''Absolute Value'' is the second studio album by Boston rapper

Akrobatik Jared K. Bridgeman, (born May 3, 1974) better known by his stage name Akrobatik, is an American rapper from the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. He is also a part of the hip hop collective named The Perceptionists with Mr. Lif ...

. It was released on February 19, 2008 by Fat Beats Records. The album features guest appearances by hip hop artists

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He first earned recognition through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def (now known as Yasiin Bey) in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's music ...

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D is also a me ...

, and

B-Real Louis Mario Freese (born June 2, 1970), known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper. Since 1991, he has been one of two lead rappers in the hip hop group Cypress Hill, along with Sen Dog. He has also been a part of the rap metal ban ...

, as well as production by

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is an American record producer, record ...

, Illmind,

J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

, and

Da Beatminerz Da Beatminerz are an American hip-hop production team from Bushwick, Brooklyn that is popular with the underground hip-hop scene. History The crew, originally composed of brothers Mr. Walt (born June 2, 1968) and DJ Evil Dee (born May 24, 1971 ...

. Despite receiving rave reviews, the album sold about 600 units in its opening week.

Critical reception

Marisa Brown of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

gave the album 4 stars out of 5, commenting that it "mixes his socially conscious messages and his battle-honed cadence, healthy ego, and energetic production (courtesy here of Illmind, Dilla, J-Zone, and 9th Wonder, among others) into a palatable but intelligent creation that entertains as much as it educates." She added, "''Absolute Value'' has a few requisite tracks -- the melancholy 'Rain,' the sweet 'Back Home to You' -- but it also has a lot of sharp, thoughtful, fun material that knows how to keep the audience moving, both in body and mind." J-23 of ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of Hip hop music, hip hop music criticism and news. ''HipHopDX'' has over 3.5M monthly readers, the website encompassing hip hop news, interviews, music, and reviews. The website's founder and CEO is Sharath C ...

'' gave the album a 4.0 out of 5, saying, "you won't find anything on this album that will have you reaching for the skip button." Andrew Martin of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' gave the album 7 stars out of 10, calling it "a strong representation of Ak's versatility as an emcee." Max Herman of ''

XLR8R ''XLR8R'' (pronounced "accelerator") is a website that covers music, culture, style, and technology. It was originally also a print magazine. History and profile ''XLR8R'' was founded as a newsprint zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in S ...

'' gave the album a 7.5 out of 10, writing, "the MC leaves the greatest impression when he balances his hard-hitting approach with focused subject matter as he does on the Little Brother-assisted 'Be Prepared,' a soulful examination of the rap game."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. *

– vocals *

– vocals (1) * Illmind – production (1, 5, 9, 12) *

– production (2) * DJ Evil Dee – turntables (2) *

– vocals (3) *

– production (3) * DJ Jayceeoh – turntables (3, 4, 6, 10, 14) *

Hezekiah Hezekiah (; ), or Ezekias (born , sole ruler ), was the son of Ahaz and the thirteenth king of Kingdom of Judah, Judah according to the Hebrew Bible.Stephen L Harris, Harris, Stephen L., ''Understanding the Bible''. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. "G ...

– production (4) * Brenna Gethers – vocals (5, 9) * Little Brother – vocals (6) *

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is an American record producer, record ...

– production (6) * J-Zone – production (7) * Willie Evans Jr. – vocals (8) * DJ Therapy – vocals (8), production (8, 14), turntables (13) *

– vocals (9) * Tzarizm – production (10) * Mr. Lif – vocals (11) * DJ Fakts One – production (11) *

Bumpy Knuckles James Campbell (born March 27, 1969), is an American rapper and record producer, better known by his stage names Freddie Foxxx and Bumpy Knuckles. Biography Foxxx started rapping in the early 1980s. In 1986, he recorded "You Gotta Come Out Fre ...

– vocals (12) * Baba Israel – production (13) * Yako – production (13) * Buttaskotch – engineering * Lucy Fernandes – engineering * Ray Fernandes – engineering * Sir Bob Nash – engineering * Mark Donahue – mastering * Alphabet Arm Design – art direction * Billy Nunez – illustration * A. Garcia – photography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Absolute Value (album) 2008 albums Akrobatik albums Fat Beats Records albums Albums produced by 9th Wonder Albums produced by Da Beatminerz Albums produced by Illmind Albums produced by J Dilla Albums produced by J-Zone