dj akademiks

DJ Akademiks Has An Ominous Warning For Drake After UMG & Spotify Petition

by

While there is no Round 2 when it comes to the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef, there is certainly another chapter to the latter’s changing relationship with the music industry. Now, it’s in the form of a legal petition accusing Universal Music Group and Spotify of illegally and artificially boosting the sales numbers of “Not Like Us” through payola practices and botting. It’s obviously been an incredibly controversial move in hip-hop discourse, and also an ominously unprecedented choice that left many fans wondering what could happen next. DJ Akademiks is quite skeptical of this petition’s success, as even if it does happen, it could come at a massive cost.

During his most recent livestream, the media personality posited that Drake’s petition could change the music industry forever, as it would have to meet the standards of this hypothetically landmark case. However, he thinks that the more likely scenario is that Universal Music Group will basically make an example out of the 6ix God and hand down severe punishment. This not only applies in court, per DJ Akademiks’ assessment, but also when it comes to their treatment of Drizzy as an artist.

Read More: Drake Unveils “Anita Max Win” Tour Dates For 2025

DJ Akademiks Warns Drake

For example, Ak posited that Drake should release his upcoming collab album with PARTYNEXTDOOR via his independent “100 GIGS” venture rather than through Universal Music Group, as they could sabotage it. He also brought up multiple other examples of rappers and artists like Kanye West, Diddy, and 50 Cent eventually facing industry pushback for their transgressions against the machine. Of course, those are wildly different cases, but you get the idea. In fact, DJ Akademiks proposed that the only celebrities who successfully forced the machine to meet their terms were Taylor Swift and Dave Chappelle, and that everyone else became a martyr to some degree.

Finally, Akademiks spoke on how this is a particularly big move because it’s not towards just any division or executive, but rather the highest higher-ups at Universal Music Group. He thinks that this will cause an especially damaging disaster for Drake. But at the end of the day, neither DJ Akademiks nor anyone else’s knowledge and inferences can predict what will happen for sure.

Read More: Suki Baby From Drake & 21 Savage’s “Her Loss” Cover Praises Kendrick Lamar’s New Album

[via]

The post DJ Akademiks Has An Ominous Warning For Drake After UMG & Spotify Petition appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

DJ Akademiks Explains How Drake’s UMG Lawsuit Could Affect His PartyNextDoor Collab Album

by

DJ Akademiks says fans shouldn’t expect Drake and PartyNextDoor’s collaborative album to arrive before the conclusion of the Toronto rapper’s impending lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Spotify. He discussed Drake’s legal case over UMG and Spotify’s alleged boosting of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” during a live stream on Monday night.

Akademiks began by theorizing that Drake and Party’s collaborative album is already done. “Whatever he signs, this will be the first project off of it,” he said. From there, he argued that Drake’s negotiations must have been stalling, but criticized his decision to take legal action so soon after the release of Kendrick Lamar’s new album, GNX. “I still think he should’ve waited two weeks,” he said. “You can’t contribute to anything that Kendrick got going on because if I’m Kendrick’s team, I’m gonna use this too. And I’m gonna milk it.”

Read More: Drake Hits UMG & Spotify With Bombshell Allegations Over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Streams

Drake Poses With PartyNextDoor In New York City

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 23: (L-R) PartyNextDoor and Drake attend Party Next Door Live at S.O.B.’s on October 23, 2014, in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Drake filed the “pre-action” petition in Manhattan court on Monday, alleging that UMG and Spotify worked together to artificially boost the popularity of Kendrick Lamar’s viral diss track, “Not Like Us.” He is accusing UMG of using bots and payola to do so. “UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” lawyers for Drake’s company wrote. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.” They accuse the company of violating the RICO Act as well as using deceptive business practices and false advertising.

