I first heard of Akrobatik in 2001, a year after the arrival of his debut EP titled, well, The EP. His song “Internet MCs” was popular in the underground circle. I, being knee deep in text-battling at the time, had mixed reactions to lyrics like “You ain’t a MC just because you could type/On the mic in real life your ass’ll get sniped.” In 2003, however, Ak made an indelible impression with his first full-length, Balance. One of the songs on Balance would end up becoming my favorite rap song ever. If you’ve never heard Akrobatik’s “Remind My Soul,” stop reading this and get to googling right away.

Anyhow, it’s great to see Ak back on his grind after a 5-year hiatus (not counting the Perceptionists’ group album Black Dialogue). I’ve been bumping his latest joint, Absolute Value for a couple of weeks now and like fine wine, it gets better with time. It’s loaded with fresh cuts and the guest lineup is unbelievable. Proceed for the tracklist and a couple of audios.

Akrobatik - Absolute Value Tracklist

1. A to the K (feat. B-Real, prod. Illmind)
2. Soul Glo (prod. Da Beatminerz)
3. Put Ya Stamp On It (f/Talib Kweli, prod. J Dilla)
   

4. Step it Up (prod. Hezekiah)
5. Rain (f/Brenna Gethers, prod. Illmind)
6. Be Prepared (f/Little Brother, prod. 9th Wonder)
   

7. Absolute Value (prod. J-Zone)
8. Black Hell Breaks Loose (f/Therapy & Willie Evans Jr., prod. Therapy)
9. Kindred (f/Chuck D, prod. Illmind)
10. Front Steps Pt. II (Tough Love) (prod. Tzarizm)
11. Beast Mode (f/Mr. Lif, prod. Fakts One)
12. If We Can’t Build (f/Freddie Foxxx, prod. Illmind)
13. Ak B. Nimble (prod. Baba Izreal)
14. Back Home to You (prod. Therapy)

In stores February 19th.