DJ Akademiks Blames Drake For Boosting Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” Sales

BYCaroline Fisher2.3K Views
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Entertainment: 65th Annual Grammy Awards - Show
Feb 5, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Kendrick Lamar accepts the award for best rap album for “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers during the 65th Annual Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023. Robert Hanashiro / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
DJ Akademiks recently criticized Drake's timing.

Earlier this month, Kendrick Lamar dropped his new album GNX by surprise. So far, the project has been a major success. In fact, eight songs from the project are expected to land in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 song chart, with "squabble up" potentially coming in at No. 1. It's also reportedly projected to have sold between 310K and 325K in its first week, exceeding fans' initial predictions.

Just days after the album arrived, Drake decided to take legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG). He alleges that the label could have prevented the release of Kendrick's diss track "Not Like Us," in which the Compton rapper accuses him of being a pedophile. He also accuses UMG and Spotify of artificially boosting the song. Unsurprisingly, this has earned mixed reactions. While some are siding with Drizzy, others think this has just made him look worse. According to DJ Akademiks, it could have even ended up working out in Kendrick's favor.

Kendrick Lamar's First-Week Sales Projections Leave DJ Akademiks Concerned

During a recent stream, Ak reacted to Kendrick's first-week sales projections, arguing that the legal filing helped bring even more attention to the album. "I told y'all that f*ckin' lawsuit was the f*ckin' worse timing," he said. The internet personality continued, claiming that Drake fans need a win, such as Kendrick's album selling less than Drake's last release did in its first week. "We need a win right now, and the win is that that n***a in his biggest moment ever, can't f*ck with Drake," he explained. "We did 400K. He can't f*ck with us, we different. Okay? He's getting a little bit close, so I'm gonna stop talking about it right now."

During the same stream, Akademiks issued a warning to Drake amid his legal battle with UMG, arguing that it could have one of two outcomes. He claims that one possibility is the music industry changing forever after getting exposed for alleged, and another is Drake getting "violated" in court.

About The Author
Caroline Fisher is a News Writer at HotNewHipHop from Chicago, Illinois. She started at HNHH this year, and has since spent her time writing about all that is newsworthy in the world of hip-hop. With a drive for hunting down the hottest stories, she enjoys documenting new developments in culture and entertainment. She also has an appreciation for hip-hop and seeks to cover the most important trends and shifts. She has a Bachelor of Arts which she received at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Having graduated in 2022, she majored in English with a concentration in Media, Rhetoric and Cultural Studies. Specializing all things music, pop culture and entertainment, some of her favorite musical artists include Snoop Dogg, OutKast, and Nicki Minaj. When she’s not writing about music she’s also a fan of attending shows, watching the latest movies, staying up-to-date with current events, photography, and poetry.
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