DJ Akademiks Weighs In On Drake’s New Lawsuit

Drake has been teasing the release of a collaborative album with PartyNextDoor for months now. Prior to the new lawsuit, it was expected to drop at some point before the end of the year. Check out DJ Akademiks’ stance on Drake’s legal action against UMG and Spotify below.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “wacced out murals” Lyric Breakdown

[Via]

The post DJ Akademiks Explains How Drake’s UMG Lawsuit Could Affect His PartyNextDoor Collab Album appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

DJ Akademiks Gives His Highly-Anticipated Review Of Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX”

by

Kendrick Lamar is shutting up any doubters as to how great he’s been in 2024. Just several hours ago, Kung Fu Kenny put out GNX moments after dropping a one-minute teaser trailer of sorts on YouTube. Many were expecting this to just be the start of the album’s rollout. However, he fooled everyone by giving the hip-hop world 12 new cuts to dissect and salivate over. There are many who are just plain floored right now, and others who are already dubbing it the best of the year. However, you know there are bound to be a few party poopers, like one DJ Akademiks. If you have been following the controversial media pundit, you know he’s team Drizzy through and through.

He made that especially known in case some weren’t aware during Drake and Lamar’s highly public beef. However, Ak has recently come forward with a fairly positive review of GNX. He even did the unthinkable by defending the project after a group of folks tuning into his livestream claimed it was a “3/12” listen. He did say that it showed similarities to Lamar’s most accessible tape, DAMN., which has received some criticisms for being too safe.

Read More: Diddy Makes Shocking Admission About Allegedly Unmonitored Jail Calls 

DJ Akademiks Surmises That Kendrick Lamar Has Something Else Up His Sleeve

But DJ Akademiks came clean and said that “we have to be fair… it’s a dope tape.” He thinks Lamar also made a smart move dropping at a time where many were clamoring for a new LP. However, he surmises that this isn’t the album that’s been hinted at for months. Despite the fact that every publication has called it his sixth studio album, Akademiks believes that Lamar is up to something.

“We don’t know what his next album is gonna be. Now I get it. It’s on Spotify and you’re gonna be like ‘no this is his next album,’ this ain’t his next album, right. This is a tape.” It’s an interesting take for sure, however, Kendrick is not one to drop multiple times a year. Overall, it’s rare that we get a single every 12 months from the Compton creative. Then again, K. Dot hoodwinked everyone today, so who really knows if this is just another type of untitled unmastered. situation.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar Is Ready To “Squabble Up” On “GNX” Cut

[Via]

The post DJ Akademiks Gives His Highly-Anticipated Review Of Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

DJ Akademiks & Wack 100 Debate Kendrick Lamar Being Photographed Next To An Alleged Pedophile

by

Kendrick Lamar is being thrust into a debate between DJ Akademiks and Wack 100 over some old photos with an alleged pedophile. The latter called the former recently while on a livestream about pictures resurfacing of the Compton superstar and a past affiliate. The reason for the pedophile allegations running rampant right now is because some clips are going viral on Twitter. This man, 38, was caught in a sting operation by YouTuber and streamer Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, for trying to sleep with who he thought was a 15-year-old girl. This is thanks to a report from The Express Tribune. The video evidence can be found with the “[Via]” links below. In one of the clips, the 38-year-old can be seen trying to get intimate with the “15-year-old.” Then, in another, Vitaly reads out some of the texts that were sent regarding the things he wanted to do.

“I wanna f*** you balls deep,” one of the messages allegedly read. Despite taking some accountability for his actions, the affiliate of K. Dot’s also didn’t feel too bad either. Overall, there’s a lot to unpack now and going forward, which is where Akademiks and Wack 100 come into the picture. Obviously, this is becoming a debate because Kendrick Lamar labeled Drake a pedophile during their beef. Additionally, it has some relation to K. Dot bringing up Baka Not Nice and his assault case against a 22-year-old woman.

Read More: Tyrese Claims He’ll “Shoot, Stab And Kill” To Protect Wealth From Baby Mamas

Kendrick Lamar’s Alleged Affiliate Was Caught In A Sting Operation

During their phone call, they debated whether or not Lamar has some responsibility for being around someone like this. Of course, nothing is confirmed if this Compton man is indeed a pedophile. No one also knows if these two still have a connection with one another. That’s sort of the angle that Wack is taking, labeling the guy more of a fan rather than a friend, which is different than Drake and Baka’s relationship. Because of this thought process, the manager thinks that Kendrick didn’t really need to do a full background check on the now 38-year-old.

Wack also brought up the viral video of Drake swooning over a 17-year-old earlier on in his career onstage. He feels that was more wrong given how he kept going after he discovered that information. As for Akademiks, he’s looking at it as Kendrick should be catching some heat for this. However, he did add that he felt both rappers during the battle were fishing a little bit when dissing each other, especially in regard to the pedophile accusations. Ultimately, they both met in the middle a little. They feel Drake being attracted to younger women of legal age is okay. However, Ak and Wack don’t seem to be eye to eye on Kendrick’s situation.

