Drake's ICEMAN outsold Future's The Real Me in the latter's second week, which shows just how successful The Boy has been. In comparison to big albums this year from artists like J. Cole, the Toronto superstar has sustained a lot of momentum. That's not to say Cole hasn't, but the numbers indicate a gap. However, DJ Akademiks thinks there's a deeper reason for this that goes beyond just popularity and mass appeal.
He reacted to ICEMAN's continued Billboard success during a livestream caught by CY Chels on Twitter. The commentator said The Fall-Off "came and went" and argued hip-hop is "not sticking" on the charts these days.
"What Drake did is, Drake did storytelling," he argued. "That's what everybody else ain't doing... There's no storyline from what you've been through in the last 18 months... I don't even know what [Future's The Real Me] even means. Future doesn't do interviews, he cut his hair... There's nothing of substance there. There's nothing that we can follow through beyond the music. So we listen to each song on an individual level. Is it hot or is it not?"
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DJ Akademiks Compares Drake, Future & J. Cole
Akademiks argued audiences knew what the 6ix God was doing with ICEMAN because it connected to the Kendrick Lamar battle. He said artists are missing parts of their lives in their work, even if folks stay up to date on their lives due to their celebrity. "The music should reflect an honest storyline ending or continuing or explaining what you're going through," Ak said. "That's when music sticks and music works."
He said he likes a few of the new Fewtch songs, but that a hit-based model won't last. DJ Akademiks said J. Cole is an exception regarding the storytelling. But he still has a problem with him because he "rapped about the wrong thing." Akademiks wanted him to go into the K.Dot apology instead of his career trajectory as a whole. "It didn't feel like the story that we are invested in with you was what you were addressing," he added.
These are some interesting remarks from DJ Akademiks, even if he seemed to pick and choose which stories were worth telling. In any case, all these artists had massive years, so maybe there are other factors that play larger roles in an album's sustained success.
