Magazine, by Andrew Potter writing for McLeans, on the Friendly Atheist blog, and in posts by Words of Science and Crowdsource Capital, so there is a fairly wide-range of interest. If you have connections to blogs or if you write one, please consider posting about this.

More news: here's an interview I did on the radio show and podcast Skeptically Speaking last weekend, which talks about the Crowdfunder drive and my new album The Rap Guide to Human Nature.

And if you want to see how I use rap to popularize science and science to help people understand rap in my live shows, check out the TEDx talk I did back in October.

As for me, I've just finished a series of college and high school performances in NJ, NY, and RI, and tomorrow I'm checking out Manhattan theatres and meeting with the team organizing the upcoming off-Broadway run, currently slated for March 2011. Then next week I'm back in the UK for more Wellcome Trust music video filming, plus Robin Ince's legendary Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People comedy showcase, followed by Christmas with the family in Vancouver and some well-deserved rest.

Thanks again everyone, and keep the crowdfunding momentum rolling!