DJ Akademiks shares why he advised Drake to back off Kendrick Lamar

DJ Akademiks may be one of Drake’s loudest supporters online, but even he seems to think it’s time for the Toronto star to walk away from his feud with Kendrick Lamar. In a new interview with VladTV, he shared that he told Drizzy not to bring up Kendrick or their lyrical battle on his upcoming album, ICEMAN. Whether Drake listens to that advice is another story.

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“When I mean leave him alone, we’ve got to leave the moment. There’s no more direct engaging. There ain’t no more with diss songs. It’s over,” Akademiks explained. “He’s still gotta sneak diss him. It’s gotta be the Jay-Z approach.”

“After this battle, it should be Drake’s last,” he continued. “Like, why engage with rappers? In any of these situations, you have nothing to gain. Would you go on a business deal you got nothing to gain?”

“When you look at Drake’s career as a whole, why would he engage? It’s over,” he added. “He’s already solidified.”

Drake ICEMAN

DJ Akademiks also had more to say about Drake’s upcoming project. He suggested during the interview that this might not actually be Drake’s final album under Universal Music Group despite their ongoing legal battle. Drake filed a lawsuit against UMG in January over Kendrick’s diss track “Not Like Us.”

He claimed the label boosted the track’s success artificially and fueled what he described as a “false and malicious” narrative accusing him of predatory behavior. Earlier this month, a judge dismissed the case. Drake’s legal team has since said they plan to appeal the decision.

Akademiks also teased the album in a tweet earlier this week, writing, “Just got the word… ICEMAN finna b a classic. Hollyyyy.” While no official release date has been announced yet, the album is expected to drop later this month.