by Kristin Ciccone

You have seen him before. Bright hazel eyes, dancing under his trademark khaki fisherman's hat. Bushy reddish beard jutting from his chin, atop a tall thin body. You have seen pop up on stage with the likes of Soulive, Project Logic, and Rahzel (The Roots), open his mouth and floor a crowd with lyrics flowing with the ease of tap water. And for those of you left with the bittersweet taste of wanting more of the infamous MC Baba Israel tingling off the tip of your tongue, the time has come. "Let it Shine," the fresh new single by Baba Israel was released this month at party at the popular New York City venue The Wetlands Preserve.

Backing up Baba's riveting performance at the Wetlands were the talented Matt Rubano on bass (formerly of Schleigho), Wubba (on drums), and DJ Wizz on the turntables.

"Our first performance opened with Baba onstage performing spoken word, and then launched into the first song with just him and the DJ," explained Rubano, "and it was really exciting for me, backstage, to see how Baba really controlled the crowd and got them really into it. A lot of times people are apprehensive about the opening act, but as soon as he got onstage, even all of the wallflowers came running over to see what was up."

Also keeping the crowd hopping were featured performances by Project Logic, Yejide the Night Queen, and Professor Shuman. "Let it Shine," released by the very same label (Velour Recordings) that brought us the hot new trio Soulive, features DJ Logic on the B-side (Beatbox Logic).

Many of you may have wondered, during those brief onstage interludes, who exactly is the guy behind the rhymes? Who is Baba Israel? As a member of the Australian live hip hop band MetaBass'n'Breath, Baba has been impressing crowds with his poetic freestyling long before his New York City debut. But don't let that part about Australia fool you: this guy is NYC born and bred. His parents, former member of the innovative and sometimes controversial theater company called the Living Theater, relocated to NYC, and in raising their son, encouraged creativity all the way.

"My mom used to write down my dreams when I woke up," describes Baba of his upbringing. "I started writing poetry when I was about seven years old."

Poetry and hip hop are two things that have consistently been with Baba on his travels. And travelling this young artist has done. The paths he followed have taken him from his neighborhood on the lower West Side to the Bronx (high school), to Purchase, NY (college), back to the streets of New York City (as a street performer), to Australia then back to where it all began, New York City.

Where it all began for Baba is an interesting story in itself, and maybe if you are lucky enough, he'll share some of his stories with you. After high school (where he began to read his poetry at the famed Nuyorican Poet's Cafe), and college (where he got his first taste of performing live hip hop), Baba got his first start in the rawest of places: the streets of New York City.

"That is the realest place there is. There are no lights, no special effects, no sound system. Just you and the crowd, and if you are good, you can make money." For two years, Baba performed on the New York City Streets, and traveled- from the pre- Guiliani Times Square to the likes of China, San Francisco, Venice Beach and ultimately ending up in Sydney, Australia.

It was there in Australia that Baba met up with the rest of MetaBass'n' Breath, a group whose second CD entitled SEEK was given 5 stars and described by the Sydney Morning Herald as, "an exploration of hip hop, fusing its colossal sonic power with their own array of musical talents." After three years of living in the land down under, Baba and the rest of the acclaimed MetaBass'n' Breath, took their show on the road and came to the cities of all cities: NYC. After performing at such venues as SOB's, Tramps, the Wetlands Preserve, CD's Gallery, and The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the rest of the band decided to return to Australia, and Baba Israel decided to stay in his hometown and work the scene as a solo act.

Winning Project Logic's Open Mic Night back in 1998 began his NYC solo venture, and formed a relationship with DJ Logic that is still strong today.

"Of course there was the fabled open mic competition," explains DJ Logic of his first impression of Baba, "when he got up on stage, I was like 'ohhh no, this guy can't be for real,' but two minutes into his set and I was HOOKED. What can I say? Baba is a rare breed and he would be DOPE at anything he did."

Preceding his debut single, Baba was well known for his impressive freestyling performances along side of DJ Logic.

"The key to freestyling is when you surprise yourself. That is when you are really freestyling and that doesn't always happen. A lot of the time someone will be freestyling, but they will always have certain phrases that they'll fall back on. But every now and then, you'll really push it and discover something new and surprise yourself. That's when you'll see an MC start to smile."

Hip hop, for this young artist, is more than just a pastime. It is for him a way of life. As the lyrics in "Let it Shine" say: I freestyle to bring a smile to your child's eye, cause I am connected to my inner child," Baba is not only in touch with his inner child but is also touching the lives of many children. In addition to performing and recording his rhymes (and learning just about everything else in the studio), Baba also works as a consultant with NYC schools teaching teens in hip hop poetry classes.

This is only the beginning for this digeridoo playing freestyling creative MC. Baba has much more in store for the future.

"Working on this album is achieving a dream of mine. But I have many more: I want to tour; I'd like to check out more of America; I'd like to go to Europe. I want to publish a book of poetry. I want to open a school someday. Through my hip hop, I want to develop a universal language so that it can be understood by someone who is young and someone who is old."

Baba Israel. The man of many talents. The man of many dreams. The man of many experiences. Though one could never sum up Baba Israel with a collection of words strung together as text, perhaps the best way to understand who Baba is and what Baba is about is to listen to the words of those who best know him: his friends.

"What impresses me most about Baba is his ESSENCE. Baba is true, inside and out- a true artist, a true musician, and a true friend. That is what impressed me the most about him. And anyone that has ever been around Baba, or touched by Baba, knows this is real. You can see it in his eyes and hear it in his words. Baba equals passion for life." - DJ Logic.

For those of you who missed Baba's set at the Wetlands, you can find more information about the single (and the upcoming full length album) at Velourmusic.com.