DJ Akademiks alleges Kendrick called 'rat'

Music Times published a May 19 report built around a DJ Akademiks claim that Kendrick Lamar called journalist Elliott Wilson a “rat” during the filming of the “Not Like Us” video. The item landed nearly two years after Wilson himself described an encounter at the June 2024 shoot in Compton. The latest round of coverage did not include a new public comment from Lamar. It instead revived an older moment from the Drake-Kendrick feud and recast it through Akademiks’ telling. ### Where does the “rat” claim actually come from? DJ Akademiks’ account, as relayed by Music Times and HotNewHipHop, said Wilson’s relationship with Drake had frayed over interview tensions and that Wilson later showed up at the “Not Like Us” video shoot, where Lamar allegedly confronted him. Music Times quoted Akademiks as saying Kendrick called Wilson a “rat” to his face. The report attributed the claim to a recent livestream rather than to Lamar, Wilson or a representative speaking directly in the new story. (musictimes.com) Elliott Wilson’s own public description dates to June 22, 2024. HipHopDX reported that Wilson wrote on X that Kendrick “dapped me up and whispered ‘you’re a rat,’” followed by “I [love] hip hop. Ha! #Compton,” presenting the exchange as playful rather than hostile. That earlier post is the clearest on-the-record account tied to the moment itself. (musictimes.com) ### Why was Elliott Wilson being called a “rat” in the first place? Drake’s side of the feud had already attached that label to Wilson before the video-shoot encounter. Vibe reported in June 2024 that Wilson said Drake sent him a rat emoji after Wilson asked whether “Family Matters” was dropping that night, with Drake apparently suspecting Wilson was feeding information to Lamar. Wilson denied that idea on The Joe Budden Podcast and said Drake seemed to think he had chosen a side. (hiphopdx.com) Wilson told HipHopDX that Drake’s message left him angry and confused, and he pushed back on the underlying accusation by asking, “What would I rat about?” HipHopDX said Wilson also described losing contact with Drake after the emoji exchange and said Drake had blocked him on Instagram. ### So is this a new allegation or an old incident resurfacing? (vibe.com) The May 19 stories describe an old incident resurfacing. Music Times and follow-on items from other entertainment sites repackaged Akademiks’ retelling of the encounter, but the underlying event traces back to the “Not Like Us” shoot in June 2024, when Wilson was already posting about it publicly. (hiphopdx.com) The difference is tone. Wilson’s 2024 version suggested a joke delivered in person at a charged moment in the feud, while Akademiks’ 2026 retelling framed it as a sharper insult tied to Wilson’s standing with Drake and the media’s role around the battle. That contrast is an inference from the two public accounts. (musictimes.com) ### What has Kendrick Lamar said about this latest round? No new direct statement from Kendrick Lamar appeared in the May 19 Music Times report or the follow-up aggregation coverage reviewed here. The article relied on Akademiks’ remarks and prior reporting around Wilson’s relationship with Drake. (musictimes.com) By May 21, the next identifiable source material remained the same set of public remarks: Akademiks’ livestream comments, Wilson’s June 2024 X post and Wilson’s podcast explanations about Drake’s rat emoji. If either Lamar or Wilson addresses the revived claim again, that would likely surface first through their own social accounts, podcast appearances or music press follow-ups. (musictimes.com)