Akademiks has spoken up in support of Kanye West, arguing that some of the things he said in their recent interview aren’t entirely off base.
The media personality, who is no stranger to controversy himself, has interviewed Kanye twice in the last week — with their first chat seeing the Chicago rap legend wear a Ku Klux Klan outfit and take aim at a number of rappers, as well as his ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
Speaking to TMZ about his newfound association with Ye, Ak claimed that there are kernels of truth buried in the rapper’s inflammatory rants.
“He gave me a heads up about and I read the text wrong at first. It was like, ‘I’m wearing my black outfit’ and I was like, well, black’s my favorite color. I’m thinking he’s just gonna wear all black,” he said of their viral interview.
“Then I read it again and it was like, ‘I’m wearing my black KKK outfit.’ I tried to at least start the conversation by saying, ‘Why this representation?’ It’s hard to ignore the obvious. He’s sending very strong signals — you know, he’s walking around with a swastika chain.”
The Off the Record host added: “Having conversations with him on camera and even off camera, even if you disagree, he is making some coherent points.”
Akademiks did not specify which of Kanye’s remarks he found coherent.
The pair’s initial interview, held in an L.A. hotel room last weekend, saw the G.O.O.D. Music founder go off on the likes of JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean, among many others.
He said of his former Watch the Throne collaborator: “JAY-Z, Beyoncé, you ain’t help me when I was having problems with my kids. You could have used your influence. No, your influence is for politics. Your influence is how you could use a n-gga you never wanted to sign anyway that Dame signed. You ain’t show up to my first wedding. You ain’t my family. I never had family out here.”
He added: “Everybody knows what I’m saying is true related to that photo that I put up with my youngest daughter, but everything is like, ‘But you offended JAY-Z.’ Fuck him! How much money you think JAY-Z makes off my catalog versus what I make off it? God hurts too. It hurt me that I had to hurt Jay.”
West then tore into Kendrick, saying: “I want Kendrick to always remember that JAY-Z tweet before he ever crosses the line,” referencing his widely-condemned attack on Hov and Beyoncé’s youngest children.
Ye also accused the Compton rap star of biting his style: “The last Kendrick album, not that [GNX] but the previous one [Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers], is like a direct copy of [The Life of] Pablo. It’s like, ‘Oh, these are the drums from this song. This is the approach to this song.'”
The 47-year-old also made a number of antisemitic comments while admitting regret over having children with Kim Kardashian and explaining why he “relates” to accused sex trafficker Diddy.
MUNA have officially shared full details of their long awaited fourth studio album, Dancing On The Wall, which is scheduled to arrive on May 8.
The news comes with the release of the record’s title track and its accompanying official video, giving fans their first real look at what the trio’s new chapter sounds and feels like.
To mark the occasion, the group are planning a run of intimate underplay performances in Los Angeles, New York and London during release week. It will be a special opportunity to catch MUNA up close before they step back onto larger stages later this year.
Opening up about the project, the band described the title song as a standout moment within their body of work.
They shared: “Dancing On The Wall is possibly our favorite song we’ve made as a band. We think it’s all the best parts of MUNA – it’s coming from a really emotional and lonely place, but the song itself makes us feel powerful and euphoric. It’s written in the moment that the clock strikes midnight at the ball, and you have to give up the fantasy. In this case, it’s the fantasy of loving someone or something that can’t love you back.”
The 13 song album was produced by Naomi McPherson, allowing the band to take full creative ownership of the sound and direction. It is a project that pulls listeners straight to the dancefloor while still keeping its vulnerability front and center.
MUNA, made up of Katie Gavin and Josette Maskin alongside McPherson, have continued to build momentum over the years and were personally chosen by Harry Styles as the opening act for his first solo tour. Since then, they have also performed with Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour, in addition to sharing bills with Lorde, boygenius and Phoebe Bridgers.
Dancing On The Wall follows their 2022 self titled album, which marked their first release as independent artists after signing to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records in 2021.
Fans can stream the title track across all major platforms now. For tickets to MUNA’s upcoming shows, visit laylo.com/whereismuna/m/munatour.
Dancing On The Wall tracklisting:
It Gets So Hot
Dancing On The Wall
Eastside Girls
Wannabeher
On Call
So What
Party’s Over
Big Stick
Mary Jane
Girl’s Girl
…Unless
Why Do I Get A Good Feeling
Buzzkiller