Bionic man isn’t just the theme for Akrobatik’s next album; it’s a view into the story of his life over the last few years. The local treasure, national MC, has come back from his death bed – literally. Weathering the storm he has emerged healthier than ever with unchallenged staying power.
Life Alive – an organic vegetarian spot in Cambridge – was the backdrop for this interview; a wish for his continued good health. As if to comply to my care and concern, he doubled up on signature sandwiches “Superhero and The Bachelor”and kicked in “Super Hero Alive” drink to boot. Always the jokester, but never shying away from a question, he gives a play by play of the fateful day that sent him into the hospital, if he would ever do radio again, and his opinion on “Twitter Beef”, Amber Rose’s “rap skills” and where he thinks it all fits in the schema of hip hop.
BOSTONFAB: So…it’s been a while…
AKROBATIK: Yeah [laughs]
BOSTONFAB: It seems like we’ve heard from everybody else, but we haven’t really heard from you about your health, JAMN…first let’s get the health thing outta the way. What happened?
AKROBATIK: So for those who don’t know, I had an aortic dissection – which is basically the main vain that goes to my heart – split open; which was the result of prolong hypertension – high blood pressure left unchecked for a long period of time. The way I explain it to people is to picture a fruit roll up. Just stretch that thing just as much as you can… and then you know how the middle just gets really thin? Yeah that’s kinda what happened to my aorta.
One minute I thought I just had a headache like I usually get, and then the next thing I knew it was code red. Everything changed in an instant. I mean, I kind of knew that that one day something like this might happen as a result of my high blood pressure, but I thought I’d be in my 50’s. You don’t hear about people having open heart surgery and heart attacks in their 30’s.
BOSTONFAB: Take us through that day.
AKROBATIK: I mean my memories are kind of convoluted. Now all I remember is – “Oh my god if I don’t get an ambulance here right now, I’m going to be dead.” And just that struggle because I couldn’t see the numbers on my phone because my vision was starting to get blurry.
BOSTONFAB: Were you by yourself?
AKROBATIK: Yeah, I was by myself, in my house. My boys had left a while earlier. I mean there was a moment there when I was going to slam my phone down and just say “F it”. But just held my phone as far away from me as I could and for some reason that allowed me to see the numbers and I dialed 911. And the funny thing that I think of now…it’s funny now – the moment when you think that you might die, you’re like “Oh my god, let me at least like clean my living room a little bit so when they come to my house there’s not like underwear on the floor…so I’m like just gonna tidy up a little bit…if it gets worse over the next 2 minutes, I’m calling an ambulance.”
BOSTONFAB: That’s the clean underwear syndrome.
AKROBATIK: Yeah, I made sure I had clean underwear on… [laughs] I knew I was going to the hospital so I took care of that.
BOSTONFAB: So then what happened?
AKROBATIK: Next thing that I remember after all that…I remember waking up on the operating table. My guess is that it was before the surgery, but I couldn’t tell you that for sure…but I woke up and I felt like Darth Vader because all I heard was air. I heard air and like little bleeps and bloops. Unfortunately I was strapped to a table and I could only use my peripherals to look around…and because of that…I didn’t know if I paralyzed…and there was like only one person in the room and she was like a nurse’s assistant, so she wasn’t trying to talk to me. It was just a really lonely, lost feeling. At that time I couldn’t remember what got me there.
BOSTONFAB: What did they have to do in surgery?
AKROBATIK: They replaced my aorta …it’s funny to think that you have something artificial inside of you – so that’s why the next album concept will be the bionic man. Everything else [in my body] will go before that does. They actually had to open me up twice. They put it in and then I had a tube from my stomach for the drainage, but then a nurse noticed that the fluid had blood in it…so then they had to open me back up and fix what was wrong. So, basically I had 2 open heart surgeries in two days and 7 blood transfusions.
But that’s kinda history now because you know they saved me…all my friends and family, came through and took care of me and looked out for me big time. The guys got together and did like a benefit show for me, so I didn’t have any immediate money struggles or anything like that as a result of being there.
BOSTONFAB: Are you healthy now?
AKROBATIK: I mean now, I don’t have any immediate health concerns. I’m taking my medication, I’ve gained all my weight back – maybe a little more than I really wanted to. But I’m strong again, and you can’t really ask for more than that.
BOSTONFAB: Have you changed anything about your lifestyle?
AKROBATIK: I just exercise more, that’s the only difference. I still smoke weed, I still eat what I wanna eat, but I just am doing the things that my Dr. told me to do; practicing moderation. My Dr. says I could live ‘til 90 and there’s no reason for me not to think so. I’m just gonna take better care of myself.
BOSTONFAB: Well we’re glad you here! Moving on from your health…your last album was like 2008. So why have we been waiting this long to hear a new album?
