Akademiks Still Isn't Convinced That Drake Is Bigger Than Michael Jackson After "ICEMAN"

BY Aron A. Published on May 27, 2026

Link Copied to Clipboard!

February 10, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Drake accepts the award for best rap song for 'God's Plan' during the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 10, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY NETWORK ORIG FILE ID: 20190210_sal_usa_5799.JPGUsp Entertainment 61st Annual Grammy Awards E Ent Usa Ca/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Link Copied to Clipboard!

Drake recently surpassed Michael Jackson's record for #1 songs on the Hot 100 but Akademiks isn't convinced that his favorite artist is bigger than the King Of Pop.

Humans are capable of saying some incredibly stupid things, such as claiming that Drake is bigger than Michael Jackson. This week, Drake did a big one off the strength of his three new albums, ICEMAN, Maid Of Honour, and HABIBTI. The results were expected: three different albums that occupied the #1, #2, and #3 spots on the Billboard 200 while also claiming the top spot on the Hot 100 with the highly infectious “Janice STFU.”

His latest feats on the chart have allowed Drake to surpass several legends, including Jay-Z, for the most #1 albums on the chart for a hip-hop artist, and Michael Jackson. Drake now has more #1 hits than the King of Pop himself. But, with this particular feat, some feel as though the Canadian artist has now surpassed Michael Jackson in every other aspect.

Most people would disagree with that statement entirely, including Drake’s most vocal supporter, DJ Akademiks. During a recent livestream, Ak explained that Drake’s musical accomplishments, while impressive, do not solely put him in the same category as Michael Jackson.

Akademiks Describes Michael Jackson As The Gold Standard

“I think he’s put up a lot of musical accomplishments that maybe surpass Michael in certain things but there is one gold standard for when it comes to how popular someone is, it’s Michael Jackson,” Ak explained. “I don’t think it’s an indictment of Drake. Let me explain: I think back then, if you’re the king of pop, there wasn’t a million subgenres. Like, put it like this, Mike would’ve been Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, and Drake in one.”

Akademiks added that in the way that all three artists have their own separate fanbases, Michael Jackson would have all three fanbases as one.

“These days, Drake could be still one of the biggest but the majority, like, you know, he’s liked by hip-hop fans and pop fans. Bad Bunny’s liked by Latin fans. A lot of people who like Taylor Swift as pop fans are country fans,” he explained. “People just like Michael Jackson, no matter what. If you listened to music, you liked him.”

Do you agree with Akademiks? Let us know in the comments below.

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.