Off the Record with DJ Akademiks

Adin Ross is our guest today. He's the most popular streamer currently on the Twitch platform and one of the fastest rising on YouTube and Tik Tok. Adin addresses how he manifested his success from a young kid in high school and the sacrifices he and his father had to make to get to the point where he's at. He also speaks about his clout and fame getting to the point speaks on how he initially accidentally stepped into beef by mentioning a song by Yungeen Ace where Foolio got offended. He addresses rumors of him being involved with sketchy gambling scheme that his fans were upset about. Akademiks tries to solve the issues with Adin and 6ix9ine and even get into the behind the scenes of how it may have developed. 6ix9ine vs Adin Ross boxing? Adin talks issues with Polo G and also him trolling being taken way out of context and way more serious than he ever imagined.  

Yung DRACO aka Soulja Boy is our guest this episode.  Its been 3 years since Akademiks and Soulja Boy had a sit down and last time it was all shouting, name calling and pure hilarity. The tone of this entire sit down is notably different with both Soulja Boy and Akademiks complimenting each other on each respective's path to success. Soulja Boy recaps how life has changed for him in the last two years and what he learned from getting locked up after finding a new resurgence of his career in 2017-2019. He details the life changes he's made since and also how his probation officer authorized a raid on his residence on his last day of probation which then landed him into jail at arguably the worst time in his career. He details his time in jail and then coming back and refocusing on creating new moments, new music and new products. He talks about how Kanye West lied to him by pretending he was going to be on Kanye's 2021 LP, Donda. Soulja had the text messages to back his accusations up. He talks issues with Tyga and Akademiks tries to get him to apologize to Tyga and others he's wronged. He reveals he was the first to give Tyga a Cameo in the music industry and shows Akademiks proof of Tyga hopping out of a convertible in the 'She Got a Donk' video. He briefly recounts his issues with Migos and details the mindset he was in while going back and forth with rappers online. He also admits that the attention that was brought from those beefs got him more scrutiny from law enforcement. Soulja Boy talks trolling NBA Youngboy fans back after they started trolling him and reveals he's been in contact with Youngboy's brother OG3Three. He also reveals that Youngboy reached out to him when he was 15/16 and Youngboy could have been signed to SODMG. He talks about his label and focusing on signing artists in light of acknowledging that many artists he collabed with early in their careers became successful later. Soulja Boy gives Akademiks a business breakdown of why he chose the independent path instead of staying signed to a major label. He also shows off his extensive product line which includes Soulja Exotics, Soulja Lemonade, Soulja Pineapple Soda, Soulja Game, Soulja Headphones among others. He explains what really happened with Atari as fans saw their CEO deny Soulja Boy claim that he owned the company. Soulja Boy talks about his movie that he ended up scrapping and talks about the events that led up to him changing the type of music he made. The infamous shootout which involved Soulja Boy using a weapon to defend himself against home invaders put him in a state where making kid friendly music was no longer a viable option for him as he felt it encouraged people to try him. 

Van Lathan is our guest today. He's a academy award winning film creator and renowned media personality. Many know him from his time at TMZ in which he most famously 'checked' Kanye West, others know him for being a host on 'Higher Learning' and winning an academy award for Best Short Film. The episode kicks off with Akademiks and Van talking about women in Miami, jewelry and respecting women. Conversation then goes back into the history of Van and Akademiks back in high school/college and brings up the age old question of if Nerds are winning. Van explains how its possible to navigate and escape out the friend zone and how that was a effective strategy in college. Things get a bit more serious when Van attempts to hold Akademiks accountable for the effects of his 'War in Chiraq' series on the city of Chicago. Akademiks offers pushback in questioning where the energy is at for others who are more influential in that city for example rappers. Akademiks and Van discuss what Akademiks considers 'The League' and Van questions if some of Akademiks motivation is because of hurt he's suppressed from the past. Akademiks discusses 'beef' with other podcasters which Van also has a relationship with and also questions if there is hypocrisy when others are mentioned compared to him. Conversation gets even more heated with Akademiks accusing Van Lathan of spinning and avoiding giving honest criticism about others he might consider his peers. As you may expect, there isn't much of a resolution in most things discussed but nonetheless it makes for a entertaining episode. 

Adam 22 is our guest this episode of Off The Record. Adam 22 is a entrepreneur, media personality and the owner of the 'No Jumper' media platform. Adam 22 and Akademiks discuss accountability of their platforms and reporting in the hip hop world. Conversation also gets into discussing acknowledgement of newer platforms and how both felt about the BET  Hip Hop Award nomination snub. Adam makes a bold proclamation about the current state of Tekashi 6ix9ine career and also gives a breakdown of how hard it is for media personalities as they grow to still give their real opinion about artists and events happening in the hip hop sphere.

