At this point, it's redundant to call Akademiks a divisive figure in hip-hop media. But lo and behold, the self-made media personality continues to cause ripples throughout the game, provoking passionate responses from rappers and fellow journalists alike. Following his spirited (and that's putting it lightly) debut on Clubhouse, Ak found himself at the center of a Hot 97 conversation between Ebro and Rosenberg, during which the latter called him a "talentless hack." Ak wasted little time in responding during a Twitch live stream, unleashing a vitriolic rant upon his latest critics.
"The Ebros and the Rosenbergs hate my position in the culture," says Ak, speaking to his sizable Twitch following. "Ebro used to be the person you went to for relevance in hip-hop. That stopped being the case. Remember when he used to go on rants like 'you minor league?'' and determined music that was seen and heard at the biggest levels? Radio is irrelevant. Now I do know he has an important position at Apple Music. But truth be told and to let him know, that shit is coming through the internet. He doesn't have that hold on media anymore, and I think he resents me for that."
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Adamantly maintaining that he was making one hundred and fifty thousand dollars every month in YouTube revenue alone long before he even so much as met 6ix9ine, Ak flexes that he's been sitting on millions before his stint at Complex. "You work at Hot 97, you not pulling no half-a-million a year," says Ak, sounding increasingly heated. "That's three months of pay for me. Don't try to diminish my work...I actually built some shit on my own and I own it. I don't work for n***as -- you don't own nothing. The money looks a little different when you own."
"I don't need these n***as validation," continues Ak. "Ya'll n***as put on by ya'll companies. Rosenberg, you've been doing radio mad long. I eclipsed your whole career like that! You're not synonymous with this culture, your name don't hold more weight than mine, that's facts. Start talking about integrity and these other things, alright cool. But I built a platform I own, and at the end of the day, you a n***a that's a C or D mic on a show that your name is not even in the title. I think it's called Ebro In The Morning."
"I'ma keep changing and impacting how this culture moves whether you like it or not, and you're gonna sit there salty as fuck on your platform?" he continues, his tone sounding like Alonso at the end of Training Day. "You still a worker there n***a! I kick your n***as ass on numbers whenever I want to." He does proceed to give Ebro credit for insightful conversation, but accuses his biases against him and 6ix9ine of "blinding him from that." Ak also claims that when he first tried to get in the game and secure an interview from Ebro, the Hot97 host "fronted on [Ak] cause [Ak] was cool with Charlamagne."
"You playing these pussy-ass games," he continues. "Playing like girls, you're friends with him so I can't-- aight cool, I got it out the mud and made myself the shit you gotta talk about on a bright Monday morning while I drink Ciroc on my fucking street." Check out the incensed rant below, and sound off -- love him or hate him, do you think Akademiks deserves credit for the platform he's built?