Born
Jared Bridgeman,
Akrobatik is a rapper and teacher from Boston who delivers socially conscious lyrics with the flair of a seasoned battle emcee. He released his first single, Ruff Enough, in 1998, but it was his next release, Say Yes Say Word, that achieved anthem status and solidified
Akrobatik's reputation as a talented MC. Independent New York label Rawkus released his third single, Internet MCs, and The EP compiled some of his early tracks. A frequent partner in rhyme with fellow Bostonian
Mr. Lif,
Akrobatik appeared on both the Emergency Rations EP and
Lif's full-length,
I Phantom, before dropping his own excellent debut,
Balance, in 2003.
In 2005 the MC, along with
Mr. Lif and DJ
Fakts One, as
the Perceptionists (a name they had had since 2000), released the album Black Dialogue on Def Jux, and that same year
Akro signed a solo contract with Fat Beats. Before releasing his next LP, the rapper found a gig with popular Boston radio station 95.5 FM announcing the daily sports news in verse in the "Sports Rap-Up" segment. Additionally, Raptivism released compilation
Essential Akrobatik, Vol. 1. Finally, in February of 2008,
Absolute Value, an album that featured guest appearances from
Talib Kweli,
Little Brother, and of course,
Mr. Lif and
Fakts One, came out.
Other than a few guest appearances on underground releases,
Akrobatik was largely quiet for several years. In 2011, he suffered a ruptured heart valve, which required emergency surgery. He detailed the incident with his bracing 2012 single "Alive." The track appeared on his 2014 full-length Built to Last, which included guest appearances from
Masta Ace,
Edo.G,
Lif, and others. In 2017,
Lif and
Akrobatik revived
the Perceptionists, releasing Resolution on
Mello Music Group. ~ Wade Kergan & Marisa Brown