DJ Akademiks Reacts To Drake Reportedly Unfollowing Timbaland Amid UMG Legal Battle

BY Caroline Fisher
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Drake Hosts Halloween Eve at Story Nightclub
MIAMI BEACH, FL - OCTOBER 30: (L-R) E-Class, Drake and Timbaland as Drake host Halloween Eve at Story Nightclub on October 30, 2014 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Thaddaeus McAdams/WireImage)
Drake seemingly took offense to a Timbaland comment recently.

Last week, Drake made one of his most controversial moves yet with a pair of legal filings against Universal Music Group (UMG). He accuses the company of artificially boosting Kendrick Lamar's hit diss track "Not Like Us." He also alleges that UMG could have prevented the release of the song, on which Kendrick accuses him of being a sexual predator. “UMG did not rely on chance, or even ordinary business practices,” one filing alleges, according to Billboard. “It instead launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves.”

Of course, this resulted in mixed reactions from social media users and Drake's peers, including Timbaland. Recently, he commented on an Instagram post questioning whether or not it's possible for Drake to come out on top amid the legal battle and expose alleged corruption in the music industry. He made his stance clear as day with a simple GIF of a man shaking his head, which it appears as though Drake did not appreciate.

DJ Akademiks Looks Back On Drake & Timbaland's Past

Social media sleuths quickly noticed that Drake seemingly unfollowed Timbaland on Instagram, indicating that he might have taken offense to what he thought was shade. Timbaland later clarified that he's simply waiting to see how the situation plays out. "That head shake means let the story play out," he wrote. "Mal might b on to something. They say you have to destroy to rebuild!!!" Now, DJ Akademiks has weighed in on the reported unfollow, seeming surprised considering what fans have previously seen of their relationship. He pointed out that Timbaland has seemingly never had anything bad to say about Drake, and questioned exactly what he meant by his follow-up comment.

This is far from the first time Ak has commented on Drake as of late, however. During another recent stream, he argued that Drake's older material is still carrying his success rather than his newer work. "80 to 85 percent of Drake's current streams is from albums that dropped over six years ago," he said. "And I'm being very fair here. I love Drake, that's my favorite artist. Bro, the labels look at him different."

About The Author
Caroline Fisher is currently a News Editor at HotNewHipHop. Her time at HotNewHipHop began in 2023 when she began writing about music and pop culture full-time. Since then, she has helped cover major stories including the YSL RICO trial, Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s explosive feud, Diddy’s ongoing legal battle, and awards shows such as the BET Awards. Being from Chicago, she also got the opportunity to attend Summer Smash 2024 and review Chief Keef’s historic homecoming show. She additionally covered sets by Flo Milli, Playboi Carti, Bktherula, and more.

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