Drake Allegedly Lied in Kendrick Diss and Akademiks is Facing a Lawsuit

If you’re watching the NBA playoffs, then you’ll know that Jokic cooked the Timberwolves like he was Kendrick on “Not Like Us.” In other news today:

• Billboard Hot 100 📈 

• Drake allegedly lied on “The Heart Pt 6” ❗️ 

• Akademiks faces r*pe & defamation lawsuit 😳 

• A$AP Ferg changes his name and tributes “dead homies” in new grill 💎 

• Discover new music with the Rap Index 🔥 

• Industry Insights 🔎 

Billboard Hot 100

The above chart shows Billboard’s Hot 100 ranking for this week. The Hot 100 ranks songs based on streaming activity, radio airplay audience impressions, and sales data—all measured by Luminate.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” debuts at #1 and becomes the strongest debut for a solo rap song on Billboard this decade. Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” holds the #2 spot, Kendrick’s “euphoria” jumps from #11 to #3, and Drake’s “Family Matters” debuts at #7.

Drake Allegedly Lied on “The Heart Pt 6”

In “The Heart Pt 6,” Drake said he baited Kendrick by planting false information about having a daughter and non-incriminating items, which appeared on the cover of Kendrick’s “Meet The Grahams.” 

Akademiks initially reported that the items in Kendrick’s cover art belonged to Drake’s father, and the Ozempic prescription was a joke aimed at Rick Ross. Now he’s recanting his claims and saying Drake lied…

Before Akademiks changed his tune, an anonymous X (formerly Twitter) account @EbonyPrince2k24 posted a video of all the items in the “Meet The Grahams” cover art along with a Brooklyn Eagle newspaper dated “May 8” to prove the video was taken recently. 

In the video posted on X, prescriptions for Ozempic, Adderall, and Zolpidem are clearly labeled for “Aubrey Graham,” dispelling the narrative that they belonged to Drake’s father, Dennis.

The post's motive was to attack Drake’s claims that Kendrick was a liar. But after more threatening tweets over the weekend, u/EbonyPrince2k24 seems to have a personal vendetta against Drake.

The anonymous X user has been nicknamed “The Riddler” for their ominous similarity to Batman’s nemesis. They claim to be the source behind the information Kendrick used on “Meet The Grahams.”

The rabbit hole of tweets from u/EbonyPrince2k24 is cryptic and unverified, but a reasonable assumption is that they are a current or former employee of The Mark Hotel in New York (where Drake regularly stays). The items in the cover art were allegedly discarded by Drake or his team and recovered by hotel employees around January 22, 2023. Drake had two shows at the Apollo in NYC during that period.

Amid this conspiracy theory, Akademiks spoke on his Rumble channel over the weekend and conceded that he thinks Drake lied about planting the “Meet The Grahams” items. “Drake did know the items were stolen so I don’t know if he’s trying to reverse psychology it,” Akademiks said. 

Akademiks stands by the claim that Drake doesn’t have an 11-year-old daughter but admits both rappers made false statements in their disses. “Drake doesn’t have a kid, Kendrick lied. Kendrick’s kid isn’t Dave Free’s, Drake lied. So there’s lies in all of this.” 

Many have declared Kendrick the winner of the rap war, and Drake’s recent IG story suggests he’s bowed out, which may kill the interest surrounding the mystery of the “Meet The Grahams” cover art.

Akademiks Is Being Sued for R*pe & Defamation

Rolling Stone reports that Fauziya Abashe filed a lawsuit against Akademiks on Tuesday over two incidents that allegedly occurred in July 2022. Abashe said she dated the internet personality in 2021, but they split before the events detailed in the suit.

The news, timed with Drake’s allegations of having sex offenders on payroll and Akademiks’ ongoing support of Drake during his beef with Kendrick Lamar, has given new life to the “Not Like Us” lyric, “Baka’s got a weird case, why is he still around?”

