Latest news with #Ak
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
DJ Akademiks Denies Taking Payola From Drake During Kendrick Battle
DJ Akademiks denied taking payola from Drake in exchange for favorable opinions on his media platforms. During a recent livestream, the popular rap media personality said he had a conversation with pgLang co-founder Dave Free when he attended a Grand National Tour stop about the integrity of his coverage during the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle. More from Billboard Jewish Groups Withdraw From 2025 San Diego Pride Festival Over Kehlani's Support For Palestine Elizabeth Hurley Gushes About Being 'In Love' in Birthday Suit Picture Amid Billy Ray Cyrus Romance Jin Says He'd Love to Collab With Bruno Mars in Puppy Interview 'Dave Free had a moment — he asked me — he said, 'Ak, what are you getting from this?' He says, 'Is he paying you,'' Akademiks said, allegedly that Free asked him about taking money from the Toronto rapper. 'And that was the most insulting thing — and I've had conversations with these men for a while — but the very idea that I was like a purchasable commodity was so disgusting,' he revealed. Ak then went on to say that he told Free that he was already popular before the beef reached a boiling point last spring. 'I reminded him,' he began. 'I said, 'You know I've been doing this for over 10 years. I've been doing this for over 15 years. How did you think I became me?' I said, 'You knew about me before this sh—t… Did you think I was a cheap h— that just could be bought?'' He added, 'That was the most insulting thing I could have heard. Because his idea was, 'Well if you're not getting paid by this guy, if Drake ain't paying you, why do you lean that much in that direction?' The people who I've defended the most I've never gotten paid from.' He did admit that his favorable coverage has benefited certain artists he likes, but reiterated that he doesn't take money, saying, 'Now, has my platform benefited them? Yeah, of course. But, again, we don't do pay-for-play. You can't buy my opinion. I've always said, 'The moment you could buy my opinion, I don't matter.'' Ak continued by also admitting that he was biased during the back-and-forth because Drake is his favorite rapper and because Kendrick's team cut off communication with him. 'Throughout the battle, we probably definitely came off very biased,' he said. 'Not only because I like Drake and he's my favorite rapper… but you guys lost communications with us at that time because if you chose not to involve yourself in clarifying the narrative, the narrative gets written without you. It always happens like that. I'm in the media, I know how it goes.' Billboard reached out to reps for pgLang for additional comment. You can watch the full stream here. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Homeland would've been stolen': AK Natives sound off on Biden energy bans as Trump officials tour tundra
FIRST ON FOX: Alaska Natives and residents of the vast North Slope Borough communities along the Arctic Ocean got a rare chance this week to directly discuss their concerns with White House officials, typically 3,500 miles away in Washington. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin joined Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and local residents in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) as part of a multi-day visit to the oil and gas fields, workers and neighbors in the frigid but crucial region. Charles Lampe, a Native resident of Kaktovik – the main remote community within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) a few hundred miles eastward – said until President Donald Trump and the officials assembled in Utqiagvik took office, North Slope residents and their energy development hopes felt besieged by that same far-flung federal government. Lampe voiced similar concerns to those Fox News Digital had been told in the past by Alaska officials, in that environmental activists in the Lower 48 and federal officials who ideologically align with them have tried speaking for them in opposition to developing ANWR and other sites where none of those same activists live. Alaska Senator Literally Tears Up Biden's Energy Orders, Boosts Wh Efforts To Leverage Arctic Lng In Asia Trade "There's one thing that I want to bring up – we were under attack in Kaktovik by environmental groups," Lampe said. Read On The Fox News App "On Day 1, President Trump told the Fish and Wildlife Department to deny their requests. And that was such an amazing thing for us to be able to see. And we were so proud of our president then because he made sure that our ancestral homelands weren't going to be stolen – and [instead] protected," Lampe said, as many in the North Slope actually support the development of their Native homelands versus cordoning them off through regulation – as they bring jobs and resources. Ak Can Be 'Cure To The Nation's Ills' With Help From Trump Admin: Gov Dunleavy "So I really need to bring back this immense gratitude to President Trump for that action and being able to write something that, if the other guy (Joe Biden and Kamala Harris) would have won, there's no doubt in my mind that our homeland would have been stolen and there's nothing we could have done about it," he said. "Trump had the heart and the wherewithal to be able to right this wrong." He told Burgum to