Baba

Hailing from New York, Baba functions as both an MC and a thinker in hip-hop. His birth and upbringing occurred in Manhattan, where his parents of Russian and Jewish descent participated in the Living Theater, the avant-garde performance collective known for mounting theatrical productions in unconventional venues ranging from farms and street corners to prisons. During his childhood he also spent time in Australia, the birthplace of his mother. He transformed the multicultural impressions from those early years into creative output and established recognition across New York City as a "conscious" rapper. Velour Records signed him and issued Mind Music, his first full-length album, in 2001. The record blended downtown jazz, didgeridoo, and classic New York City hip-hop elements, supported by Baba’s resonant, melodic delivery and echoing the approaches of A Tribe Called Quest and KRS-One. Velour issued the singles Big UP and Let It Shine, after which Mind Music received broader distribution that summer. He has remained active on stage alongside kindred performers including Black Eyed Peas and Jurassic 5. Consistent with his background in activism and social consciousness, Baba works with New York City’s DOOR youth development agency, overseeing its music and poetry initiative for young people.