DJ Akademiks is a controversial commentator and has been involved in several feuds over the years. Between 2017 and 2020, the personality (real name Livingston Allen) was a co-host of the popular Complex YouTube series ‘Everyday Struggle’ alongside Joe Budden and Nadeska Alexis. However, he has had an online presence since the early 2010s.
As a prominent figure in the industry, Allen has brushed shoulders with all sorts of artists, including Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert and Tekashi 6ix9ine, to name a few. However, on one occasion, the commentator waited ten hours for an interview.
Last year, Allen spoke to Bradley Martyn on his podcast Raw Talk and during their conversation, he unveiled that in order to give his subscribers an exclusive interview, he once slept ten hours in the studio in order to land a conversation with the iconic New York emcee Bobby Shmurda.
Allen highlighted how it was when the lyricist (real name Ackquille Pollard) got out of jail for conspiracy to murder after serving five years in prison. Speaking about his experience, Akademiks disclosed, “Yo, I waited…I think, like, 10 hours for Bobby Shmurda when he just got out. I slept at the studio waiting for this n*gga. They kept telling me, ‘Oh, his jet is coming.’ They’re like, ‘Yo, when he lands, he wants to pull right up there.'”
He continued, “I was like, ‘Can’t you just tell me when he’s actually even here?’ They’re like, ‘Nah, yo, just be on standby.’ Alright… The artist feels like the business doesn’t exist without them. And partially, they’re right. But because of that inflated self-importance, like, what intuitively happens is that they pretty much start devaluing everyone’s contributions.”
Bobby Shmurda was released from prison in 2021 and will be under parole until 2026. However, he has not returned to hip-hop. The Brooklyn emcee’s brand, akin to Tekashi 6ix9ine, was shrouded in criminality and gang violence. As such, he has remained under the radar to ensure he doesn’t violate any parole conditions.
That said, DJ Akademiks has continued to interview prominent artists. Last year, he questioned Lil Uzi Vert about the quality of his Pink Tape and asked whether or not he puts effort into his music.
You can listen to Allen on Raw Talk in the video below.