DJ Akademiks Slams Spotify Campaign
DJ Akademiks criticized Spotify's "Hip-Hop's Next Leaders" campaign, mocking past picks like Doechii and Baby Keem in a post that generated 115 likes and 14K views. His comments sparked debate about hip-hop pioneers criticizing new artists, with the discussion racking up over 1K likes.
- The Spotify campaign in question, titled "Hip-Hop's Next Leaders," also features artists like Sexyy Red, Rod Wave, Central Cee, GloRilla, BigXthaPlug, and Lil Tecca alongside Doechii and Baby Keem. - The initiative invites fans to vote for who they believe will define the next decade in hip-hop and was promoted with billboards in the artists' hometowns. - DJ Akademiks argued that the rise of previous leaders like Drake and Kendrick Lamar felt organic, whereas he feels platforms like Spotify are now trying to force certain artists to become popular. - Doechii, one of the artists mocked by Akademiks, won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2025 for her mixtape "Alligator Bites Never Heal" and was also named Billboard's 2025 Woman of the Year. - Baby Keem, the other artist mentioned, won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance for his 2021 collaboration "Family Ties" with his cousin, Kendrick Lamar, and his debut album "The Melodic Blue" was certified platinum. - The list of nominees has drawn criticism from some fans who argue that many of the artists are already established, while others believe rising artists like Yeat and Don Toliver were unfairly excluded. - This debate is part of a larger conversation within the hip-hop community about who will take the mantle from the genre's long-reigning "Big Three": Drake, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar.
