DJ Akademiks Claims Street Rappers Told Him That Kendrick Lamar Killed Hip-Hop

BY Alexander Cole
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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
DJ Akademiks was on stream recently, where he claimed that Kendrick Lamar's moral stances have led to new discourse in rap.

DJ Akademiks has been extremely critical of Kendrick Lamar, especially in the aftermath of the Drake beef. Of course, Akademiks is a huge Drake fan, so this should come as absolutely no surprise. In fact, Ak was in ICEMAN Episode 4, which just goes to show how strong his bond with Drake actually is.

Now that ICEMAN, HABIBTI, and MAID OF HONOUR are dominating the charts, Ak is looking to take a victory lap of sorts. He has been streaming a whole lot as of late, and as per usual, Kendrick Lamar has been a hot topic of conversation.

In a recent clip posted by his alternate account on X, Ak claims that street rappers have been telling him that Lamar killed rap. How? Well, his moralizing against Drake in the beef has created discourse that is beginning to infiltrate every single discussion about every single artist.

DJ Akademiks On Kendrick Lamar

Akademiks argues that previously, no one questioned whether or not the artists they listened to were good people. In fact, he argues that fans wanted to listen to artists with legal troubles and checkered pasts. However, following the beef, Kendrick has made it so that some fans are constantly taking a stand against those they deem morally reprehensible.

Ultimately, one has to wonder which artists are telling Ak these things. You also have to wonder how genuine of a take this take is, given Ak's proximity to Drake.

Discussing the morality of certain artists is not a new thing. During the rise of #MeToo, plenty of artists were debated and subsequently denounced for past behaviors. To this day, the reverberations from the movement are being felt. It's hardly a new thing, and, interestingly, Ak would attribute this to K. Dot and not just society in general.

About The Author
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!

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