Yes, you seen the title ... IT IS TRUE.  Akademiks describes the latest update in the saga between him and Meek Mill.  Akademiks gives a recap of his week also breaks down his theory why its the hardest when you're the youngest child. He then talks about the recent arrest of the killers of FBG Duck and how rappers who do Drill music seem to not learn lessons despite police and the authorities basically telling them they are snitching on themselves. Of course, an episode wouldn't be complete without the latest update on Akademiks journey to join the vaccinated crowd. He questions if taking the vaccine is even considered a personal choice these days when you consider that you may lose your job or be unable to work and continue your livelihood without it. He discusses if Kyrie Irving is doing the right thing by giving up almost $16 million to stand on his choice of not being vaccinated. Akademiks explains why he's excited to watch the Boosie movie after hearing people criticizing it and calling it bad. Lastly, the Clubhouse A&R and new wave of highly attractive music A&R gets discussed. Are labels hiring attractive women to recruit artists or are the new A&R's out of pure coincidence seem to be highly attractive?

On our episode today, Pressa joins Akademiks to talk about his music career and the music scene in Toronto. Pressa breaks down the politics in the city of Toronto and making it out to now having influence on the US Hip hop scene. He also reflects on recent arrest of rapper Top 5. Akademiks tries to get an understanding of how artists like Drake, Tory Lanez or Nav still have influence on the city though they have crossed over and asks if they owe the underground scene opportunities. We talk about his girlfriend 'Coi Leray' and the criticism she receives online and how he helps her cope. He talks about his plans going forward in putting his brothers on and becoming a legend in his city and hip hop.

We finally after 11 episodes get a solo DJ Akademiks Episode. He holds court about our last two episodes with Kodak Black and Omi in a Hellcat. He also addresses the backlash that has been caused by Dave Chapelle's Netflix special and where he stands on the entire issue. He talks about Pooh Shiesty facing life in prison after declining a potential plea deal and opting to go to trial on October 25th. Akademiks recaps his first yacht experience with his homies in Miami and how one particular homie Russell Westbrook'ed the entire situation.  He also gets into learning about Superman's son being bisexual. He gets into squid games and questions the hype about it and wonders if its as good as the hype or Netflix is just able to create hype because they own the platform and the content they choose to put in front of you. He finally ends on some numbers for this weeks albums and talks if numbers is still the standard if most labels can finesse them.

Omi in a Hellcat is a popular YouTuber and influencer who was recently caught up in the news for his arrest by the FBI in a federal piracy case. He's known in the hip hop community for his flashy lifestyle, many cars and jewelry. We begin the conversation talking about feds, paranoia and informants (I know lol sorry). We discuss 6ix9ine's driver being a cooperator then open up the show with Omi in a Hellcat letting us know how his life changed from being married a decade until he started making money. He gives a breakdown of how he got started with Gears TV. He then describes how he was operating in a gray area with his business since it wasn't technically illegal. He describes when he realized the feds was on to him and when they seized everything he had a few years ago. Omi explains why he feels someone has it out for him since others who have done similar things or even worse haven't garnered the same treatment by the feds. He also talks about how much money he made in just three years of being successful at what he was doing. Also, he explains how his accountant and others switched up on him and even makes a proclamation that he was happier before the money than he was with it. Akademiks asks what the most expensive one time purchase Omi made. Pocket Watching ensues with Akademiks discussing if Lil Baby really made $50 Million over the last few years since he's been on. Omi clears up his issues with G Herbo and DJ Vlad and gives his thoughts on people who call him a scammer. Omi ends with naming his favorite rappers currently.

Kodak Black joins us for todays episode. In a rare conversation, Kodak Black recaps his time spent in federal prison where he was being mistreated by CO's but eventually got pardoned by the former present of The United States, Donald Trump. He talked about realizing a lot about people around him and figuring out what those feelings of distrust or seeing people move weird was about. He talks about Almost signing NBA Youngboy, squashing the issues and even tells stories of how Youngboy use to hang at his house before Youngboy got to the position he's now in. Kodak Black speaks on being accused of a being cloned and speaks to how people wanted him to turn his back on Donald Trump after his pardon. Kodak black then reveals he was hanging with the bloods while being locked up in prison and even clears the air about Nipsey Hussle & Lauren London. He gets into talking about Florida rappers and also denounces rappers 'smoking on packs' or disrespecting the dead. Kodak also talks demanding his respect for his influence and sauce that many people have ran off with. Kodak gets serious with addressing his drug issues that recently came up in the news and also talks prior interviews with Hot 97 and even discussed his resolved sexual assault case.

DJ Akademiks pulls up to Miami in anticipation of finally meeting Kodak Black and links with favorite people in the city, Fresh and Fit. They are a podcast about relationships and lifestyle, a self help podcast for men who need a guide through life and relationships. Akademiks gives the history between him and Fresh and also how he found out about the podcast, recaps his weekend with the guys. Also switches gears a bit and delves into some relationship topics with Fresh and Fit. Conversation eventually leads to the controversial perspective the guys have about dating and relationships and how to survive in a Clout / fast paced economy like Miami. I know most people are used to straight conversations about hip hop, but the lifestyle that comes with it is definitely a bi product of what this podcast becomes. A convo about onlyfans, loyalty, trust issues and beef.