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My initial admiration for DJ Akademiks stemmed from his insightful coverage of the burgeoning Drill artists of the early 2010s. Those were the unsung mumble rappers navigating the fringes of the boom-bap hip-hop arena. However, a transformation occurred upon his ascension to reporting on hip-hop royalty – LL Cool J, Meek Mill, Russell Simmons, Freddie Gibbs, Diddy, and others. This shift coincided, I suspect, with either newfound wealth or the forging of influential partnerships. A Hennessey-fueled arrogance gradually infiltrated his persona. As a staunch advocate for Hip-Hop Kulture, I often perceived some of AK’s recent commentary as subtly, yet damagingly, undermining the Kulture and its legends.
Akademiks’ contemptuous dismissal of Russell Simmons and his callous attempt to ridicule the Def Jam mogul for fleeing to Bali ignited a firestorm. Within hip-hop circles, a faction views the allegations against Cosby, Simmons, Kelly, and even Diddy as baseless, perceiving their downfall as a calculated assault on the Kulture’s very foundation. Akademiks’ unflinching, even gleeful, reporting on these matters, devoid of empathy for these revered figures, struck a raw nerve. This perceived lack of compassion now appears to have backfired spectacularly. Ironic retribution, it seems, has arrived.
Akademiks’ Wikipedia entry, once a testament to his career, is rapidly becoming a chilling chronicle of alleged sexual impropriety. It details accusations ranging from rape to various forms of violence, overshadowing any professional accomplishments. A recording surfaced featuring Akademiks expressing a disturbing predilection for sexual relationships with minors. He callously compared 17-year-olds to 20-year-olds, minimizing the significance of the age gap. Some say he has a reprehensible attraction to underage girls. Arguably fueled by his notorious, habitual alcohol consumption.
Further exacerbating his already precarious image, a video emerged depicting Akademiks engaged in a violent altercation with a woman. She was allegedly his lover. He was captured threatening and physically assaulting her. I posit that Akademiks’s immersion in a world of high-priced escorts has eroded his capacity for genuine courtship. He seems accustomed to transactional intimacy, where sex on the first encounter is the norm. This likely fuels his erratic behavior when confronted with women who don’t readily conform to those expectations. The clash of his habituated behavior with the reality of a less commercially driven encounter results in his impulsive vulgarity, landing in repeated controversies.
Ironically, he’s now mirroring the very celebrities he so readily condemns. Beyond the arrogance, I also sensed a slight creative depletion despite his brilliance. While I partially comprehend his rationale for mentoring young men on the art of seduction, I find his approach inappropriate due to unacceptable language, such as “bust her down,” for example. AK needs to do what I did. Go 100% nerd, and start talking like you were born in a college sweater. I struggled with dropping the colloquial slang; I know the feeling. It’s a must-do. Mature men should express themselves with greater sensitivity. Experiencing the warm embrace of a woman shouldn’t be described with such crass language as “clap her cheeks.”
The act of intimacy requires tenderness, not conquest. Instead of resorting to crude metaphors of demolition, he should have taught the kid to cultivate a romantic approach. How to choreograph the consensual moment. Gentle eye contact, sincere communication, a stolen kiss on the cheek, cuddling on the sofa, the passionate embrace. Genuine affection, respect, and heartfelt emotion must underpin any romantic pursuit. Guiding a young man in the art of seduction necessitates teaching him the profound beauty of loving a woman. The act of lovemaking shouldn’t be reduced to a brutal, emotionless exploitation. Instead, it requires poetic courtship and sensual anticipation. Therefore, AK’s counsel, even overlooking its offensive nature, ultimately provided flawed guidance. We should all learn from his mistakes.
