Akrobatik
Jared Bridgeman, better known by his stage name Akrobatik, is an American rapper from the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He is also a part of the hip hop collective named The Perceptionists with Mr. Lif and DJ Fakts One, which released Black Dialogue in 2005. In 1998, Akrobatik released his first single, "Ruff Enough", on Boston's Detonator Records label. It was followed by "Internet MCs" and "Say Yes Say Word".
His music has appeared on television series such as HBO's The Wire and ESPN's Playmakers, in films such as Date Movie and Wholetrain, and in video games such as NBA Live '06, Amplitude, Frequency, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. In 2003, Akrobatik released an album, Balance, on Coup D'état. It ranked at number 4 on CMJ's "Hip-Hop 2003" chart.
In December 2005, Akrobatik signed to Fat Beats Records. The Brooklyn-based label released his second studio album, Absolute Value, in 2008. It received positive reviews from AllMusic, HipHopDX, Okayplayer and PopMatters.
In 2011, Akrobatik suffered a ruptured heart valve and was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he underwent an emergency valve replacement surgery. In 2014, he released an album, Built to Last, which was listed by Spin as one of the 40 best hip-hop albums of the year.
