DJ Akademiks Goes At Joe Budden For Validating Botting Claims Against Drake

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares Published on May 02, 2026

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DJ Akademiks Goes At Joe Budden Validating Botting Claims Drake

Jun 10, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Recording artist Drake reacts during the fourth quarter in game five of the 2019 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

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DJ Akademiks spoke on Joe Budden and other media figures not scrutinizing the various lawsuits against Drake and Stake enough.

DJ Akademiks was recently involved in the receiving end of a lawsuit against Drake, Stake, and Adin Ross for forming a illegal gambling scheme, defrauding the online casino platform's users, and violating New Jersey state regulations. It's one of many lawsuits with similar allegations in various states, which Akademiks and the accused parties have denied any truth to. As it turns out, he has a bone to pick with the media platforms covering these situations, including his friend and former Everyday Struggle cohost, Joe Budden.

During a recent livestream clip caught by CY Chels on Twitter, Ak slammed these entities and figures for, in his view, not scrutinizing these lawsuits enough. He believes the legal moves are frivolous and inaccurate, and criticized his peers for validating them in their coverage without the level of skepticism he believes is warranted.

"With all due respect to even my comrade Joe Budden, Joe Budden's on his podcast reading a f***ing lawsuit that is so frivolous that if he looked at it on face value, it's r***rded," DJ Akademiks expressed. "They actually read that s**t like the s**t was legit. No, that's just something else where they're trying to take Drake down a notch. There's eight other lawsuits, eight other f***ing states they have filed the same thing in... The lawsuit has so many inaccuracies. They can't even spell the n***a name right... I don't expect The Joe Budden Podcast who hires Mona to f***ing do their due diligence. They're just reading off the paper..."

Drake's Spotify Lawsuit

Akademiks also mentioned how Adin Ross isn't with Stake anymore. He also said certain media figures don't have as much scrutiny for someone like Jay-Z. "When it comes to some other s**t, n***as is just reporting all type of bulls**t. This is frivolous, make-believe bulls**t... ICEMAN's still on the way."

Drake's getting ready for ICEMAN on May 15, so he might not have time to address any of this himself. The lawsuits referenced by DJ Akademiks remain ongoing at press time. In other news, though, a separate lawsuit accusing Spotify of botting Drake's streams recently saw a dismissal in court.

About The Author

Gabriel Bras Nevares

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.