Jared Bridgeman, who records as Akrobatik, works as a Boston-based rapper and educator whose socially conscious writing is sharpened by the instincts of a veteran battle emcee. Ruff Enough marked his first single in 1998, yet Say Yes Say Word quickly became the track that earned anthem status and confirmed his standing as a capable MC. Rawkus, the independent New York label, issued his third single Internet MCs, while The EP collected several of his earliest recordings. He has maintained a close partnership with fellow Bostonian Mr. Lif, appearing on both the Emergency Rations EP and the album I Phantom before issuing his own debut Balance in 2003.
In 2005 the trio of Akrobatik, Mr. Lif, and DJ Fakts One—operating as the Perceptionists, a name they had used since 2000—released Black Dialogue on Def Jux, the same year Akrobatik signed a solo agreement with Fat Beats. Before completing his next full-length, he began delivering the daily sports report in rhyme for the “Sports Rap-Up” segment on Boston’s 95.5 FM, while Raptivism issued the compilation Essential Akrobatik, Vol. 1. Absolute Value arrived in February 2008, featuring guest spots from Talib Kweli, Little Brother, Mr. Lif, and Fakts One.
Following a period of relative quiet limited to scattered underground features, Akrobatik experienced a ruptured heart valve in 2011 that required emergency surgery. He addressed the ordeal directly on the 2012 single “Alive,” which later appeared on the 2014 album Built to Last alongside contributions from Masta Ace, Edo.G, Lif, and others. Akrobatik and Lif reactivated the Perceptionists in 2017, issuing Resolution on Mello Music Group.