AKROBATIK: That’s a good question and the reason is that I believe in quality over quantity. You got these guys out here putting out mixed tapes every week and all this stuff, but they are like really watering down the craft. If you put out something that’s good, it will stand the test of time, so there’s no need to follow it up immediately. And now this album has to be a little different than what it was gonna be, so I’m just making sure that it’s what I want.
BOSTONFAB: You’re starting to do shows again. How do shows feel now as opposed to before?
AKROBATIK: I’ve done a few shows, being at the benefit show and then one show for an emcee Exhibition who has stomach cancer. That show was really emotional for me. Not just because of coming back and my first show was helping someone else after so many had helped me, but I just remembered sitting on a bed with a ventilator down my throat, wondering if I was ever even gonna talk again - let alone perform and be able to do it at a high level. I had to learn how to walk again. When I finished that show, I just broke down afterwards, because I was just in awe of how lucky I was. I think I’m past the emotional part now, but the rush of the excitement leading up to it is palpable, is still there, it’s still new.
BOSTONFAB: What can we expect from your shows?
AKROBATIK: I’m really spontaneous about it. I don’t really decide what I’m gonna do before I get there. I see what type of crowd it is. I see what the energy is like. The whole time I’m there, my DJ’s just like looking at me…waiting like…”Ok, what am I doing?” And I tell him like an hour before we’re about to go on, and then we go through it mentally. That’s why I only work with people I know and close friends. My people know me, they know what to expect.
BOSTONFAB: Let’s talk about radio…JAMN ended. Have you thought about doing more radio, something more regular?
AKROBATIK: The thing about it is…I felt like at the time that I left JAMN it was clear to everybody involved that I needed a break. 3 years straight of getting up at 6 o’clock every morning, every day, to be creative would take a toll on anyone. They were like well this is your job, this is what it is. And I felt like if those expectations were so realistic then they would’ve had someone else doing it by now, or maybe they could have replaced me if they had a problem with me. The reality is that it never happened. And if you still turn on their show at 6am, guess who’s doing the intro that was recorded almost 3 years ago? I never felt like I got a fair shake from them…but…if they called me tomorrow…I would probably go back. I mean why not? At the end of the day I’m an entertainer and it’s about the fans.
As far as another radio station? I would do that too. It just has to be right. I think that I’ve had enough time away from it that I think I could put in a solid year. I think it would be fun. I don’t have any aspirations of that, but I’d be open to it.
BOSTONFAB: What are the goals that you have for yourself professionally?
AKROBATIK: My main goal is to put out an album in 2012. To me that’s critical for my career. Besides that? I dunno. I mean I have so many things that I like to do. I played a season of semi-pro football. I wrestle for Kaiju Big Battle – a performance arts group that performs nationally. I had my movie debut last year in a movie called “Heavy Times”, an independent film. It wasn’t a big role. I actually played myself, but it was an impressionable 90 minutes. Gave me the bug. I’m also trying to do more voice talent.
BOSTONFAB: Is it hard for you to focus on one thing at a time?
AKROBATIK: I have about 25 unfinished songs right now. I have this habit of like – I’ll write a hook and a verse. Or a verse and nothing else and that will just be my placeholder until I want to sit down and write for real. And that’s why everything will kinda come out at the same time.
BOSTONFAB: You also have quite the Twitter presence, and you have even gotten into some interesting – debates.
AKROBATIK: Twitter is great, you follow who you want and those who want to follow you are free to do so. So I go into it with this attitude that I’m kind of preaching to the choir, because you are already aware of me and are following me, so you’re thinking outside the box already. I feel like when I make a statement, I kind of have to turn the volume up. A. Because I’m preaching to the choir and I like to bleed out the people who might be offended – I find out who they are and go head to head with them. Also because I think that, I’m speaking not just for myself, I’m speaking for people who can’t be heard by however many people can see what I’m saying.
If I wrote a song about everything that pissed me off, that’s all my music would be. I don’t hate everything, but I hate most things in pop culture. If you erase pop culture, then I love a lot of things. [laughs]
Like with Amber Rose. I heard her song and was like – it is exactly what we were afraid she’d put out one day, so I went on this whole thing where I thought of things with Amber and saying things that were greater than Amber Rose. Like Amber Ale is greater than Amber Rose. Tiffani Amber Theissen is greater than Amber Rose. Amber waves of grain…is greater than Amber Rose. The great thing about this country is that whenever something is out in the world for all to see, we all can have an opinion about it. Unfortunately some people believe that if someone has achieved a certain level of fame and notoriety, that they are immune to someone saying something about them that’s not positive.
I use celebrities as a common denominator to talk about issues in society. I can’t tell you about my aunt “Joyce” because she is not someone you know. I need to give people a frame of reference.When Amber Rose puts out her new single and video, the first place she’s gonna go is 106 & Park. And the whole entire audience is 15 years-old. 15 year-olds shouldn’t even know who she is, you know? And I don’t have a problem with Amber Rose and who she is…but the product Amber Rose that’s out there, and the path that led her to where she is, sends a terrible message out to women.
