NEW YORK, NY April 22, 2008 —Baruch “Baba” Israel has taken his Hip Hop performance across the USA, Europe, Japan, Brazil, New Zealand, S.E. Asia and Australia. He is an emcee, producer, poet, theater artist, and beatboxer. He co-founded the Playback NYC Theater Company, and recently debuted his new solo piece Boom Bap Meditations in the Hip Hop Theater Festival. Having awards and support from the Ford Foundation, Meet the Composer, Saratoga Arts council, Australia council for the arts and the Bronx Council on the Arts, Israel's albums have received strong reviews and college radio play. He has taught at Benji Reid’s Process Hip Hop Theater Workshop Festival, Urban Word, BAM, Arts Horizons, and New World Theater. He co-directs Hip Hop Connections, a touring education assembly program. As a Hip Hop Theater performer, Israel has appeared in Hip Hop Commedia’s What you say white boy?, Full Circle’s Soular Powered, and with Rha Goddess and Renita Martin. This summer he will teach at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Hip Hop boot camp and with NYU’s Hip Hop theater lab with Daniel Banks. Israel and Yako 440,named in URB’s prestigious NEXT 1000, just released the new album Beatbox Dub Poetics. He was also selected this year as part of Lincoln Center’s Rhythm Road and will tour South East Asia with the Dana Leong Project. Israel holds an MFA in interdisciplinary arts uniting his passion for Hip Hop and Education.

Baba Israel reading "This Is"

"Why"

"Terrified"

Baba Israel's website

Baba and Yako's Myspace Page

Listen to Baba Israel's Podshow