Read More: Playboi Carti Claims There Will No Features On “I AM MUSIC” Album

[Via] [Via] [Via] [Via] [Via]

The post DJ Akademiks & Wack 100 Debate Kendrick Lamar Being Photographed Next To An Alleged Pedophile appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Quando Rondo Admits King Von Beef Could Have Been Handled “A Totally Different Way”

by

Earlier this week, DJ Akademiks released a new interview with Quando Rondo. During it, they discussed a variety of topics including Lil Durk’s arrest. The Chicago rapper was taken into custody last month and hit with charges related to alleged murder-for-hire. His arrest took place just hours after five other alleged OTF affiliates were arrested. Authorities believe they were allegedly paid to murder Quando Rondo as retaliation for King Von’s 2020 death.

In 2022, Quando Rondo and his cousin Lul Pab were victims of a shooting at a Los Angeles gas station. Quando walked away unscathed while Lul Pab succumbed to his injuries. During his interview with Ak, Quando explained that any issues he had with King Von could have been settled through music instead of alleged violence. “At the end of the day,” he began, “All this bullsh*t that we talkin’ about is st*pid sh*t that could have been handled a totally different way. It could have been to the point that a song and three or four million dollars could have came out this sh*t.”

Read More: Quando Rondo Speaks On His Connection With NBA YoungBoy

Quando Rondo Reflects On His Issues With King Von

“It could have got handled in a legit way,” he also added. “In a music way.” This is far from the only notable moment from the interview, however. At one point, Akademiks also used the phrase “devil’s advocate,” which earned a big response from Quando Rondo. He made it clear that the comment made him extremely uncomfortable, and then almost stormed out.

“Bro, I ain’t gonna lie, I promise you. You even just saying that devil’s name, I want to take these microphones off and walk out that door,” he said in response to the remark. “I can’t let ya slide with that. This some devilish sh*t? Why’d you put the devil name in it, buddy? Boy I’m serious. You gotta take that back. Don’t lose the devils boy.”

Read More: Quando Rondo Nearly Storms Out Of DJ Akademiks Interview Over The Phrase, “Devil’s Advocate”

[Via]

The post Quando Rondo Admits King Von Beef Could Have Been Handled “A Totally Different Way” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

DJ Akademiks Blames The Downfall Of ESPN On Skip Bayless

by

As DJ Akademiks watches rap star-turned-podcaster Cam’ron‘s sit-down interview with Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, he claims Skip Bayless is responsible for ESPN’s alleged downfall in sports media. Big Ak claims ESPN or Skip Bayless did not conduct the Tyson/Paul interview. In a clip of him commenting on the interview, Ak mentioned Skip, saying, “ESPN just completely fallen to shit? And I’m be honest with you: the fall of Skip Bayless was the pivot of sports media to podcasts. Because I’m shocked this face-off didn’t take place on ESPN.”

DJ Akademiks elaborated: “I listen to Gilbert Arenas, and I listen to usually former players sitting around nothing that resembles a sports desk; they’re just chilling. Talking about – not necessarily play-by-play – but they’re talking about it in a barbershop sense. But it’s way more engaging. I listen to Cam’ron and Mase talk about sports, tell their own personal stories, and relate them to the everyday man. Nobody wants to sit around with the highlights playing around them; it’s like, ‘Yo, watch the games on your own time.’ You got Cam’ron with chains on.”

Read more: Michael Rapaport Slams Akademiks Over “Dusty” Rapper Diss, Akademiks Responds

Big AK Says Skip Bayless Caused The Fall Of ESPN

Skip Bayless ended Undisputed, his long-running Fox Sports sports talk show, in August. The show featured an original theme song by Lil Wayne. During the show’s eight-year run, Wayne appeared many times. Popular sports analyst Shannon Sharpe was Bayless’s former co-host before leaving for ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith in 2023. Skip and Stephen were also former co-hosts before they split in 2016. The two have discussed the break-up several times over the years.  

Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson is Friday, November 15, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Netflix will present the brand’s first-ever live event worldwide on the streaming platform. Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions will present the event. The fight will feature a co-headliner in Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor. There is no word if DJ Akademiks will attend the event yet.

