DJ Akademiks Mocks J. Cole's Streaming Numbers After "The Fall-Off"

BY Gabriel Bras Nevares
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DJ Akademiks Mocks J Cole Streaming After The Fall Off
Feb 17, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; Recording artist J Cole performs during the 2019 NBA All-Star Game at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
DJ Akademiks has never been a J. Cole fan, and he thinks his streaming numbers should exclude him from the "Big Three" conversation.

Many hip-hop fans believe J. Cole has the best album of the year so far with The Fall-Off, although not everyone agrees. DJ Akademiks is a pretty frequent Cole critic, and he recently argued his streaming numbers in comparison to his peers should remove him from the "Big Three" conversation and disprove the notion that the LP and his artistry were impactful.

As caught by CY Chels on Twitter, Akademiks was reacting to a list of streaming numbers in the United States for rappers for the week ending on May 28. OVO Sound president Mr. Morgan shared the breakdown. It had OVO's Drake at the very top with almost a billion streams, over six times as much as the next MC (NBA YoungBoy with 154.8 million). The names that followed in descending order include Future, Lil Baby, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Don Toliver, Post Malone, LUCKI, Rod Wave, Eminem, and then the Dreamville boss.

DJ Akademiks Clowns J. Cole

"For all the J. Cole d**k-sucking, I don't hear people having these legit conversations," DJ Akademiks expressed regarding J. Cole. "J. Cole does a good first week. He does have a good audience. But J. Cole's audience don't consistently stream his music. [...] J. Cole just dropped an album after Gunna dropped, and after Baby, and after Kendrick, and after Future, and after Rod Wave... J. Cole's not even in the Big Three. Numbers-wise, he ain't in no f***ing Big Three. Get his a** on out of here. He's not even the top three most streamed rapper that last put out an album."

"That's why I see why Kendrick [and Drake] said 'F**k the Big Three,'" Akademiks continued. "Somebody said maybe he don't bot. Have you heard anybody talk about one J. Cole song since his drop? J. Cole's album is the album that sold the most that nobody talks about. They talk more about the Civic than they talk about the album. What the f**k is J. Cole rapping about, then?"

More folks might have issues with J. Cole. After a series of deleted tweets criticizing his bar about him and BET, many Dreamville fans think JID has a bone to pick with his label boss. We'll see if that situation gets any clarity.

Elsewhere, DJ Akademiks' criticisms of J. Cole should come as no surprise. He hasn't really responded to any of them, and we doubt he will. But we doubt Ak will let up anytime soon whenever Cole's name comes up.

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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