DJ Akademiks is one of the most polarizing media figures in Hip Hop history. His fans strongly support the YouTuber, but his critics see him as cancer in the culture. Vic Mensa was one of Ak’s most vocal detractors.
In 2017, Vic Mensa appeared on the Everyday Struggle digital show hosted by DJ Akademiks and Joe Budden. The conversation got heated when Mensa confronted Ak over his controversial War in Chiraq, a satirical YouTube series about street violence in Chicago.
“I wanted to slap you in your face, honestly,” Mensa told DJ Akademiks in response to a question about the Chicago Drill movement’s connection to actual deaths. “People exactly like you sensationalized and made a following off of clowning situations that we go through in real life.”
The Roc Nation recording artist added, “I think n##### ain’t have no right. You specifically, you ain’t never have a right. Whatever made you feel like you had a space to have a perspective on our people dying on a daily basis?”
Vic Mensa Discusses Feeling Conflicted About Chicago Drill
Fast forward six years, Paper interviewed Vic Mensa about his career, battling addiction, the music scene in Ghana, and more. The outlet’s Q&A with Mensa included him addressing that tense moment with DJ Akademiks on the Everyday Struggle set.
“The Drill movement was always conflicting for me. While I loved the artistic expression in the music, I also had a front-row seat to the real-life accompaniment to that music. Friends of mine were killed in the midst of Drill rap beef and all that s###,” explained Mensa.
He continued, “That was why I got into it with Akademiks, because a kid that I grew up with and went to karate with when we were five years old ended up being a street n####, gang banging, et cetera. He was also a very talented rapper. When he got killed, there was music involved, there were big Drill artists involved, and I heard about it on Akademiks’ parasitic platform. So that’s why I was upset.”
Vic Mensa has recently been focused on highlighting and celebrating Ghanaian culture. The 29-year-old emcee partnered with Chance The Rapper to present the Black Star Line Festival in the African nation. Mensa also recently released the “Strawberry Louis Vuitton” music video.