DJ Akademiks has some strong opinions about The Tupac Tapes with Angie Martinez. This four-part video podcast premieres on Netflix November 27 and includes interviews with Charlamagne Tha God, Joe Budden, and many others.
Three months before Tupac's death in 1996, Angie Martinez conducted an interview with the legendary rapper that never made the airwaves. At the time, Martinez suggested it would be too dangerous to release. Tupac was speaking on his various feuds, and there was this feeling that his comments could put himself and others in danger.
Thirty years later, Martinez and Netflix believe now is the time to air the interview. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the project, although DJ Akademiks believes hip-hop media is showing its hypocrisy.
DJ Akademiks Calls Out Hip-Hop Media Hypocrisy
In the video above, Akademiks argues that people like himself, Vlad, and Adam22 are constantly maligned for "inciting violence" with their coverage. Ak feels as though Martinez is now being praised for doing the exact same thing.
He also went on to say that he has an NBA YoungBoy interview that he refuses to air, for the same reasons Martinez sat on the Tupac sit-down. YoungBoy told Akademiks to post it when he passes away. However, Ak told YoungBoy that he doesn't even want to think about that.
Ultimately, Ak's issue comes down to the fact that he feels like hip-hop media is celebrating an interview that encourages violence. Something they would never do if he were involved.
The key distinction is that the interview is being released 30 years later. There are no consequences that will come from this. It's why Martinez is okay with releasing it now. Netflix wouldn't be involved if they thought it would be detrimental to the people mentioned by name.
