DJ Akademiks is once again weighing in on the current state of hip-hop, arguing that the genre has lost much of its excitement and cultural spark in the streaming era, while also revisiting ongoing debates around Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
Akademiks said he believes music consumption has fundamentally changed, describing it less as an active listening experience and more as background noise in everyday life. He argued that this shift has dulled the impact of releases and reduced the sense of event-driven excitement that once surrounded major drops.
He was especially critical of Kendrick Lamar’s influence on the culture, stating, “Kendrick came in with all that woke sht and f**ed up the party.” Akademiks also claimed, “the game isn’t exciting anymore,” and suggested that the energy of hip-hop has declined in recent years.
In addition, he alleged that industry narratives around Kendrick have been carefully managed behind the scenes. Last year, Akademiks previously claimed Kendrick Lamar’s team was heavily involved in shaping online discourse during the Drake rivalry period. He said, “They would clip my reactions and pay blogs to post it.”
According to his account, individuals connected to Kendrick’s digital strategy were actively distributing content and amplifying reactions to influence perception during the feud with Drake.
Akademiks also reacted to the recent milestone surrounding Drake’s “What Did I Miss?” being the last rap song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, noting that it has now been nine months since a hip-hop track achieved that placement. He pointed to the contrast between earlier claims of a “changing of the guard” and current discussions suggesting the genre is struggling.
He also questioned the widespread framing of Kendrick Lamar as the dominant figure in hip-hop today, stating, “When they said Kendrick was the hottest rapper… the rap game never been more dead.”
Akademiks further added, “Hip-hop is starving… everybody just waiting for Drake to drop iceman.”
His comments reflect ongoing tensions in hip-hop discourse, where debates over influence, streaming culture, and artist dominance continue to shape how audiences interpret the current state of the genre.