Read more: Akademiks Challenges Rosenberg To A Duel

[Via]

The post DJ Akademiks Blames The Downfall Of ESPN On Skip Bayless appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Quando Rondo Speaks On His Connection With NBA YoungBoy

by

“No friends in the industry” is a common phrase tossed around in hip-hop music. Drake is particularly champions that sentiment quite often. Overall, it does actually play out quite a bit, with new beefs seemingly popping up every month or so. However, there are some tight knit bonds out there, and one of them is between Quando Rondo and NBA YoungBoy. If you have paid close attention to them, you know that these two always have each other’s backs. YB has been involved with many verbal confrontations with other MCs such as Lil Durk and Bobby Shmurda. The Louisiana product also was there for the Georgia native when he was going through a breakup a couple of years ago.

To help Rondo move on, YB gifted him $1 million and that seemed to really strengthen their connection. “LIL TOP JUST GAVE ME A MILLION DOLLARS LAST WEEK PLUS I ALLREADY HAD A COUPLE HUNNIT CAN CARELESS BOUT A ***** GOT A BAG.” On top of supporting one another, the two have shared the stage before and also have a collaborative project out. Most of this happened a couple of years ago, though, so it begs the question, “Are they still close?”

Read More: Jim Jones’ “Crazy” Secret Marriage Rumors Get Shut Down By Brooke Bailey

DJ Akademiks Interviews Quando Rondo About NBA YoungBoy

Well, DJ Akademiks sat down with Quando to discuss this very topic, and the results should make fans happy. The hip-hop pundit opened the segment up by saying how he and the fans respect how the loyalty is so strong between them. In addition, he feels the general consensus is that him and YB don’t require some form of compensation to keep their friendship alive. The Here For A Reason MC agreed with those thoughts and that there really isn’t much else to say.

However, he would eventually expand a little bit more saying that it helps how “alike” they are. “I’m talking as far as having the same background. Growing up really f***ed up, poverty, and not having s***, and not being a b**** a** n****, really being on go for real,” he says. “Really standing on our ten” and essentially sticking up for themselves were things that they connected over, and it shows. Rondo speaks with a lot of passion in the clip, and you can just feel the sincerity in how he answered each question.

Read More: Denzel Washington Reveals He Will Be In “Black Panther 3”

[Via]

The post Quando Rondo Speaks On His Connection With NBA YoungBoy appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Quando Rondo Nearly Storms Out Of DJ Akademiks Interview Over The Phrase, “Devil’s Advocate”

by

Quando Rondo nearly stormed out of an interview with DJ Akademiks, this week, after the streamer remarked that he was going to play “Devil’s Advocate.” “I promise you, for you even just saying the devil’s name, I’m gonna just take these microphones off and walk out that door,” Rondo began while standing up from his seat. “I can’t let you slide with that. This is some devilish sh*t? Boy, I’m serious. You gotta take that back.” Eventually, Rondo sat back down and let Akademiks ask his question.

The clip has been going viral on social media with users laughing at Rondo’s reaction. “He heard ‘DEVIL’ and wanted to leave. Homeboy so religious that he doesn’t even want to hear the word DEVIL,” one fan on X (formerly Twitter) wrote. Another wasn’t amused by the moment. “I hate these dumbasses. 1st if you’re going to hell for all the sh*t you’ve done. 2nd it’s a damn saying, get over it,” they wrote. Check out the full video of Quando Rondo nearly walking out on DJ Akademiks below.

Read More: DJ Bandz Defends Lil Durk After Song Lyrics Are Quoted In New Indictment

Quando Rondo Gets Angry With DJ Akademiks

The interview comes after authorities arrested Lil Durk for allegedly conspiring to commit murder-for-hire in connection to an attempt on Rondo’s life. The move was allegedly in retaliation for the death of King Von. He was allegedly attempting to flee the country at the time of his arrest. Last week, a grand jury further indicted him on new charges of conspiracy and using, carrying, and discharging firearms and a machine gun and possession of such firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death.

