DJ Akademiks Rips J Cole Apart For His Rough CBA Debut

BY Zachary Horvath
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 10: J Cole attends the Trunk Sale Atlanta After Party on February 10, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage) LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 24: DJ Akademiks attends Complex's inaugural List[ed] event at Zaytinya on October 24, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Complex)
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DJ Akademiks has been hypercritical of J Cole lately and he's especially not holding back after a rough debut in the CBA.

J Cole and basketball fans alike were pretty excited to see the rapper make his debut in the CBA this weekend. Unfortunately, there was nothing to write home about. Even though he wasn't given much time on the court, he wasn't able to take advantage of the opportunity.

In eight minutes, Cole missed all five of his shot attempts. He was only able to tally one rebound and an assist, along with a personal foul. It's led to a lot of jokes, some more light-hearted than others, as well as some optimism that he'll do better in his next outings.

However, someone who has nothing nice to say whatsoever is DJ Akademiks. The hip-hop commentator reacted to the North Carolina's highlights, or in this case, lowlights, during his latest livestream.

For eight minutes straight, Ak ruthlessly clowns one of his least favorite artists at the moment. He drops several insults, calling him the "Bronny James of a Chinese league," dubbing his fans as "losers" for defending him, and labeling him the "water boy for 'Rush Hour 5.'"

Moreover, he says he's the guy on the team who's there for moral support, giving everyone high fives. Deeper into the clip, he posits that Cole is simply too rich and is bored of rapping, suggesting that he's giving little effort on the court.

Where Else Did J Cole Play Professional Basketball?

It's a ruthless roast session for sure and when he's watching the possessions in which J Cole was a part of, he mostly had a blank stare that defines boredom and disbelief.

If you want to catch every roast, you can watch the clip from joebuddenclips above.

Overall, it's been a rough few weeks for the superstar rapper. His media tour has been under much scrutiny, with lots of cringe-worthy statements, particularly about the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef. That's something that Akademiks also had a field day with.

He may have more low-hanging fruit to grab in the coming days when J Cole hits the hardwood again for the Nanjing Monkey Kings over the next week or so.

Perhaps some of the extra criticism comes from the fact that he's got professional basketball experience. It's not a lot, but he does have it. In 2021, he played for the Rwanda Patriots who participate in the Basketball Africa League. Then, in 2022, he joined the Scarborough Shooting Stars of the Canadian Elite Basketball League for a brief stint.

About The Author
Zachary Horvath is one of the Music Freelance News Writers at HotNewHipHop and has held that title since August 2023. Prior to this position, he held another freelance gig covering local high school football, girls and boys varsity basketball, in addition to recapping Cleveland Cavaliers games remotely. He's taken the previous experience and used it to become a jack of all trades at HotNewHipHop. Zach has thoroughly enjoyed tackling some of the trending topics in sports, with a larger focus on hip-hop and pop culture. Some of those include Bronny James's draft stock, a multitude of angles swirling around the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, as well as Diddy's arrest and lawsuits. Separate from the headlines that everyone wants to hear about, he was fortunate enough to help spread Zaytoven's current thoughts at the time around mid-December in 2023. Even though being able to give his expertise on these stories is fulfilling, being able to share his passion for releases trumps that ever so slightly. Having the chance to express his excitement indirectly about what he thinks our readers should be checking out/revisiting grows his passion for writing that much more.

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