Jared Bridgeman, known by his stage name Akrobatik, is an American rapper that has been active since the late 90’s. He has collaborated with many artists such as M-Dot, Termanology, and more. He is also part of the collective called The Perceptionists with Mr. Lif and new material coming soon. You can find him on the #RAP50 countdown with LX Beats on their track “Migrate” featuring M-Dot. Amazingly, he took the time to talk with RAPstation about his career and latest work.
RAPstation (Kianna Woods): Tell me about how you and LX Beats met?
Akrobatik: LX sent me a link to some beats several years back, and I was feeling them, but I got sick and ended up in the hospital and spent a long time recovering. Eventually, I saw him on my Twitter TL and I remembered his beats being dope so I reached out to see what he was up to. He sent me some HEAT, and we been cool ever since. We finally met in person when I came out to his hometown of Jyvaskyla for a show as part of the EST Tour with Reks, Edo. G, and Termanology.
“Migrate,” from your Collaborative EP Antihero, to be released soon, is on the #RAP50 countdown ft. M-Dot. What about that song made you want to release it before the whole EP?
Well, after touring Finland together and seeing our chemistry as collaborators as well as friends, we have decided to make the EP into an album! In the meantime, we want to hit heads with a couple more dope singles while they patiently wait for the entire project.
Can you remember anything significant about recording together on Antihero?
I remember LX’s homie (and now mine) Gettomasa recording the spoken intro for the album and how hilarious that whole session was. It was so dope to be in a room full of guys from different parts of the world just bellyaching and laughing so hard we have tears in our eyes. 4,000 miles from home and because of hip-hop I felt no different than being in my living room back home with my crew.
How do you feel you have grown as a rapper from the time you started to today?
As I grow older I get wiser, and I also feel as though I have been able to cast away any doubt I may have ever had about my own abilities. I’ve convinced myself that I can do anything, and try my best to live up to that standard every time I touch a microphone.
Which of your projects was your favorite to do and why?
Although Absolute Value (2008) had a nice fat budget and I got to work with a host of incredible legendary artists (including Chuck!), Built To Last will always be my favorite. I overcame so much to make the record, I shared my most personal story with my fans, I got to work with so many dope artists from Boston, I recorded the album in the neighborhood I grew up in, and there are some songs on there that translate really well to my live show.
Can you describe a time in your career/life where you didn’t know what your next move was going to be? What happened next? (music related or not, up to you, really)
I was definitely in a dark place after my heart surgery in 2011, both with my career and my life in general. I was depressed and even a little ashamed that I had let myself come so close to death, and wasn’t completely sure how I was going to deal with it. Eventually, I got back in the lab and recorded Bru-Tang Clan: Enter the 63 Chambers, a tribute record to both the Wu-Tang and the Boston Bruins. It was a project I was hired to do by a local sports apparel company and gave me the opportunity to get in the lab and just be loose and free. Once I did that, I started to realize just how much strength I actually had, and that there was no need to feel shame about what happened to me because I overcame it. That’s how the concept for Built To Last became refined and I was able to share the story of my health scare with the world through my art.
How did you get into doing the “Sports Wrap-Up” radio show? Do you still do it?
My man Gee Spin (from NYC’s Power 105) started his radio career at Boston’s JAM’N 94.5. Back in the day, Gee used to always bug out when I would throw sports punchlines into my freestyles. The idea of a daily "rap-up" was his. He asked me to make a demo for the station and everyone loved it. I had a 3+ year run on the station. I was happy to do it, and would definitely do it again if given the proper platform.
What role does talk radio play in your career and would you want to take it farther?
Right now, radio has been on the back burner, but I would jump at the opportunity to do talk radio if the idea was right. I don’t really LOVE social media as a way to engage listeners. I would much rather have a conversation, and talk radio certainly lends to that.
Where do you hope to take your music career?
Everywhere they will have me! My main aspiration is to be more a part of the massive global hip-hop movement that exists, which brings together people from all walks of life in the name of peace, love, unity, and having fun. The way I can accomplish that is by getting involved with more high profile tours. My live performance is where I feel most at home and at my best, and I haven’t had as much opportunity to show that to people around the world as I would like. Other than that, I just want to become a better artist as time goes on, whatever that means haha.
Lastly, any shoutouts you may have?
Shoutout first and foremost to Chuck D. It’s hard to find the words to express my gratitude for the support he has given me over the years. Chuck has made it clear through his own words that he thinks I am just as dope as anyone else out there making new music, and Rapstation’s reinforcement of that through keeping me in rotation and showing buff love and respect is humbling to me. Also, peace to Mr. Lif we got new Perceptionists material coming soon! Check out his new album “Don’t Look Down!”on MMG. Also, get ready for that new album from REKS coming out in September on Brick Records! LX Beats you the man brother let’s get it!!
