Akrobatik: What's up Andrew?

It's been a few years since your last album. How long were you actually working on Absolute Value?

Akrobatik: I had been working on it for a year but I took some time off in between, so it came off like I was working on it for two years. I put like a year of solid effort into it. It took a lot to get done and there were a lot of people involved. 

How would you compare Absolute Value to your previous album Balance, and why'd you go with the title Absolute Value?

Akrobatik: I think this album is a little more focused on the musical aspect of things. I feel like I really accomplished what I was going for with the beats and the images. I didn't want to just go beastin' on the mic. I didn't give myself the balance to do that - so I came with it royally at times. As far as the title of the album, I really just wanted something that signifies me. I feel you can turn any negative situation into a positive. I learned values through time with mathematics that a negative number can be a positive. Absolute Value is a term in mathematics that signifies if a number has a negative value, the Absolute Value is still positive. You're talking about a variety of MC's, production, singing and everything that's going on with the album. I really feel like it's worth the money when you cop it. That's another reason why I called it Absolute Value.

You have several legends on the album like Chuck D, B. Real and Bumpy Knuckles, what was it like working with them?

Akrobatik:  It's always a learning experience and it's real humbling too. If you would have told me I'd be on a record with Chuck D fifteen years ago I would've thought you were on crack. I used to listen to Chuck D all day everyday. To see it actually happen and come into fruition is a real full circle in my career. To be able to make records with legends I idolize. I've always been a Freddie Foxxx fan, I've always been a Chuck D fan and a B. Real fan. It really means a lot to me for them to reach out and show me that love.

Who are some of the producers on Absolute Value and how'd you put together such an impressive list?

Akrobatik: I think it just comes from mutual respect. A cat like J-Zone who've I had the chance to work with now, just bumping into him at the spot, having a conversation with him and knowing we're going to do work together. Cats just send me beats and it inspires me to write lyrics to it. I don't choose producers by who they are, I hear music and I like it. For instance my man Tzarizm who produced Front Steps Pt. II, that's a cat a lot of people don't know about yet and he's dope. He sent me a beat that I loved and made me want to write a song. It's not like we were best buddies or we're hanging out everyday or anything, he just sent me a beat that I loved. It's not based off credentials. Some cats sent me beats that if I told you who they were you would say, "We'll why didn't you use their beat?" I can't just use their beat cause of who they are.
 
Can you breakdown a couple of the songs from the album? Maybe "Front Steps Pt. II" and "Kindred".

Akrobatik:  With "Front Steps Pt. II" I lived in the south end of Boston for most of the time. There's just a lot of real shit going on. People are getting popped right outside my window. I had my apartment taped off and I couldn't get out my apartment because someone got shot. There's a bunch of neighborhood kids that kind of hang out with nothing to do. You start thinking about all the things they go through. I think a lot of people don't take the opportunity to lay it out for them the way it should be. It's all about taking the truth to the youth, just like the chorus says. With "Kindred", I was reading this book by the same name and that book inspired me to make that song. It's basically about going into the past and using the knowledge of the past to approach the future. It's a science fiction book but the way she put it that's what I got out of it. So I just translated that into my own.

How'd you hook up with Fat Beats Records and how has the relationship been so far?

Akrobatik: Basically one of the cats at the A&R Department named Carlos saw me out at a show. I was at a Beat Society show in New York and Carlos came up to me and asked if I had a new record coming out. I had told him I had just started to work on one. He told me how things were and I should definitely submit something to him. So I did and we just took it from there. It started off kind of rocky honestly. It just took me a while to get used to their whole company because it's ran differently than any other company that I've dealt with to this point. I would say at this point it's the best situation I've been in. I feel like my music has elevated to what they are trying to do. Because of that they are really happy about it and are going all out to make sure it goes as far as it possibly can. It's only been out a couple of days and I'm already happy for the play so it's good.
 
You've got the Absolute Value release party this weekend at the Middle East. Does it feel good to put together the type of Boston show that used to be a regular occurrence a few years back?

Akrobatik:  Yeah man it's going to be good. I'm going to have Mr. Lif there too which will be great. That's like the first place we did a show together. We've been here since like twelve years ago. So going back to do that is definitely going to be fun, a lot of fun. The days of us being there every month are over but that's because everybody knows about us now. Now it's more a once or twice a year thing or once every two years but its going to be real fun to go back in and do a show. I haven't been back on that stage for a while. It's going to be exciting, definitely.

Do you have any touring plans?

Akrobatik: Yeah a little bit. I'm doing a few dates down south. I been on the road for a while but I just did the west coast with the Perceptionists. I'm just going to finish out this month by doing a bunch of shows. Then I'm going to get back to the office and book things up for the spring to something heavy in April and May.

Will there be any videos with the album?

Akrobatik: Yeah I have a video almost done for "A to the K". That should be out soon. I would say just check the Fat Beats web site and my myspace page and stuff like that. I'm making sure I can get it out as many places as I can get it.

You handle the Sports Rap Up on 94.5. Can you tell us about that and did you ever think you'd have a gig on such a major radio station?

Akrobatik: Sports Rap Up is cool because it's on the highest rated morning show in Boston. It's one of the top three morning shows in the country. I get a lot of listeners, maybe a half a million listeners. Basically what I do is freestyle the sports news everyday on air. It's worked out real well for me. It's a lot of fun and if I miss a day people are upset. So it's definitely a cool thing. I never realized a gig like that would be out there for me so it's definitely a blessing. It definitely helped me get more fans, especially locally. I'm pretty much a household name in Boston now. It doesn't matter to me whether it's that, my records or my shows, whatever it is. As long as people are getting the opportunity to check out what I do and find out if they like what I'm doing is definitely a good look for me.

