Akademiks Calls Out "ICEMAN" Takes From Joe Budden & Charlamagne

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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DJ Akademiks Calls Out Joe Budden Charlamagne Tha God ICEMAN
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 16: DJ Akademiks attends Fetty Wap Official Welcome Home Party on January 16, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images)
DJ Akademiks didn't address Ebro, another Drake critic in hip-hop media, when assessing Joe Budden and Charlamagne Tha God's "ICEMAN" takes.

Drake is getting all sorts of reactions to his three new albums, but hip-hop media is understandably focused on ICEMAN. Many big outlets and platforms have spoken about the project, including Joe Budden on his self-titled podcast and Charlamagne Tha God on The Breakfast Club. However, given their past criticisms of Drizzy, OVO ally DJ Akademiks took to his livestream to question their responses to the LP.

As caught by the DJ Akademiks TV page on Instagram, Ak spoke on the media reception to ICEMAN and Budden and Charlamagne's particular takes. He doesn't believe the former was being serious in his assessment, whereas he criticized the latter for not focusing on the music.

"I seen what Joe said, shoutout to Joe," Akademiks remarked concerning Joe Budden's positive Drake take. "But I'ma keep it a bean. I think Joe made a business decision. Joe's a smart n***a. I don't believe Joe's review one bit. That was a business decision. And that was a great one. F**k all them fans... They wanted a sweaty episode... If Joe plays the cards right, he makes $2 million, $3 million. Not with hate, though... I had heard what they said pre-album... That was a great business move."

Drake's ICEMAN Reviews

"I watched one clip of Charlamagne, like he didn't really know where to land on this," he said of Charlamagne Tha God's early assessment of Drake's ICEMAN. "Shoutout to my boy Charla. He tried the, 'Oh, we got to thank Kendrick [Lamar] for this.' Old, nope, not working, get out of here. We're not buying it no more... Two years later? No, no, no... He don't really f**k with Drake... That take wasn't going, chat... Charla's take is not what's really popping on socials right now... Nobody cares about what [the critics] said."

DJ Akademiks commented on some other media figures like DJ Hed and Elliott Wilson speaking on these albums, criticizing their negative takes. But one name he didn't mention was Ebro Darden, which is surprising if you know the history. He's been very critical of ICEMAN and the other albums, as caught by CY Chels on Twitter.

Drake, DJ Akademiks, and Ebro clashed after Darden, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez left Hot 97's "In The Morning" programming. Drizzy and Ak celebrated this on social media and even in Instagram DMs to them, leading to conflict spilling out online. We'll see what other media discussions of ICEMAN follow.

About The Author
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.

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