The latest episode of Everyday Struggle found hosts Akademiks, Wayno, and Nadeska conversing with the YBN Boys, Cordae, Almighty Jay, and Nahmir. Set in front of a live studio audience, the conversation spanned across a wide variety of topics before taking an awkward turn in the climactic stages.
The tension begins to simmer after Ak speaks to Cordae, claiming he's heard more about him than he's heard actual music from him. Co-host Wayno seems annoyed by Ak's question, calling him out for a lack of proper research. Meanwhile, Nadeska laughs to herself, possibly dying a little inside. "He's drunk!" says Cordae, alluding to Ak's self-admitted "Henny on deck." Perhaps emboldened by the sauce, Ak proceeds to pull the same thing 6ix9ine pulled on Vic Mensa, inviting the crowd to name five YBN Cordae songs. Naturally, the move clearly makes the YBN boys uncomfortable, as Cordae accuses Ak of "hyping him up just to tear him down." "You hating on my mans," says Jay. "I ain't gonna sit here and let you hate on my mans."
Cordae, clearly set on resolving his unfinished business with Ak, ignores the question. Instead, he poses his own. "Why'd you start rapping? Don't you have a song out?" he asks Akademiks, referring to his "Blues Clues" music video. "What made you want to come up with that?" Akademiks responds, drawing a parallel between his satirical song and Cordae's J. Cole "1985" flip. Essentially, Ak felt that everything surrounding the rise of mumble rap was "a caricature within itself."
Cordae is not convinced. "I don't get it," he deadpans, before explaining that he and his groupmates lack an understanding of "mumble rap." It's visibly tense, as evidenced by the body language of each parties: Almighty Jay seems tense, likely pissed at Ak for disrespecting Cordae, Nahmir seems like he'd rather be anything else, and Cordae seems eager to steer the conversation into an openly hostile territory.
Wayno holds it down, explaining that many older listeners are quick to dole out the "mumble rap" label onto anything they don't understand. Wayno draws a comparison between Nahmir and Eazy-E, largely in part to the delivery of "Rubbin Off The Paint."
Peep the full video below. The awkward moment kicks in around the twenty-five minute mark.
