DJ Akademiks Reveals Drake's Mindset During The Kendrick Lamar Beef

BY Alexander Cole
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Culture's Most Influential Icons attend Complex's Inaugural List[ed] Event
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 24: DJ Akademiks attends Complex's inaugural List[ed] event at Zaytinya on October 24, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Complex)
DJ Akademiks was in the know during the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, which has given him some unique perspective.

DJ Akademiks is someone who has proven to be well-connected to Drake over the past few years. In fact, he recently got an OVO chain upon the release of ICEMAN, which is something that some fans felt was a bit silly.

Regardless, Ak is uniquely qualified to discuss all things Drake. Two years after the beef with Kendrick Lamar, Ak still has some insights into how Drake was dealing with the fallout at the time.

For instance, Akademiks says Drake was always looking to win the battle and put his best foot forward. However, by the time "Not Like Us" came out, he couldn't help but throw his hands in the air in frustration. Drake felt as though his opponents weren't playing fair, and that they were just making up lies to get the win.

"He did get to a place where he's like, 'Yo, okay, it's one of those where everyone's against me,'" Akademiks said. "Like, the refs ain't calling it fair no more. This guy could just make up whatever, even if it's a complete lie."

DJ Akademiks On Drake

As for Drake's mental health, some have assumed that the artist was sad, dejected, and self-isolating to hide any embarrassment. However, Ak says this was not the case at all. Instead, the artist was fully committed to the battle, and was focused on the task at hand.

"He was never sad," Ak revealed. "He was definitely focused and competitive. One hundred percent focused and competitive."

Of course, Ak's access to Drake makes him a bit biased in this regard. On the flip side, no one would expect Ak to come out and just say that Drake was timid and feeling scared. It would be out of character, and quite frankly, Drake wouldn't be too pleased.

Whatever the case may be, the reverberations from this battle are still being felt.

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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