Predator and Prey… Hip Hop vs DJ Akademiks
By: Dante' Daniel
Tags: Hip Hop, Chicago, Rap, Akademik

Hip-hop culture is symbolic of the “predator or prey” design. This is evidenced by the excessively large entourages, gun toting and consistent beefs you typically see of rappers. Rappers going all out to avoid becoming “prey”, preventing their career demise causing them to lose their means of providing for their family, expensive jewelry collection and entourage. We witnessed these demises with conflicts between rap figures such as Ja’Rule and 50 Cent; Lil Flip and T.I.; Taxstone and Troy Ave, ultimately one falling prey to the predator. Today, we are seeing less of the complete demise of an artist with the expansion of hip-hop due to the internet and social media.

There are currently two sides to hip-hop. On one side you have the streets who consists of rappers who abide by a code of conduct and ethics held in the streets such as no snitching, not associating with a snitch and/or honoring who did what in the street (i.e., Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Meek Mill). On the other side you have the earners of hip-hop, rappers who have an ability to generate a high level of revenue due to their appeal to multiple genders, races, age groups and non-street fans (i.e., Lil Uzi Vert, Drake and Kanye West). Artists like Lil Baby, NBA Young Boy, Future, Pop Smoke, Da Baby are some of the few who have an uncanny ability to balance the street’s fanship, while still being some of the most streamed artists of 2021. Other artists generate so much revenue and/or following their character flaws, code of conduct mishaps and/or their perception of weakness are ignored by other rappers as they are too much of an asset to prey upon. Actually, trying to prey upon that revenue generating artist, may cause the street artist to become the prey (i.e., Meek Mill versus Drake).

Unfortunately, DJ Akademiks has fallen victim to this moving of the goal post in hip-hop. DJ Akademiks’ rise in hip-hop culture was unforeseen, unorthodox and deviant of the hip-hop culture. Using the momentum of Chief Keef’s stardom and the rise of drill music, DJ Akademiks utilized the YouTube platform (first video posted in 2014) highlighting the crime across Chicago (predominantly in the Southside area), with the channel name “War in Chiraq”; named this due to the high number of homicides. Using a satirical, comedic tone, DJ Akademiks provided the latest on street wars usually between Southside’s Black Disciples, Gangster Disciples and other factions of these gangs. In 2016, just year two of his YouTube channel, Chicago experienced an uptick of over 760 homicides, coincidentally that same year DJ Akademiks began to generate thousands of more views. Since then, DJ Akademiks has expanded his brand acquiring over 4 million followers on Instagram, a host role on Complex’s now defunct hip-hop show, “Everyday Struggle”, and most recently securing a nine-figure podcast deal with Spotify. Despite the hard work and success, DJ Akademiks still has not been embraced by the industry, despite gaining a cult following with no cosigns or sponsorships. Criticized by those within the industry who respect a street code and resent his method of ascension in the hip-hop industry. Unfortunately for this group, DJ Akademiks falls into the revenue generator category of hip-hop and efforts to cancel him, like Meek Mill’s attempt have all fallen short.

Last week, DJ Akademiks held an interview with the always entertaining, candid and uplifting podcast, Million Dollaz Worth of Game (MDWG). It was a rare occurrence for DJ Akademiks to be speaking freely on a platform outside of his own. This is apparent as he stated (skip to 9:45):

“I want y’all to get a better understanding of me because, I think I’m the most misunderstood person probably in hip-hop culture. You know people usually have an opinion of me because of one little thing, but nobody really engages me to have a conversation.”

This is true as one side of hip-hop has blacklisted DJ Akademiks and ultimately has caused others to covertly do the same. Others that have never lived by any level of street code, but this industry is a game of relations, and in order to ensure Lil Durk continues coming on my platform, I can’t allow DJ Akademiks on my platform. That is not about code, but more so about maintaining relevance and profit for the other platforms.

The interview continued on with host, Wallo asking DJ Akademiks (skip to 10:50):

“Do you believe that your reporting of Chicago, (listen, listen), in Chicago do you believe and I’m talking about you, we not talking about nobody else; and you’re reporting and the way that you amplified individuals created a crime wave?”

DJ Akademiks proceeds to acknowledge that he may have contributed to the murders of Chicago, but hip-hop as a culture fails to acknowledge the true contributor. Continues to discuss how rappers who directly promote violence in their songs and social media, yet no one holds them accountable.

Ladies and gentlemen; young and old, DJ Akademiks is correct. The hip-hop culture has once again proven its’ hypocriticalness and has chosen its’ prey. Let’s be honest, hip-hop is like high school and DJ Akademiks would be the leader of the nerds. Lil Baby and Lil Durk would be the fly getting money students who sold drugs after school. Drake would be the captain of the basketball team most would consider somewhat corny, but females love him, he throws the best house parties, and you would have to go through 14 teammates to get to him. Meek Mill and Freddie Gibbs would simply bully DJ Akademiks for the majority of his four years until senior year when DJ Akademiks finally decided to defend himself.

DJ Akademiks created videos highlighting the atrocities occurring in a predominately Black community of Chicago. He tapped into an untapped market that no Chicagoan and/or others elected to do so. Violence and sex appeal to the masses especially the younger demographic. The top three box office movies of 2020 and two of three in 2021 involved violence and murder. DJ Akademiks depicted real life occurrences of this and created a market for the Southside of Chicago. People all across America grew to know the Southside of Chicago. Unknown artists of Chicago at the time were able to build off this momentum and now are household names. Some say DJ Akademiks is a “clout chaser” who used Chicago to get to where he is today, but in my opinion, he is an opportunist who shed light on not only the crime in Southside Chicago, but the local rappers as well.

Do you believe the mothers who lost sons due to gang violence are upset DJ Akademiks has brought awareness to their community? Ask mothers if violence occurred before he arrived on YouTube. Would everyday citizens of the Southside community hoping for change be upset with someone shedding light on an American city that had more homicide victims in one year than Iraq? Since 2016, homicides have fallen every year until the firing of Police Chief Eddie Johnson in 2019 while homicide totals for that year were at the lowest since 2015. Pointing the finger at the school nerd, DJ Akademiks for such a complex issue like the murder rate where a multitude of factors exist such as politics, economics and community engagement is truly irrational and irresponsible of our hip-hop platforms.

Could DJ Akademiks have gone about it a bit more respectfully? Absolutely, his sarcasm and name calling to those that have passed and/or those who were identified as the shooter incorrectly can appear troll-esque. Statements such as “Is there heaven for a Chiraq savage” when discussing the death of someone lacks empathy we would expect of somebody reporting news. It appears in hopes of keeping his videos appealing, this style of delivery was utilized by him. Despite his delivery, DJ Akademiks concluded with messages promoting non-violence and/or even shooting at our true oppressors, all the while rappers have been complicit with promoting violence for decades. Promoting violence through lyrics, and when it is actually inflicted or received by the artist, their stock rises in the hip-hop community. Gaining the stripes needed to maintain that perception of being a predator, allowing their career to flourish, never becoming prey. Hoping to acquire the level of wealth symbolic of being bulletproof within the hip-hop industry like Jay-Z, Drake and Rick Ross.

Unfortunately, for DJ Akademiks this treatment will continue for him until today’s rappers’ transition from superstardom to mediocre and the next decade of rappers arrive. It is wise he continues the hard work that has accosted him this level of fame and wealth. Over the course of time, he will accumulate the level of wealth and power to create his own empire. Making it that the next generation of artists will need him, and his alleged sins will all of a sudden be forgotten. DJ Akademiks said it best in his MDWG interview (skip to 21:52), “N****s do it because I’m an easy target.”