Drake and Kanye West may have had a turbulent and unclear relationship over the years, but they still remain two of the biggest hip-hop artists in the world decades after their emergence. DJ Akademiks would even go as far as to say they are the only rappers with significant enough relevance and impact in the past 15 years, which resulted in outraged fan reactions on Twitter.
"At the end of the day.. the last 15 years of rap music it’s only been about 2 n***as everyone else don’t matter… DRAKE. KANYE," he wrote on the social media platform last night (Saturday, September 26). Ye is still an influence for many young artists and changed the hip-hop landscape, whereas Drizzy's own influence is even more present today and in harmony with his commercial dominance.
But fans clapped back at Ak with plenty of artists he left out of the conversation, whether it's Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, Future, Chief Keef, Travis Scott, and many others. It opened up the doors for fan debate about whether the "Glow" duo had a hand in influencing and elevating all those careers. Akademiks' argument may be simplistic and reductive, but the sheer scale of these artists makes it understandable from a narrow point of view.
DJ Akademiks Praises Kanye West & Drake
DJ Akademiks has arguably been Drake's biggest media supporter for years and years now, a dynamic that was apparent even before the K.Dot battle really kicked things into high gear for the general public. While that doesn't mean he doesn't have criticisms of the 6ix God here and there, he has become more and more embroiled in OVO, much to the joy or dismay of fans and haters.
On the other hand, DJ Akademiks' persistent defense of Kanye West amid his controversies and bigotries reflect a long-standing admiration of his artistry and space in hip-hop culture. He was one of the few media figures to interview Ye amid the massive backlash to his antisemitism and other remarks, a decision he does not regret.
Fans React
With that in mind, this claim about rap relevance in the past 15 years should come as no surprise. If there are any two artists who deserve such a bold title, it might just be them. But even the most hardcore fans of these artists wouldn't go that far.
