The Rap Guide to Human Nature

Gilded Balloon
4-30 August, 15:45

Somebody please bottle Baba Brinkman now. After his Fringe First-winning success last year with The Rap Guide to Evolution, this “nerdy white Canadian rapper” continues to sex up science with his new show. The Rap Guide to Human Nature picks up where its predecessor left off, this time delving into evolutionary psychology to explore why we humans behave the way we do.

Is xenophobia a product of a compromised immune system? How can you tell when a woman is ovulating? Will Baba’s sister answer his phone call – and what does it mean if she doesn’t?

Brinkman clearly knows his stuff – and, adding further credibility, has had his script “peer-reviewed” by leading scientists – and communicates with infectious charm and enthusiasm. This is learning made all the more memorable and fun by gentle audience participation and the clever raps interspersed with the theory lessons.

If I’d had a science professor as inspiring as this at university, I may well have ditched my liberal arts major.