Akademiks claims he personally told Drake to step away from his high-profile feud with Kendrick Lamar.
During a new interview on VladTV, Akademiks said he believes the rap battle is finished and no longer worth Drake's time. According to him, he told Drake to lay off Kendrick by leaving their situation in the past and refraining from dropping diss records.
"When I mean leave him alone, we got to leave the moment. There's no more direct engagement," said Ak. "Ain't no more with diss songs. It's over."
Ak added that Drake should move more strategically going forward by continuing to do what he's good at, which is sending a "sneak diss" to rappers, which he called the "Jay-Z approach." He also argued there's now little upside for Drake in continuing the lyrical back-and-forth with Kendrick.
"After this battle, it should be Drake's last," said Ak. "Like, why engage with rappers, any of these situations, you have nothing to gain? Would you go on a business deal you got nothing to gain?"
When Vlad brought up Drake's 2015 Meek Mill diss track "Back to Back," calling it a pivotal moment that boosted Drake's career, Akademiks challenged that narrative, saying it wasn't a "top 20 song" in Drake's catalog.
Vlad pushed back, noting the song's cultural significance, saying, "It was a pivotal moment… culturally, it was very important… it was the biggest hit diss song of all time at that point."
Akademiks agreed the Meek Mill battle mattered historically but insisted Drake doesn't get legacy points anymore for lyrical wars: "When you look at Drake's career as a whole, why would he engage? It's over. He's already solidified."
The rivalry between Drake and Kendrick Lamar stretches back over a decade, long before 2024's explosive diss run. Tension first surfaced in 2013 after Kendrick called out Drake and several other rappers by name on Big Sean's track "Control." Things stayed competitive but quiet for years until subtle shots escalated between the two.
In 2024, Kendrick took aim again on "Like That" from Future and Metro Boomin's album We Don't Trust You, igniting one of the most aggressive rap battles ever. Over the next few months, both rappers unleashed some of the harshest disses in mainstream rap history.
Drake fired shots with "Push Ups," "Taylor Made Freestyle," "Family Matters," "The Heart Part 6" while Kendrick struck back with "Euphoria," "6:16 in LA," "Meet the Grahams," and "Not Like Us," the latter becoming a viral cultural moment and a chart-topping hit.