When Kendrick Lamar claimed victory over Drake in their 2024 rap battle, it was said that we had officially entered the "Dot Era." Lamar went on to drop GNX at the end of 2024, and this carried him through his Super Bowl performance. He subsequently went on tour and sold out stadiums all across the globe.
Unfortunately, this "Dot Era" has not resulted in widespread success for hip-hop as a whole. Instead, the genre has mostly fallen off the Billboard charts. It has been nine months since a hip-hop song has reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. That song just so happens to be Drake's "What Did I Miss?," which was supposed to be on ICEMAN.
The mainstream success of hip-hop has started to flame out, and some believe Drake's absence is a big reason for this. DJ Akademiks is one of the commentators banging on that drum. During a stream on Wednesday night, Ak had a particularly harsh assessment of Kendrick, claiming that he is to blame for the passive experience music has become.
DJ Akademiks Goes Off On Kendrick Lamar
In his rant, Akademiks makes the claim that Kendrick "took the fun out of music." He also goes on to say that “Kendrick came in with all that woke sht and f**ed up the party.”
The commentator blames Lamar for his own disinterest in music these days. He claims that he used to be excited about new music; however, these days, he doesn't feel the same excitement.
At this point, Kendrick Lamar appears to be an easy scapegoat. However, there are other factors that lead us to understand why hip-hop's mainstream appeal isn't where it used to be. Quite simply, there are no superstars looking to take over from the Big Three. Not to mention, the sound of mainstream rap hasn't changed in over a decade.
It is a tough pill to swallow, and fans are looking for someone to blame. Perhaps Drake can change this with ICEMAN, but there is no guarantee that this will be the case.
