Though he has occasionally ruffled a few feathers over the years, DJ Akademiks has built himself into one of hip-hop media’s most recognizable names. And while a stint as a co-host of Complex’s Everyday Struggle series expanded his profile significantly, Ak announced that he would be parting ways with the network last November.
Given the timing of his departure, which also happened to coincide with the conclusion of Everyday Struggle, many of his critics speculated that Akademiks was fired over his widely publicized feuds with Freddie Gibbs and Chrissy Teigen. While Ak himself voiced displeasure with the way Complex handled the situation — including bestowing an award to Gibbs as he was in the midst of threatening purple nurples with wanton recklessness — it would appear that the fences have been mended.
During a Livestream on his Twitch page last night, Akademiks confirmed that he was indeed planning a return to Complex. “Complex is bringing back my show On The Sticks,” confirms Ak, speaking on his gaming-centric series. “I own the show, Complex licenses it from me. We’ve had a good partnership. Salute to Complex. I’m not one of those people who leave a company — I always told Complex that Everyday Struggle’s my baby, and I leveraged everything to keep Everyday Struggle going. It’s not going anymore, but they hit me up to say ‘hey, we know you love Everyday Struggle, but are you cool to do a season of On The Sticks?”
“The relationship between me and Complex is cool, and I love my show On The Sticks, and I’m definitely down to do it,” he continues. “To everyone who said I got fired from Complex, how are they going to explain having a season with the people who fired you. Anyway. I’m not doing it for those people.”
He also expresses interest in reuniting with Joe Budden, outlining his vision on how a possible partnership might occur. Check out Akademiks addressing his future plans in media below, kicking off around the six-minute mark.
WATCH: Akademiks’ On The Sticks, which will be returning to Complex.