Hip-Hop Island

Seems these days everyone is spitting rhymes and doing beats, so it's a wonderful gem when an artist not only masters his verbal art form, but also commands the stage as a true performer. Boston native Akrobatik took over the New York City's Tap Room at the Knitting Factory on Thursday night (11/29) for a small but energized audience and gave them a heated show packed with conscious vibes and on point flows.

Rock Hip-Hop duo The Metermaids warmed up the crowd before Akro took the stage with their intense form of Rock-Hop. With tight flow and precision, The Metermaids turned just another Thursday into a night of good time anthems. Fellow conscious rappers Loj and Born Talent warmed up the small crowd, but at the end of the night the crowd was hyped for Akrobatik's performance.

Even though the crowd weakened a little as Akrobatik took the stage just after midnight, he was still ready to give it his all. Performing songs from his upcoming album Absolute Value (Fat Beat Records), Akro gave concert goers a preview of what should be a great album filled with collaborations with Talib Kweli and Little Brother to name a few. Akrobatik had everyone throwing their fists up as he spit over the J. Dilla produced "Put Ya Stamp On It."

Akro's form of conscious lyrics over heavy beats had even the most tired fans bobbing their heads. He took the stage and created his own cipher while freestyling anti-Bush sentiments and chants to bring home our troops. Akro's stage presence created a great connection with his audience; as they responded with hollers of satisfaction to his every rhyme. Point blank, Akrobatik didn’t disappoint.

Originally published @ http://allhiphop.com/blogs/reviewsmusic/archive/2007/11/30/18947328.aspx