DJ Akademiks Has A Meltdown Over Lil Baby’s Rumored “ICEMAN” Feature

BY Aron A. Published on May 08, 2026

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Oct 16, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Rapper Lil Baby during a game between the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports/USA TODAY Sports

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Rumors suggest that Lil Baby was in Toronto filming a music video for Drake's upcoming album.

The big question surrounding Drake’s ICEMAN is who will be featured on the project? 2024 saw the rap game pick sides between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, though it didn’t mean that the Canadian rapper was completely abandoned. There are still a few artists who remain loyal in his corner, including Lil Baby. It appears that his loyalty might be rewarded with a guest spot on ICEMAN, at least that’s what the speculation suggests.

Of course, this isn’t flying with Drake superfan and Lil Baby opp, DJ Akademiks. During a recent stream, Akademiks unloaded his grievances about the possible collaboration, especially because Baby’s career hasn’t really been the same in the past few years. “N***as talking through his nose and sh*t like that, nasally. Like, bro… clear your throat, pause. Learn to speak English,” Akademiks stated.

“When’s the last time Lil Baby even had a top 20 song?... Like, get him out the booth,” Akademiks added. “Only thing Lil Baby got in common with ICEMAN is he’s f*cking cold. He’s like an ice cube, that’s how cold he is.” Ak added that he wants Baby as far away from this album. “Not to remix the Kendrick song, keep Lil Baby away,” he continued.

Akademiks Wants Lil Baby As Far Away From ICEMAN

A few weeks ago, Lil Baby landed on Akademiks' list of artists that he wanted banned from ICEMAN, alongside DJ Khaled and J. Cole. This came after Lil Baby flagrantly pledged allegiance to Drake on Instagram, which Drake later acknowledged favorably. Most recently, there were rumors from an anonymous source that Lil Baby was actually in Toronto shooting a music video for ICEMAN, hence Akademiks’ recent reaction.

Who do you want to hear on ICEMAN? Sound off in the comments with who you think will pop up on the tracklist.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.