invite Trump to Kaktovik to see ANWR and its "Section 1002" – the oil and gas development sector – for himself. Burgum said he believes Trump would be open to the opportunity – and that the president has already pleasantly surprised regional corporate stakeholders with his openness to questions that the oil companies felt loath to even consider asking a president. Ak Lawmakers Claim Victor As Feds Begin Reversal Of 'Illegal' Biden Rule Restricting Anwr Oil, Gas "President Trump does care super deeply about this and at a deep level," Burgum said, adding the president shocked ConocoPhillips representatives in a recent meeting when he asked what they needed to improve their North Slope operations. When the company noted improved roads would be helpful, Trump asked rhetorically why a road couldn't be built, according to Burgum. "[They] were kind of like, 'Wow, I didn't know we could ask that.'" Wright also addressed the Utqiagvik meeting, and added in separate comments that he visited the Prudhoe Bay Discovery Well – a 1960s operation that first opened Alaska to energy development and at one point represented one-quarter of U.S. oil output. "Unfortunately, the last few decades have seen a long, slow decline of North Slope oil production – not because they're running out of oil. In fact, there's an amazing amount of untapped, unproduced oil up here. It's because of federal regulation, bureaucracy. It's made it so expensive and difficult to operate," Wright said. He added that with the "Big, Beautiful, Twin Natural Gas Pipeline" ultimately constructed, Alaska could be the key to global energy security by drawing buyers in Korea and Japan away from China. "It's great to be part of history again here in the great North Slope oil fields of Alaska," Wright said. Dunleavy last week headlined a global sustainable energy conference in Anchorage, which also drew the attention of those same potential stakeholders from article source: 'Homeland would've been stolen': AK Natives sound off on Biden energy bans as Trump officials tour tundra
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meek Mill Tells Parents To Block DJ Akademiks After Grooming Incident Goes Viral
Meek Mill, like many, was disturbed by DJ Akademiks' behavior this weekend, as he was accused of grooming after engaging in a sexual conversation online with a 15-year-old boy. The Philadelphia rapper has since issued a warning to parents regarding the popular streamer, advising they block him on their kids' phones and computers for safety reasons. 'If [you're] a parent go get ya kids phone and block this man, he's grooming children with a very large platform that 'kids' like,' Meek, 37, tweeted after a clip of the inappropriate conversation went viral. 'Also attempts to ruin black families and black success daily, 'VILLAN IN THE VILLAGE.'' His words captioned a screenshot of him preparing to block Ak on his own phone. See the post below. Meek and Ak's tension date back to 2017 when, according to Akademiks, Meek took issue with him not promoting Meek's Wins & Losses album on his platform. 'Meek, he didn't appreciate I didn't post his album,' he explained on a 2017 episode of Everyday Struggle. 'However, it was really confusing to me 'cause about six months ago, Meek had sent me a DM. Him and the rest of the 'Chasers, they gave me a little digital jump and a light one. They said, 'Listen, either post us this way or don't post us at all.'' Ak went on to say that Meek and his Chasers crew later threatened him, resulting in him refusing to post Meek at all. 'Next thing I'm seeing, they were threatening me,' Ak said at the time. ''When I see him, I'ma gonna give him a wedgie, I'ma slap him.' I'm like, 'Oh shit! I think I'm posting them wrong.' So, I stopped posting them.' Meek later attempted to get Ak cancelled in June of 2020, tweeting that the streamer is responsible for gassing up beefs that resulted in a loss of life. 'Akademiks canceled because he's a bad police and our culture don't need them… he also gassed a lot of beef that got people killed and hurt and never donated a dollar to the culture! We gon holla at you next run champ lol.' Six months later, Meek and Ak went head-to-head on the Clubhouse app, exchanging harsh words until 21 Savage began to mediate the out-of-control conversation. The pair have continued to go back-and-forth since, with no sign of resolution in sight. Akademiks' most recent incident found the streamer making inappropriate remarks to a 15-year-old boy during a session on fellow streamer PlaqueBoyMax's channel, including asking about his sex life and offering to perform a sexual act on the minor. Ak — who was previously accused of rape — was immediately faced with accusations of grooming, later admitting to his crass behavior. 'I've done a lot of bulls**t up in this game,' he said. 'Trust me. I've got mine off. This issue aside – which, again. I am wrong. I will be better. This is a teachable moment. For me, obviously, I got to watch my speech. That's clear. […] Definitely a regrettable moment, and we're going to use it as a teachable moment. Because I don't think I've came this far, built this platform, to be that irresponsible, right?' More from DJ Akademiks Owns Up To Sexual Remarks Made Toward 15-Year-Old: "I Am Wrong, I Will Be Better" Joyner Lucas Challenges Meek Mill To Battle In The Ultimate Rap League Meek Mill Recalls Label Issues In Aftermath Of Drake Battle
