My guess is that if you’re listening to this show, you’ve heard of a lil ol musical called Hamilton. The unlikely mix of hip-hop and live theater caught many mainstreamers off guard with its multi-cultural, multi-genre approach to the stage.

But what not enough people know, is that Hamilton is not a one-off. Hip-hop and live theater have a history that far proceeds and expands way past Lin Manuel Miranda’s hit show.

In this episode, I speak with one of the innovators who has been rocking hip-hop theater for well over a decade in a very unique way -- merging intellectually deep, topical dives with beat, rhymes and performative art.

From Climate change to evolution to religion to how the brain actually works, Baba Brinkman pens and performs incredibly memorable experiences pairing hip-hop music and culture with the most complex issues of our time, and does so with brilliance, humor, and a universal appeal that stretches from the block to Broadway.