So when I say that Amber Rose has “hooker like behavior” I’m not saying anything different than what thousands of people have said, so why be mad at me because I have a name that you recognize? I just have my opinion. Take it or leave it.
BOSTONFAB: What about the Common and Drake beef? What do you think about that? Is Common just out to sell albums or is there real beef?
AKROBATIK: I think that it’s great that a respectable cat would come out and acknowledge a dude like Drake for what he is, but then at the same time, I’m like why even bother? Just wait like two years and he’ll be gone. It’s definitely difficult to over look the timing, but I don’t really know the situation. I don’t know what Drake said about him…I mean it’s hilarious. You don’t really see these instances of light-skinned on light-skinned crime in the rap game too often. So I personally feel invested in this like – brothas we can do better, they already don’t like us. Like fall back, we need each other. I know Kayne West is like havin’ a field day.
[laughs] But all jokes aside, I don’t know enough to exactly understand what it’s based on – other than Drake is terrible. He’s terrible for hip hop. Now that doesn’t mean he’s not talented. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t make music that people like, that’s obviously not the case. I’m not trying to take anything away from the kid in that regard. But his use of the art of emceeing is definitely bastardization. And for someone who appreciates authenticity in hip hop, he’s as fraudulent as it gets. He’s gonna be rappin’ about killin’ people, and then he’s like the most emo person to have ever existed. To me he’s like the kind of person who would do anything to sell records, and he’s done a good job at that.
My only problem with Common was that I didn’t think what he did was any good…I mean this was a guy who made Ice Cube shut up for 5 years, and then he throws a baby tap at Drake? Common could beat Drake’s ass…like mercilessly, like it wouldn’t even be close. Drake would tear his ACL running from Common.
BOSTONFAB: You seem to have this code of ethics when it comes to your craft.
AKROBATIK: I don’t think my code of ethics as a part of emceeing is any different than my code of ethics as a man. I think there’s enough room in hip hop for people to express themselves, be creative, be who they are and just be real. Everyone has an imagination. The problem that I have with rappers is that rappers try to paint pictures of themselves and there’s no disclaimer whatsoever that they’re lying. You and I can listen to a record and you and I know if Drake says that he’s catching a body, he’s not catching a body unless someone throws one at him, and even then he’ll drop it. But his young fans who listen to that may think there’s a side to Drake that, well – he’ll shoot you. And maybe I need to have that side, you know? And I’m gonna try to sleep with every girl in the world and if somebody says something to me I don’t like, I’m gonna pull my gun on them. And the impressionable kid that takes all of those ideas and concepts and mutates them and turn them into something that’s ugly in real life. And I think that as an artist you can be responsible about THAT. How come nobody steps up and says – “I’m lying on my record. This is not true. If you’re a kid and you listen to my record, understand that I’m making this sh*t up…as I go along, I’m not even writing anything down.” Where is any type of honesty and humility? I understand that not everybody is gonna want to do that, but I just have a little less respect for people who don’t.
BOSTONFAB: Do you think us as fans, even the younger set, even listen to lyrics anymore?
AKROBATIK: I do. I think that people are listening to lyrics. The kids have their headphones on and they’re reciting the lyrics, but I think that the bar has been lowered for what is good as lyrics. I understand that I’m not in a Lil’ Wayne, Drake, Niki Minaj demographic. I’m not a 16 year-old girl, but I love rap and I know what’s good. Nowadays everybody is desperate for money. Everybody’s like, “Well I found a way to make a beat with fruity loops in my house, record it, make a video with my iPhone, upload it to You Tube and get 500,000 views…I’m a BOSS. Where’s my dough? F*ck Big Daddy Kayne. Who is that? He’s 42. He’s an old man.” That’s where the game has come to. I can only laugh at that to keep from crying.
I think the bottom line is desperation. The reason for so much of the decay in America – whether it be the arts, the moral decay, is desperation because of a failed economy. So people are like – I’m going to do whatever I got to do for me. It’s caused us not to care about each other. The same way people sell crack on the streets is the same way people are selling music. We’re just gonna put in it whatever is going to be an easy fix; an easy sell to those who are not so informed. Mostly kids.
BOSTONFAB: With all of that, how do you stay in this business? What makes you still do this and not all the other talented things you could be doing?
AKROBATIK: The pockets of resistance in the game. There are still a lot of great artists, fans and music lovers out there. I mean I have enough supporters to sustain my career. I can operate independently no matter what’s going on out there. All I can do is enjoy my career and hope that the fan base grows. There are not a lot of people that can afford to be honest. I think with what I do, I’m just a regular cat that can afford to be honest.
Get in on his Twitter comments by following him @akrobatikmc. He will also be performing tonight January, 16th at Church (69 Kilmanark St) to celebrate MLK along with a host of other artists. Tickets are $20.00 at the door.