Kendrick’s diss tracks have been at the forefront of questions surrounding the OVO crew’s interactions with girls.

What allegedly happened? 

In the suit, Abashe says she was invited to Akademiks’ New Jersey house, where she claims two men drugged, assaulted, and r*ped her on his pool deck. She alleges she awoke early the next morning to Akademiks “brutally r*ping her. 

The evidence cited in the lawsuit includes surveillance footage of what happened on the pool deck (shown to her by Akademiks), text messages from Akademiks telling her to get tested, and a recorded wire call during which Akademiks graphically recounts their intercourse.

Why was this filed now?

The defamation section of the lawsuit refers to a video from December 2023 posted online by Akademiks, in which he asserts his innocence by claiming that he was asleep while Abashe “voluntarily” participated in “getting trained by my two mans on the pool deck.”

Abashe says Akademiks publicly declaring his innocence while lying about her giving consent defamed her and convinced her to file the case.

A$AP Ferg Tributes “Dead Homies” With New Grill & Drops Music Under Just “Ferg”

A$AP Ferg popped out to celebrate the opening of Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry show at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. Ferg has two pieces from his personal jewelry collection featured in the exhibit but it was his teeth that caught attendees’ eyes.

Decked out in a custom grill by Gabby Elan Jewelry called “Dead Homies,” each of Ferg’s teeth is framed in gold, securing the painted faces of his lost loved ones. You can easily spot the late Virgil Abloh, Takeoff, and A$AP Yams.

The grill made a cameo in the music video for Ferg’s new single “MDMX” available only on YouTube and SoundCloud. He noticeably dropped the A$AP moniker and released the song under the name “Ferg.”

Aside from Gabby Elan's incredible craftsmanship, the grill is a testament to Ferg’s often sentimental taste in jewelry. One of his pieces on display at the exhibit is a custom IF & Co. chain designed by Ben Baller, commemorating the two-year anniversary of A$AP Yams’ death. The chain boats 65 carats of white VVS diamonds.

The exhibition of drip is open to the public until January 5th, 2025. Not just a braggadocious display of ice, it was curated to tell hip-hop’s story dating back to the ‘80s. As the genre evolved, rappers gained more respect from luxury brands, and their experimentation with jewelry trickled into the mainstream, influencing what people wear and how they wear it.

Legendary pieces like Biggie’s “Jesus” piece, Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella medallion, A$AP Rocky’s LEGO pendant, and Tyler, the Creator’s bellhop necklace are on display soundtracked by an equally nostalgic hip-hop playlist.

The Rap Index ft. Gunna, Chief Keef, Shoreline Mafia & More

The Rap Index is a way to follow and discover new music. Divided into 4 categories describing rap subgenres, songs are placed according to their style and sound—giving you a better idea of what songs will appeal to your musical taste. Only releases from the previous New Music Friday are included to help keep you up to date.

RapTV’s Ranking of Rap Index Songs

1. “Treesh” by Gunna (Listen on Spotify)

2. “Drifting Away” by Chief Keef (Listen on Spotify)

3. “Swear to God” by Tee Grizzley, Future (Listen on Spotify)

4. “Headrush” by Ski Mask The Slump God (Listen on Spotify)

5. “Gimmie A Light” by Ice Spice (Listen on Spotify)

6. “Heat Stick” by Shoreline Mafia (Listen on Spotify)

7. “GTA” by DJ Bandz, Fivio Foreign, Rob49, Skilla Baby (Listen on Spotify)

8. “The Greatest” by Key Glock (Listen on Spotify)

• Childish Gambino surprise drops ‘Atavista,’ the finished version of ‘3.15.20.’ He followed up the release by announcing a massive world tour.

• Ice Spice is featured on a limited edition NYC metro card. Only 50,000 of the cards are available.

• TikTok to start automatically labeling AI-generated content. The move is aimed at enhancing transparency and combatting misinformation.

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