The Perceptionists: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Oct. 20, 2017 | Abby O’Neil -- Mr. Lif and Akrobatik are two emcees whose names rock bells among true hip-hop heads. The duo of Boston natives first teamed up as The Perceptionists in the early aughts to release Black Dialogue on El-P’s Def Jux label in 2005. Their side project went into indefinite hiatus soon afterward, but now Lif and Akrobatik are reunited on their new LP, Resolution. While Lif has been touring and writing with downtempo icons Thievery Corporation for the greater part of the last seven years, Akrobatik’s last solo album (2014’s Built To Last) rightfully received a warm reception from critics and connoisseurs. Their conscious ethos is perfectly encapsulated by Ak’s lyrical run on “A Different Light,“ where he raps: “But I’m above all of the melodrama / When they go low / We go high / Michelle Obama.“ The song tells the story of Ak’s near-death experience with a pernicious aortic dissection, as well as the betrayal of a close friend during his convalescence. Akrobatik took the high road, an