DJ Akademiks Bans Lil Baby, J. Cole, & DJ Khaled From Drake's "ICEMAN"

BY Alexander Cole Published on May 04, 2026

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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 is Drake's biggest fan, and with "ICEMAN" on the horizon, the commentator is putting his foot down.

DJ Akademiks has been waving the ICEMAN flag for Drake over the last few months. He has been one of the album's biggest advocates, and there is no doubt that he is excited for the album to finally arrive.

May 15 is the big day, and it is only 11 days away. It's hard to believe the album is coming that soon, especially when you consider how Drake hasn't released an official lead single. A song could be coming this week, although there is no guarantee this will be the case.

With that being said, Akademiks has been on stream giving his hot takes on the upcoming album. This includes which artists he would like to see make it onto ICEMAN's tracklist. Last night, he focused on those who should be banished from Drake's studio.

In a passionate rant below, Ak explained how DJ Khaled, J. Cole, and Lil Baby need to be kept off the record. Khaled and Cole make sense, given how they were wishy-washy during the Kendrick Lamar beef. However, the Lil Baby inclusion is simply due to Ak's personal beef with the artist.

DJ Akademiks Puts His Foot Down

In fact, after Baby pledged his allegiance to Drake last night, Ak went off on the Atlanta rapper, stating that he needs to be kept far away from ICEMAN.

"F*** what side this n***** is picking, keep this bum ass n***** away from ICEMAN," Akademiks said.

At the end of the day, Drake's features are completely up to him. If he wants Lil Baby on the album, Lil Baby will be on the album. This extends to the likes of PartyNextDoor, Sexyy Red, and even Yeat.

Going into this project, fans are hoping for Drizzy to introduce some new blood into the equation. After all, this album is an important moment for him. He has not released a solo album since 2023's For All The Dogs. This also marks his first solo album since the Kendrick Lamar beef.

Quite simply, this album will determine whether or not Drake can still be the hitmaker everyone knows him to be.

About The Author

Alexander Cole

Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!