DJ Akademiks Stunned After Prosecutors Use His Lil Durk Interview During Closing Arguments

BY Alexander Cole Published on September 09, 2026

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MLB: Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox

May 2, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago rapper Lil Durk throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Angels at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

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DJ Akademiks' reaction to questioning Lil Durk about "sliding for Von" was used in closing arguments during Durk's trial.

DJ Akademiks has been mentioned in court a few times amid Lil Durk's murder-for-hire trial. Specifically, Akademiks' interview with 6ix9ine and Wack 100 has been used as proof that Durk was allegedly pressured into "sliding for Von."

Yesterday, Durk's murder-for-hire trial entered closing arguments. During those closing arguments, the prosecution played a clip from an episode of "Off The Record" in which Akademiks interviewed Durk. At one point during the interview, Akademiks asked Lil Durk if he was bothered by the "slide for Von" comments. That's when Durk said that he doesn't hear those comments anymore.

Akademiks was speechless after Durk's comments, and for a few moments, he wouldn't look Durk in the eye. The prosecution argued that Akademiks knew exactly what Durk was talking about, and that in this clip, Durk was slyly admitting to the alleged murder-for-hire plot.

When Ak heard about this on his livestream, he made it crystal clear that he has nothing to do with Durk's case. Furthermore, he says his reactions were for dramatic and comedic effect. He then went on to tweet, "Today felt like a out of body experience."

DJ Akademiks Used During Lil Durk Trial

The jury is set to begin its deliberations this morning in Los Angeles as of 8:30 AM local time. If you are on the East Coast, that is 11:30 AM. If convicted, Durk faces life in prison, although he would likely receive his sentence in a few weeks from now as opposed to on the spot.

If you are curious about the DJ Akademiks clip in question, you can watch it below. The video has been embedded at the appropriate timestamp for convenience.

This remains a developing story, so stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest news and updates.

About The Author

Alexander Cole

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!