It goes without saying that Kendrick Lamar knows a thing or two about rap beef, but according to DJ Akademiks, he's cracked the code. During a recent livestream, the internet personality revealed what he believes is the key to defeating the Compton MC in a battle. In his eyes, it's pretty simple, and explains why J. Cole ultimately bowed out of their feud.
"The best ability that Kendrick had during the battle, y'all gonna hate me for it, but it was lying," he explained, as seen in a clip shared by Akademiks TV on Twitter/X. "Straight up. Making lies sound believable, setting narratives, and crossing the line. You see, J. Cole is too clean to cross the line."
"You've got to come out with lies, straight up," he continued. "That's how he won it. And I think that's why he had an advantage over Drake, too. Drake couldn't lie as well as Kendrick, that's a fact."
Kendrick Lamar 2026 Grammys
"If you dissing Kendrick, you've got to just make up a lie," he added. "Drake tried to make up the lie, but the lies ain't work. The best lie he had was, 'I think them kids might be Dave Free's.' That was the best lie, but it ain't hit like that."
Ak definitely has a point, as ever since he went head-to-head with Drake and came out on top, Kendrick has been on a roll. Just this past weekend, he won multiple awards at the 2026 Grammys. This includes best rap album, best rap song, record of the year, and more.
He cleaned up at the Grammys last year, too, taking home trophies for record of the year, song of the year, best rap song, best rap performance, and more. He even headlined the Super Bowl LIX Halftime show last February alongside special guests like SZA, Mustard, Serena Williams, and even Samuel L. Jackson. Of course, his set featured his hit diss track "Not Like Us," in which he accuses Drake of being a "certified pedophile."
