DJ Akademiks Has No Sympathy For J. Cole's Explanation Of Kendrick Lamar Apology

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
Link Copied to Clipboard!
DJ Akademiks No Sympathy For J Cole Explaining Kendrick Lamar Apology
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 22: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) J. Cole performs onstage during the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 22, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
Add HNHH as a preferred source on Google
DJ Akademiks has been very critical of J. Cole in the past, especially in regards to his apology to Kendrick Lamar amid the Drake beef.

J. Cole recently sat down with Nadeska Alexis for Apple Music to talk about his new album The Fall-Off, his 2024 apology after responding to Kendrick Lamar, and a whole lot more. While many fans find the conversation compelling, DJ Akademiks is among the loudest critics of the Dreamville artist's reflections.

In various clips from Ak's livestream last night (Friday, March 20) caught by CY Chels on Twitter, he breaks down why he has no sympathy for Cole's remarks. More specifically, they still center around his exit from the K.Dot and Drake battle.

"I'm so confused by J. Cole because, at the most p***y type of outlook on this, I thought he was going to say, 'I love Kendrick, but I want to prove I'm the best. I'm here for the challenge,'" the commentator said of the North Carolina lyricist. "Instead, the n***a sounds like he loves Kendrick more than Whitney [Alford, Lamar's fiancée]. 'Yeah, I love that guy.' Bro, what happened to the competition? What happened to that s**t?"

DJ Akademiks has been very critical of J. Cole in the past. So it stands to reason that his recent commentary didn't stop there.

"[He has] no integrity, he's not prideful," Ak remarked. "He talks about wanting to be the best, but he doesn't want to compete... It's weird to me, it's odd... Why didn't you compete, but you're rapping that you're down to compete? What's the problem? [...] This s**t is sad, chat... I would give it so much more grace if he was like, 'Kendrick called me, and I talked to him.' Somehow, Kendrick seems impervious to all this f***ery. He doesn't talk to none of these n***as and they get shamed without him having to lift a finger. That's powerful."

J. Cole's Apple Music Interview

From there, DJ Akademiks questioned J. Cole's status and said he needs to "go to therapy" and "change his diaper" if this stressed him out so much. He continued his criticism of Cole's competitive nature (or lack thereof, from Ak's perspective), positing that there's "zero substance" to his music.

"I feel like he grew with y'all, but he's still blocking y'all out," Akademiks told Cole's fans, referring to his hesitancy to talk about family life. Finally, he criticized the rapper's decision to push The Fall-Off back due to the beef and apology.

Elsewhere during J. Cole's Apple Music interview with Nadeska Alexis, he revealed that 2014 Forest Hills Drive was originally going to be a double album. He also said he still has a lot of love for his "Big Three" colleagues, a sentiment DJ Akademiks continues to scrutinize.

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.

Comments 0