Durk is expected to be arraigned in Los Angeles federal court “in the coming weeks,” the court said in a statement caught by Forbes. He faces life in prison if he’s convicted. Authorities also arrested several of his Only The Family rap collective associates. Be on the lookout for further updates on the case on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Quando Rondo Pays Homage To Late Cousin On New Track Following Lil Durk’s Arrest

[Via]

The post Quando Rondo Nearly Storms Out Of DJ Akademiks Interview Over The Phrase, “Devil’s Advocate” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

DJ Akademiks Doubles Down On Young Thug & Gunna Beef Theory After Thug’s Tweet

by

Young Thug and Gunna are apparently beefing for real, as the former’s tweeted and deleted shade towards the latter elicited a lot of reactions on social media. However, the foundation for this feud still remains a pretty speculative one thanks to a lot of mixed signals and a lack of clarity over whether or not someone hacked Thugger or if this was really his intention. Still, this offered vindication for many fans and media outlets who supported this notion, including DJ Akademiks. He took to Twitter on Saturday (November 9) to offer some lengthy messages on this matter, doubling down on the previous theories and allegations that he provided to social media.

“I been told yall..” DJ Akademiks wrote on the platform about the Young Thug and Gunna situation, referring to his previous theories. “Thug told durk baby and a few other rappers that Gunna was no good while [in prison]. Meaning it aint no way he can come back out and justify rockin wit gunna when he told n***as not to rock wit gunna [while in prison].”

Read More: Young Thug’s Father Blasts Fake Love From Other Rappers After Son’s Release From Prison

DJ Akademiks Firmly Believes In Young Thug & Gunna Beef

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by The Neighborhood Talk (@theneighborhoodtalk)

Furthermore, DJ Akademiks alleged that Young Thug wanted to drop his BUSINESS IS BUSINESS album last year on the same day as Gunna’s a Gift & a Curse. Also, he claimed that Thug wanted to have Lil Durk and Lil Baby (two seemingly anti-Wunna MCs) as features and even told them about this plan. In addition, Ak posited that the “Jonesboro” spitter will claim that this was all the result of a hack, but that the signs are there concerning his aversion to the “fukumean” creative. As for why Thug requested to maintain his contractual relationship with the College Park native as part of his probation negotiations, the media personality theorized that this was because he’s still in unfulfilled contracts with Gunna that could give him an excuse to leave the label if he wasn’t able to stay in contact.

More Ak Tweets

https://twitter.com/Akademiks/status/1855340984080773450
https://twitter.com/Akademiks/status/1855342017662071022

Meanwhile, DJ Akademiks claimed most management or production deals are voided by label heads with a legal obligation to become available to people who signed a deal with someone who gets incarcerated. Apparently, this would also apply to a contact ban, as Young Thug has concerning YSL affiliates. Finally, Ak spoke on a label merger that puts Gunna in the same boat as Thug.

Read More: Young Thug’s Merciless Tweet And Delete About Gunna Elicits A Myriad Of Reactions On Social Media

[via]

The post DJ Akademiks Doubles Down On Young Thug & Gunna Beef Theory After Thug’s Tweet appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Young Thug And Gunna Are No Longer Friends, According To A Now-Deleted Post From Young Thug

by
young thug RICO
Getty Image

In the words of Drake, Young Thug is now a member of the tweet-and-delete crew. Today (November 9), the “Yeah Yeah” rapper took to his official page with a shocking announcement.

Following Young Thug’s recent release from custody, fans held out hope for a collaboration between him and Gunna. However, Young Thug seemingly shut down that wish on X (formerly Twitter), writing (viewable here): “Gunna stop acting like we friends on the internet, I don’t know u my guy.”

This upload blindsided supporters following reports that Young Thug requested a probation exemption to allow him to remain in contact with Gunna after his release.

Users online believe Young Thug’s remarks were in response to Gunna reposting a promotional post teasing new music from Thug in his Instagram stories (viewable here).

Shortly after Thug’s removed statement Akademiks took to his X page to double down on past speculations that there was tension among the two.

“[I] still predict Young Thug to say he was hacked in a few,” he wrote. “But, how many times he gonna tell y’all he don’t f*ck wit Gunna before y’all believe it.”

In the past Thug’s father, Big Jeff, spoke out in support of Gunna, attended Gunna’s The Bittersweet Tour, and slammed “snitch” claims pointed at Gunna.

Now, Young Thug fans are side eyeing Big Jeff and all others who have recently come out to support Gunna.