Kendrick Lamar Receives A Warning From DJ Akademiks About Interfering With Drake's "ICEMAN" Release

BY Alexander Cole Published on May 07, 2026

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Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Recording artist Kendrick Lamar performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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With Drake's "ICEMAN" on the way, DJ Akademiks is feeling passionate about the release, as well as Kendrick Lamar's role in it.

Drake has set his ICEMAN release date for May 15. This is a day that hip-hop fans will be marking on their calendars. Whether you love him or hate him, it is almost a guarantee that you are going to give the album a chance. Considering this is his first solo project since the beef, it only makes sense that people would be naturally curious.

Next Thursday, ICEMAN Episode 4 is going to be released to the masses, and this promises to be a major step forward for Drizzy. It will give fans an idea of what kind of era he is jumping into.

One person who couldn't be more excited is none other than DJ Akademiks. Akademiks has always prided himself on being a Drake insider of sorts. Recently, he went on VladTV to give his take on the upcoming project.

It was here that he gave a warning of sorts to Kendrick Lamar. In his mind, it would be a grave error to drop something on the same day. “It would only cement that he’s competing with Drake," Akademiks stated.

DJ Akademiks Gives Kendrick Lamar A Heads Up

Akademiks believes Kendrick has already had his fun with a "two-year victory lap." In Ak's mind, he just needs to let Drizzy have his release date and leave it at that.

If Kendrick were to drop a surprise album on May 15, there would be all sorts of commotion. Furthermore, fans would start comparing sales. This poses a risk to Lamar, as Drake likely has the edge when it comes to these metrics. While numbers are by no means an indicator of quality, they do lend themselves to narratives and public opinion on social media.

Regardless, it is highly unlikely that Lamar drops anything next Friday. To say otherwise is pure fantasy. While it might be nice to think about, it seems outlandish to believe K. Dot would actually do it.

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!