Baba Brinkman in Rap Guide to Religion at Soho Playhouse

I used to think rap

was a whole lot of crap

and I didn’t wanna go

down to Soho

just to see some lame hip-hop show.

But then when I finally made a decision

to actually see A Rap Guide to Religion

at the Soho Playhouse on Vandam Street,

I found that rap had a really great beat

and I thought that the show itself was neat

And its rapper-performer especially sweet.

In fact, it totally changed my opinion

of this generation’s musical vision

and I no longer view rap with scorn and derision.

And it’s all due to one guy whose name’s Baba Brinkman -

a likable dude who’ll sure make you think, man.

A Canadian atheist rapper who’s white –

a really odd combo – but he still turned out right.

He not only performs but wrote the whole show

and there don’t seem to be anything he don’t know.

He’s a big fan of Darwin

and thinks that hisTheory of Evolution

delivers the very best solution

to why everything turns out as it does:

like why honeybees buzz

and ducklings have fuzz

and why roses have thorns

and rhinos have horns

and why you have fingers and why you have toes

and the size of your butt

and the shape of your nose…

But that isn’t all ‘cause he also explains

all sorts of stuff ‘bout our human brains,

like why it should be that we try to maintain

that suffering and pain

are somehow related to some God Above

and go hand-in-glove

with Divine Love.

And here’s the answer: it’s not teleology,

It’s just biology.

There’s no supernatural direction.

It’s all just a function of natural selection.

It’s the fittest who survive

and we all want to stay alive

and have lots of offspring to populate our hive.

And that’s just fine.

There’s no need to explain anything by intelligent design.

But Brinkman has lots more about which to rap

like God in the Gaps

(where Yahweh is hiding

or maybe it’s Zeus or even Poseiden)

and Theory of Mind and the historical value of believing

(even if it turned out to be self-deceiving).

But the show’s not a paean to atheism,

Nor an attack on believing as mere superstition.

Brinkman, in short, is no Christopher Hitchens

who spent half his life complainin’ and bitchin’

about everything wrong that he saw in religion

and he’s not like Sam Harris or Richard Dawkins

who just went on talkin’ and talkin’ and talkin’

about all of the evil and harm that’s been done

by every religion under the sun.

No, that’s not Brinkman’s style, he’s not abusive

(despite his persistence

in denying God’s existence).

He’s much more inclusive

and concedes that religion (at least in the past)

served a worthwhile purpose (that may no longer last)

by strengthening the communal ties

that enabled societies to survive

and their members to thrive.

OK, here is the bottom line:

this is a show that’s really fine.

If you see it, you’ll not only learn a lot but you’ll have fun.

So don’t walk, run

down to the Soho Playhouse before it’s too late

‘cause this is a show that’s really great!