There have been many modern rewrites of Chaucer’s 14th century collection of morality tales. And there have been many rap versions of writers such as Chaucer and Shakespeare.

Often they are cringeingly awful by well-meaning but woefully misguided folk. Not so here. Baba Brinkman has an authenticity about him - he doesn’t look like some white, middle-class lecturer trying to get down with the kids. He looks like Eminem’s older brother.

The pilgrimage to Canterbury is replaced by a rap fan stowing away on the tour bus of his favourite rap band. To pass the time, the rappers have a ‘battle’ where each tries to out-rhyme the other. By coincidence, the rappers he portrays resemble quite remarkably some of the characters in the Canterbury Tales - The Pardoner, The Miller and the Wife of Bath (the bawdiest tales, you will note).

Baba’s updates breathe life once more into these timeless tales. His timing is beat perfect as the recorded rhythm section scratches and chatters behind him. He recreates the humour and caution in Chaucer’s tales and adds some of his own with a well-balanced physical performance.

The Rap Canterbury Tales has toured extensively including to Edinburgh three years ago. It would be a great accompaniment for students trying to work their way through the Chaucerian English of the original texts and to remind them that these were written to entertain as well as to educate.