AKROBATIK interview (2/20/2004)

Flatline: How long have you been rhyming and who are some of your major influences?

Akrobatik: I been rhyming since I was a tiny kid...I was pretty much born during the era where hiphop and rap music just started to get popular. I got to see a lot of the cats that were breaking ground in the beginning like Run DMC and people like that...A Tribe Called Quest and The Jungle Brothers...Public Enemy, EPMD...I'm a direct product of that era. I started rhyming during the mid-80's pretty much.

Flatline: You can tell in your sound...how old are you?

Akrobatik: I'm 29...

Flatline: Yeah, I'm 28 and I can totally relate to where you're coming from. We grew up in a good period for hiphop...I feel pretty lucky...

Akrobatik: Me too man...it took me awhile to figure it out but I really understand a lot of cats respect and the fact that they miss that whole era. It makes me think about maybe some of the backtracking that I could have done with some of the other music that I listened to.

Flatline: Listening to "Balance", I think it could have easily come out alongside people like Organized Konfusion, The Beatnuts, Souls Of Mischief, Gangstarr, Black Moon...I mean, you name it, it's got that mid-90's vibe to it. Production-wise, how did you select who you wanted to work with?

Akrobatik: Well, I mean, for the most part I didn't really have anyone in mind...I pretty much just take it on a beat by beat basis. Like, I would take a beat from your aunt...(laughs)...you know what I mean? Whenever I hear something that influences me and inspires me to write a song, I just holla back at that person. I'm lucky enough to be in a position now where people hit me up with beats all the time. It's a very easy job at this point.

Flatline: The track you did with Mr.Lif, that you produced, I think is one of the strongest tracks on the album...do you plan to produce more in the future?

Akrobatik: Oh yeah, definitely. I mean, I did a lot of my stuff prior to the album also. I did a jam for Lif that he put out on a 12 inch a year or two ago.

Flatline: What was it like working with Diamond D on the track "Feedback"?

Akrobatik: Oh it was dope...Diamond's the man. He's the type of guy where if you got common ground, you're feel pretty comfortable with him right away. He's a really good guy.

Flatline: "Feedback" has that classic Diamond sound to it...

Akrobatik: Yeah, it's crazy man. I think he told me that he originally made that beat with Busta Rhymes in mind but he never got a chance to get him the track or something like that.

Flatline: You say on the album "look out for each other cause the government is lunatics"...you wanna speak more on that?
Akrobatik: I mean, to me, it's pretty obvious...it's just...the government IS lunatics. If you look at the priorities of the American government...like where the money goes and where the money doesn't. I was just watching "Bowling For Columbine" for the 11th time and there's this one part in the movie where George Bush says something like if there's one way we can show unity in the American government, it would be for congress to send the funding for defense to fight this war...(laughs)...THAT'S THE WORDS OF A LUNATIC!!

Flatline: (laughing) No doubt...!

Akrobatik: A showing of unity is funding a war?!?? (laughs) And the fact that we're in a position where someone can just say that on a microphone to a group of people who are applauding on a tv in front of a national audience is AMAZING...

Flatline: They're like sheep...

Akrobatik: Yeah!! I can't believe not one person is like, wait a minute....so it's pretty crazy man. The priorities of America are not straight and a lot of it has to do with what the government does with it's resources.

Flatline: "Remind My Soul" is one of my favorites off the album and it's been awhile since I've heard an emcee talk about Malcolm X or Nat Turner. That's definitely important for the youth to hear...did you make a point of mentioning them?
Akrobatik: Well, that track is another example of music inspiring me to write songs because that track, being what it was, is what created the opportunity for me to write that song. There's a lot of things that I have views on and perspectives on that aren't necessarily on a record...yet. Hopefully I'll hear or create a soundscape that'll make me wanna express that particular thing. With the beat for "Remind My Soul", it told that story to me...it made that come out. Definitely big up's to Illmind for making that track.

Flatline: Your love for women on the album is pretty obvious to me...

Akrobatik: (laughs) Yeah...

Flatline: ...but there's also a level of respect involved. Where do you get that from?

Akrobatik: Well I think it has to do with seeing women being mistreated for so long...from the time I was born until today. Women are blatantly disrespected and again, it's just one of those things that's accepted.

Flatline: More so even now...you look at some of these videos that are out and it's just crazy.

Akrobatik: Yeah exactly....I mean, I love my mom...she did a great job of raising me...my grandmother and my aunt, and I just feel like to some degree you gotta be cool with them. I mean, obviously, you're gonna appreciate their sensuality and their beauty and their sexuality and all that BUT that doesn't take away their value as people who should be respected. I mean, not everyone is respectable, and there's already a song written about that..."not talkin about the ladies but the bitches"...you can refer to that and he hit the nail on the head with that. I think some people just make the generalization that they're all bitches and it's definitely NOT like that.

Flatline: It would be cool if you and Jeru did a track together. Anyone else you'd like to work with?

Akrobatik: I definitely wanna do a joint with J-Live, Premo definitely...Gangstarr in general, I'd love to do something with them...and if I ever had the opportunity to hook up with a couple cats from Wu-Tang that'd be crazy. I think as we go down the journey, I meet more and more cats each year so.....I never thought I'd be doing a track with Diamond D!

- Flatline for rapstation.com