What do you think of 94.5's music selection? Do you get frustrated by being around it firsthand, and have they been playing any of your new music?

Akrobatik: I mean the music play list is what it is. It's radio, that's just what it is. I would say this much, anybody that would complain about the music selection on 94.5 should realize that if you're listening at certain time of the day you're going to hear different things. Yeah during the morning show it's the same five or six songs. Whatever the top five songs are on the charts is what they are playing. People are just getting up and going back to work. If you're listening to like Gee Spin on the mix show or listening to the Launch Pad of Back in the Day buffet everyday at noon, I mean you can hear Das Efx, Rakim or Busta Rhymes. You never know what you're going to hear. It's like yeah, the prime time stuff is top 40 hits but the radio doesn't dictate what that is. That's just coming from a different source.

Do you feel like the opportunity to work on the station has increased your notoriety in the area?

Akrobatik: Absolutely. I'd be a fool to say otherwise. I think it has raised my profile like crazy man. It's like I went to the Super Bowl and Boston fans are there so the crowd recognizes me coming up to me getting autographs.

It must have also been dope to rhyme on Rap City even though they spelled your name wrong.

Akrobatik: [Laughs] Yeah, I mean that stuff is going to happen I guess I cant complain. It was definitely good to be on Rap City man, I had fun doing that. That's history to me since I grew up watching Rap City. To be able to say I was on there is definitely a cool thing. I got to do my thing and people saw my record was out so it was cool.

How have you managed to maintain so much integrity throughout your career?

Akrobatik: One thing that comes to mind is I don't talk a lot. If I need to vent and get something off my chest I do it with my boys. I don't really go running my mouth in public or talking bad about people. I just try to make music that says who I am and stay true to myself and just come straight forward with it. I think that's a big part of it. It's kind of like running my own business and I'm just doing my own thing.

It's been a few weeks now so what are your thoughts on the Super Bowl?

Akrobatik: Oh I'm sorry I can't hear you. What was that now? [Laughs] You're breaking up [Laughs]

[Laughs]

Akrobatik: Nah I'll just say that cats need to catch the ball when the other quarterback throws an interception three plays in a row. Somebody has to make a catch. If you don't make that catch you're leaving the door wide open. We left the door wide open and gave them enough opportunities that they were going to eventually cash in on one of them. That's what they did so I say congratulations to the Giants for cashing in. It's too bad we blew that one because it was definitely in our grasp. We should be 19-0 and I should be in a way better mood than I am in right now. [Laughs] But you can't get everything you want. I mean I'm still happy we have a team that is talented enough to go right back to it next year.

On your myspace you were talking about how students in Albany made a banner for you. Can you tell us a little about that?

Akrobatik: I did a show in Albany New York and I guess this cat who's an artist but also a promoter was at that show. He's a school teacher and I guess he introduces his students to conscious Hip Hop a lot. Apparently one of the songs on my solo has been one of there favorites. So they did this whole banner dedicated to me and that song. I don't know, I think its like eight feet long or something like that. I have it up in my house now. It's a cool thing man because I got pictures of the kids actually working on the banner and everything. I recorded a little video dedicated to them. So hopefully I'll go back there at some point. I do that whenever I can, I go to schools and stuff like that. It's amazing to me the wide range of people that Hip Hop can motivate man. I have like fifty year old people come up to me and talk about the Sports Rap Up, twelve year old kids giving me stuff for "Remind My Soul". It makes me feel like I have a lot of responsibility to keep doing what I'm doing.  

Will you and Lif be working together as the Perceptionists again?

Akrobatik: Oh yeah. I mean I'm sitting here watching him play Mario Kart right now. [Laughs]

What do you think of the local Hip Hop scene now as opposed to when artists like you and Lif were coming up several years ago?

Akrobatik:  I mean it's different. To me it comes off as not quite as organized. There really isn't that level of independent labels doing there thing now as there was back in the day. It's just a different situation, plus the music industry as a whole is so much different from when we were growing up. When you think about it when we first started putting out records there was no myspace. It wasn't like you could make a song, burn it to a CD and upload it to myspace and say that it's out. Everything is so watered down, so that's going to trickle down. It's watered down commercially, it's watered down regionally and it's watered down locally. There are still a whole lot of dope artists from Boston. The way things are it's kind of wack but I still think you can find some good music for sure. It's just harder to find now because things aren't as united.

Are you satisfied with the strides that the artists you came up with have made since you started out?

Akrobatik: Yeah. I'm really excited about what everybody is doing. In fact when I sit down and think about it, where everyone is and what everyone is doing, and where everyone is I think it's amazing. I hope someone writes a book about it someday. To think about how far we have all come, its great man and the sky's the limit. Even a guy like Clinton Sparks, a lot of people don't want to acknowledge him because he operates in a commercial world but I have a lot of respect for what he's done. I mean he's on the road and he had his own show on Sirius radio, you know what I mean? The guy is killing it. Statik Seleketah has an album out with every big Hip Hop name possible on a record. Termanology is doing things with DJ Premier, Mr. Lif is killing it over and over with his albums, Def Jux, tours. Its good man. I think of a whole list of people that were coming up and a decade later we are all doing our thing. I'm proud to be a part of it.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Akrobatik: Just to people that are out there supporting me and ant to see me continue to do things, all I ask is you purchase a copy of the CD. Buy it legally so that I can continue to do this and budget and fund more records in the future and continue to bring things like this to the fans. It's that simple. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to check my shit out and waiting so long for it to drop.

Drew & Andy

You can buy Absolute Value here.