March 13, 2005

| PEJ Writes Up EPIC >>

Among the acts I had the pleasure of seeing at this weekend’s Rogue Festival was a performance of the Canterbury Tales, told in rap (scroll down).

Baba Brinkman, a medieval-studies-grad-student-turned-professional-hip-hopper from Vancouver, laid down rhymes from the Pardoner, the Miller and the Wife of Bath in an Eminem-inflected lyrical flow, occasionally digressing from Chaucer to offer M.C.-ed treatises on hip-hop’s place in the evolution of language and the history of oral storytelling.

He got a standing ovation and rave reviews from all in attendance. In fact, the reaction from the ladies seating behind me is probably best described as “orgasmic cooing.”

So check out the videos and the audio samples, and definitely check this guy out if he comes to your town.