Boston Hip Hop stalwart Mr. Lif and fellow MC Akrobatik established The Perceptionists in 2004 alongside DJ Fakts One, and quickly signed with El-P’s former label Definitive Jux. Although the group only released one official studio album, 2005’s Black Dialogue, Lif and Akrobatik (who calls Lif his “best friend”) have remained tight over the years.
After Lif’s near-fatal bus crash and Akrobatik’s emergency aortic dissection in 2011, the two are, frankly, just thankful to be breathing. Mello Music Group, Lif’s current label, has just released a new mini-documentary about their journey, which dives into their unbreakable friendship.
“In a world as intense as the one we live in, it can be tough to stay focused on the things that really matter in life,” Lif explains to HipHopDX. “Luckily for myself and Akrobatik, after a lengthy hiatus from making records together, we’re both still alive and at the heights of our musical inspiration. It’s been a long friendship full of ups and downs — way more ups than downs by the way — and we both realize what’s important is unifying our efforts to make music that hopefully does for our listeners what it does for us.”
While it’s not 100 percent confirmed the duo is back in the studio whipping up a batch of fresh baked goodies, by the sound of it, it wouldn’t be too outside the realm of possibilities. Towards the end of the nearly seven-minute short film, Akrobatik says, “There’s people who have been waiting over a decade for this, including me, so I’m ready. I’m all in.” What “this” is hasn’t been defined yet, but there’s a sense it won’t be long before more is revealed.
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“Music can provide healing, peace of mind, and a sense of connectivity to others,” he says. “Based on what we see going on in the world nowadays, we hope our music can provide any one of, and hopefully all of, those crucial services and many more. Thankfully, Mello Music Group and Mild West captured this footage in which Akrobatik and I share thoughts on our friendship and music, as well as things to come.”
Hmmm.
