Baba Israel is a Hip Hop/theater ​artist, poet, educator, and curator.  He has toured and developed projects in 34 countries, often serving as a cultural ambassador with the U.S. State Department. Baba is part of Bronx Banda with Arturo O'Farrill and has shared the stage with artists such as KRS ONE, Lester Bowie, Phillip Glass, Outkast, Bahamadia, and Medusa.  

 

He holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College, where he studied with Daniel Alexander Jones. He is the Artistic Director of the Performance Project based at the University Settlement, where he mentors and supports a wide range of community-centered artists, productions, and festivals.  

 

He brings assembly performances to schools across New York and New Jersey in collaboration with Arts Horizons. He directs a yearly production at the Bardavon Theater, bringing Hip Hop skills to young people.  

 

He is the director and co-curator of the annual Hip Hop and Spoken Word performance Word Sound Power at BAM. He has launched a new event called Lift Up, an intentionally intergenerational Hip Hop showcase, jam session, and cypher which takes place at Nublu. He is currently working with his collaborators to develop Cannabis! A Viper Vaudeville as a commercial production.