Recently, DJ Akademiks attended Kendrick Lamar and SZA's "Grand National" tour stop in Detroit. The internet personality took to social media shortly after to reflect on the experience, and to reveal an interesting question he was asked during the show. According to him, he bumped into Dave Free, who allegedly questioned whether or not he's on Drake's payroll.
“What are you getting from this? Is Drake paying you?” he allegedly asked, referring to DJ Akademiks' unwavering support for the Toronto artist. Ak admits that he took offense to this, making it crystal clear that his opinions cannot be bought.
"That was the most insulting thing," he revealed, as captured by NFR Podcast. "And I've had conversations with these men for a while. But the very idea that I was like a purchasable commodity was so disgusting. I reminded him, I said 'You know I've been doing this for over ten years. I've been doing this for over 15 years. How did you think I became me?' I said 'You knew about me before this sh*t ... Did you think I was a cheap h*e that just could be bought?'"
Kendrick Lamar BET Awards 2025
"That was the most insulting thing I could have heard. Because his idea was, 'Well if you're not getting paid by this guy, if Drake ain't paying you, why do you lean that much in that direction?'" DJ Akademiks continued. "The people I've defended the most I've never gotten paid from."
He went on to note that Drake is his favorite rapper, which is why he backed him throughout his viral battle with Kendrick Lamar.
Ak's latest claim comes just after Dave Free took home two BET Awards at the 2025 ceremony, which took place earlier this week. He and Kendrick won Video Of The Year and Best Collaboration Video of the Year.
Kendrick delivered a brief speech about the honor. "I ain’t been here in a long time but I always kept my heart BET," he said in part. "I always made sure they representing the culture right and they put me in the midst of the cycle we represent and that’s real, true, down to earth music that people can feel so I always give my heart to BET."
