DJ Akademiks Reacts To Joe Budden's Conversation About Rick Ross' Album Sales, Blames Drake

BY Alexander Cole
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Culture's Most Influential Icons attend Complex's Inaugural List[ed] Event
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 24: DJ Akademiks attends Complex's inaugural List[ed] event at Zaytinya on October 24, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Complex)
DJ Akademiks had a harsh assessment for Rick Ross after his album debuted outside the Top 20 of the Billboard 200.

DJ Akademiks is firm on all matters about Drake. If an artist does Drizzy wrong, you can be sure that Akademiks is going to talk about it. You can also be sure that he will highlight those wrongdoings when the offending artist suffers from a bout of poor album sales.

That is exactly what happened to Rick Ross, who infamously joined the 20v1 against Drake back in 2024. With his new album Set In Stone, Ross was unable to make the Billboard 200's Top 20. The album's sales were lackluster, and this has led to some debates about what happened.

On The Joe Budden Podcast, the former rapper suggested that Gamma isn't doing a good job of marketing artists. However, DJ Akademiks sees it differently. He believes this is all related to Drake.

"Drake is the king of this hip-hop sh*t, and respectfully, everybody who was going against him, we're realizing in real time that maybe they needed him," Akademiks said.

DJ Akademiks Goes To Bat For Drake

Ak thinks that the Drake beef had fans choosing sides, with the vast majority siding with Drizzy. As the biggest artist in the game, he had the luxury of the majority siding with his art over others. If people had to choose, they were clearly going to go with the Canadian megastar.

"When y'all dissed Drake, erase 80% of your fanbase. And I do mean that. Because the people who love Ross, they love Drake more," Ak concluded.

It's an interesting analysis, although it is important to remember that everyone's sales are down. It is becoming more and more difficult for artists to retain attention. As a result, these kinds of sales figures are happening more often.

That said, one has to wonder where Ross would be without the Drake beef, just to test the hypothesis.

About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!

Comments 0