DJ Akademiks Speaks On Rappers' Reactions To Rich Homie Quan's Death

BYGabriel Bras Nevares2.7K Views
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Celebrities Visit SiriusXM Studios - May 18, 2015
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 18: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Rich Homie Quan visits at SiriusXM Studios on May 18, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images)
RIP Rich Homie Quan.

Rich Homie Quan spent over a decade crafting his artistry in the game before his untimely loss, even if the peaks of his powers came and went some years ago in many fans' eyes. But hardcore listeners know that he kept releasing music all throughout, and that he still had a lot of compelling ideas and creative decisions in his art. Moreover, many hip-hop figures have commented on how the Atlanta artist's legacy will change and evolve now that he's no longer with us, with some thinking that this reappraisal is coming off as fake from a few select MCs and producers out there. DJ Akademiks expressed a similar sentiment on his livestream. Specifically, he compared this situation to another recent rap tragedy. "There's so many Atlanta rappers who I've seen chime in, as well," Ak began. "I haven't posted all of them, honestly.

"The reason why I didn't post all of them is 'cause I got the feeling that I felt when I was talking to PnB Rock," DJ Akademiks continued. "I can tell you how the PnB Rock interview happened. PnB Rock and me weren't best friends. PnB Rock did an interview, his last interview on my platform because none of these industry n***as f***ed with him. We talked for two hours. Before we started the interview, he told me how every single artist – The artist that was crying the most when he died? 'Yeah, I'm waiting on this n***a to give me a verse. But that n***a playing around. Like, n***a switched up on me.' Obviously, I will not say names, because he never said this on camera. He said it to me personally. I was so shocked and disappointed. All the n***as he was complaining about who didn't f**k with him no more, they were the n***as that acted like they were the most hurt.

DJ Akademiks On Rich Homie Quan

"They were devastated," DJ Akademiks went on. "'Oh, that was my brother!' This industry is a very fake place. Go watch the interview back I did with PnB Rock. A lot of it is him talking about how things have changed over the years. When he came in the game and when he got hot, cool. But he made a couple of mistakes as a young [man], and a lot of things changed. Rich Homie Quan, the same thing. And I always tell y'all. With these artists, I get the real interview before. Whatever y'all see on camera, that's not the real interview. They gon' tell me the truth about all these f**k n***as off camera, when they know I'm not recording. Same with Rich Homie Quan.

"'All these Atlanta n***as, oh, they just now started feeling it's cool to f**k with me. I don't got no problem with bro, but it's 'cause bro locked up now. These n***as d**k-riders,'" DJ Akademiks quoted. "This is what Quan is telling me! Quan dies? The whole Atlanta, 'Oh my God, we love you, Quan!' Some of the n***as he even said wouldn't f**k with him. He couldn't get a beat from, couldn't get a verse from... I look on the 'Gram, 'I know it ain't you!' But it ain't my place once again. It ain't on me to be like, 'You know Quan told me you was a f**k n***a who stopped f***ing with him at this time because of this issue?' But you want to – I won't even say nothing. It's cool. But I only say that to contextualize it to let you know that a lot of these n***as... They're only a funeral delivery service for your flowers. They ain't gon' show up when you alive."

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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