DJ Akademiks Explains His Theory That The Weeknd Is Trying To "Embarrass" Drake

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares 3.2K Views
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The Weeknd performs with Metro Boomin at the Sahara tent during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., Friday, April 21, 2023. © Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
These Toronto superstars continue to clash.

DJ Akademiks has some interesting thoughts on The Weeknd and Drake's beef following the former's new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow. In fact, you may recall that the media personality previously theorized that Abel Tesfaye started rumors that Aubrey Graham would drop his PARTYNEXTDOOR collab album the same day as HUT, which obviously didn't pan out. Now, Ak doubled down on this line of thought during his recent livestream, positing that the XO mogul wants to "embarrass" Drizzy with huge first week sales, and also offered another and more interesting reason as to why the 6ix God might not be worried about this.

Moreover, DJ Akademiks recently claimed that Drake will drop his PND collab project under a different label given his UMG lawsuit. Not only that, but he also alleged that The Boy will be a feature on it and not the main artist, as that role will go to his OVO partner signed under Sony. Basically, Ak is trying to back up his claims that The Weeknd wants to one-up his Toronto rival numbers-wise, but that this won't apply to $OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U since it technically isn't a release from him, but rather from PARTYNEXTDOOR. Of course, this is all speculative until the album actually comes out, and until we know more about the "8AM In Charlotte" MC's next moves.

Why Are Drake & The Weeknd At Odds?

For those unaware, Drake and The Weeknd have a long history of partnerships, collabs, subliminal disses, combative claims, hatchet burials, and full-on disses and beef. Sounds complex, right? Right now, they seem more at odds than ever, as the Kendrick Lamar battle last year drew a line in the sand and finally opened the battlefield for them to send shots at each other with full force.

Meanwhile, $OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U comes out on Valentine's Day (Friday, February 14), and it will be curious to see how this shapes up the rest of Drake's career. If this DJ Akademiks theory is true, then The Weeknd wants to beat his opponent through success rather than through bars or direct rebuttals, but there are far too many variables to know anything for sure.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.