DJ Akademiks Explains Why Jay-Z Is Beatable On "Verzuz"

DJ Akademiks recently shared a hot take on the idea of Jay-Z being unbeatable on the series, Verzuz. Discussing the idea during a livestream, he argued that the show is about hit records and suggested that Drake, Kanye West, and other artists have more.

"Go look back at every year. Jay-Z was never number one, not one year," Ak began. "Even when he retired. That year, he wasn't number one." From there, he suggested DMX, Eminem, and 50 Cent were bigger during the first several years of Jay's height. He also compared him to LeBron James, rather than Michael Jordan. "He's one of the best rappers, bar for bar, yes. Hit song for hit song? N***a please. Verzuz is not a bar for bar sh*t," Akademiks continued, arguing that Drake and Kanye West have five times as many hits as Jay.

As the clip circulated on X (formerly Twitter), fans had plenty to say about Akademiks' take. "Blueprint dropped September 11, same day as the towers. He sold 427K that week. Yall just be talking. Jay Z took the country from wearing throwback jerseys to button ups," one user wrote. Another added: "If ur saying Jay has a Lebron like career in rap instead of MJ. Some would argue LeBron had a better career than MJ. So again what we talking about lmao."

Would Jay-Z Do Verzuz?

While Jay-Z has no plans to compete in a Verzuz battle, the idea of him doing so has been going viral in recent days after a 2021 Twitter Spaces clip resurfaced on social media. At the time, he claimed that no one could best him if he were to compete on the show.

“No disrespect. No one can stand on that stage with me. I’m just telling you guys the real. Theres not a chance in hell that anyone can stand on that stage for I don’t know how long it is? Two hours? Two hours," he said, as caught by Complex. “You got to stand in front of the ‘Grammy Family Freestyle’ live? No one has ever even seen me perform that. You got to stand in front of that?”