Akademiks has been on the defense quite a bit lately. His back-and-forth with Meek Mill has made its round on the internet, with many people picking sides in the debate. Meek feels that Akademiks isn't as big and important as he feels he is, while Akademiks wants the respect he believes he deserves for becoming a voice in hip-hop.
The fallout from that debate ended up being a topic on Hot 97, where Ebro and Rosenberg applied their usual aggressive New York take to the situation. Rosenberg called Ak a "talentless hack," which caused the latter to go on a rant.
"The Ebros and the Rosenbergs hate my position in the culture," ranted Ak. "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."
"I actually built some shit on my own and I own it. I don't work for niggas -- you don't own nothing. The money looks a little different when you own," continued Ak. Now, Rosenberg and Ebro are striking back.
The two radio vets sat down and began to discuss what exactly Ak is the owner of. "He said people like you and I... basically we're pawns," Rosenberg stated, explaining the contents of Ak's rant to Ebro. "He's a boss," continues Rosenberg. "My question is, what are you boss of? Are you a boss at Twitch? Are you on the executive board at Youtube? What boss are you? Congrats, you make money. That's the whole point... yes we know that you propagate violence that actually happens. You take beefs between real people, you repurpose it on your channels. You talk about it, you hype it up, and you hide in your basement."
Rosenberg goes on to compare Ak to Star from Star and Bucwild. The two old-school radio personalities were known for their controversial takes, one of which included Star making fun of Aaliyah's tragic death with an insensitive skit soon after her passing. It caused Star to be forced out of the spotlight, and Rosenberg claims he is now hiding in his home, scared from all the damage he has created over his career. Rosenberg sees a similar path for Ak.
Ebro also shared his opinion, stating, "For anybody out there who thinks they own their platform, but you still have to do business and get approval to put out your content through another service... then he hits the "congratulations you played yourself" button."You don't own Youtube, you don't own IG. You own your brand as much as I own mine. I can take my brand, Ebro, and put it anywhere in the world at any time." Check out the entire conversation below.