DJ Akademiks Breaks Silence On Twitch Ban Amidst Grooming Allegations

BY Elias Andrews 4.1K Views
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2018 ComplexCon - Day 1
LONG BEACH, CA - NOVEMBER 03: DJ Akademiks attends 2018 ComplexCon-Day 1 at Long Beach Convention Center on November 3, 2018 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images)
Ak is done explaining himself.

DJ Akademiks has made a career out of discussing other people's controversies. Well, now the tables have turned, and Ak finds himself at the center of his own controversy. The streamer was out on blast for a resurfaced clip in which he had a sexually frank discussion with a teenager. The fallout has been swift. DJ Akademiks was banned from Twitch, which is one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world. The hip hop figure spoke on the ban, and the grooming allegations, during a Tuesday night stream.

DJ Akademiks claimed that he already addressed the grooming controversy in a previous statement. He told viewers he will not be dragging it on, as it would not do anybody any favors. He also admitted that he understood Twitch's decision to ban him. "Even though I wasn't streaming," Ak said. "That happened on their platform, completely get it." DJ Akademiks assured viewers that he would continue to stream on all other platforms. Platforms that reportedly earn him more money than Twitch ever did. "Of course, we still stream on YouTube," he explained. "Which, honestly, about 80% of our viewership came from YouTube, anyway."

DJ Akademiks Claims He Respects Twitch's Decision

DJ Akademiks may favor YouTube, but he made it clear that he does not have a problem with Twitch. The hip hop personality may have a history of explosive outbursts and rants, but he decided to play it cool in this instance. "Twitch, I respect their platform," he insisted. "You gotta respect their rules. Ak did admit that he didn't want to jump right back on with his usual streaming output, though. He decided not to run out a stream on all accounts, and preferred to return with something more "low key." His reasoning? He didn't want to give his critics any more fodder.

"I kinda wanted to have a lower key stream," DJ Akademiks admitted. "I feel like the sharks are just circling." It remains to see what the fallout will be for Ak and his career overall. The statement he made reference to during his Twitch ban discussion described the teen encounter as a "regrettable moment." Ak also promised that he would be better moving forward. "We're going to use it as a teachable moment. Because I don’t think I’ve came this far, built this platform, to be that irresponsible, right?," he asked. We will find out.

About The Author
Elias Andrews is a music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as the lead night shift contributor, which means he covers new music releases on a weekly basis. In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest and most turbulent stories in the world of music. He covered the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle, and the release of the disses “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams,” in particular, in real time. He has also detailed the ongoing list of allegations and criminal charges made against Diddy. Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He loves L.A. hip-hop but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he ever bought was Big Willie Style by Will Smith, which he maintains is still a pretty good listen.