Drake’s artistry has long attracted criticism and it still does, even though he clearly has real classics in his catalog. Albums like Take Care, Nothing Was The Same, and If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late are usually the first to be mentioned. Still, the reason his place in hip hop sparks debate is that much of his extensive discography continues to receive heavy praise, even when some listeners feel the quality does not always match the hype.
Because of that, online discussions about how many of his projects truly stand the test of time have only grown louder. One person who never hesitates to defend Drake, though, is DJ Akademiks. The hip hop commentator has supported him for years and has built a close and seemingly trusted relationship with the rapper.
That said, many of his opinions tend to divide listeners, with some viewing them as extreme. So it is not entirely surprising to hear him label a more recent or solid but not universally praised Drake album as a classic. Over the weekend, he argued that the Toronto star’s 2023 release For All The Dogs belongs in that elite category.
In a clip shared by the secondary account Akademiks TV, he also described it as one of the greatest breakup albums ever made.
What Has DJ Akademiks Said About ICEMAN?
Speaking like a devoted supporter, Akademiks goes as far as placing Drake in G.O.A.T. territory while lip syncing to “Virginia Beach.” “This why Drake the greatest. It’s like the n**** know me gang!” he says, adding that since 2009 the artist has always released at least one song that felt personal to him.
At the end of the day, there are few things more impactful than music that feels deeply relatable. Still, considering how Akademiks is perceived, many people continue to mock him for holding this opinion.
While elevating For All The Dogs to such a high level, he also suggested that Drake’s next release will push his legacy even further. He claimed that when Drizzy drops again, “he’ll be the G.O.A.T. even more!” He also recently tweeted that the upcoming album ICEMAN is arriving very soon, writing, “ICEMAN SO SOON! MY GOAT ALWAYS DELIVERS!”
He has shared several posts like this on Twitter over the past few weeks, steadily building anticipation. Although there is still no official release date from Drake, it sounds like the project could arrive sometime during the colder months.
NEWS
James Acaster has officially introduced his new band, The Wow! Scenario, alongside their debut song, ‘Zacuti’, featuring BC Camplight. More information about the project can be found below.
The Wow! Scenario began two decades ago and has now been brought to life by Acaster with his friend Graeme Wicks, BC Camplight and Emma Daman.
Their first album, ‘Stand in the Star. A Verse and a Chorus’, will arrive through Bella Union on October 23. Preorders are available here.
Listeners have also been given an early preview of the album through the jazz inspired lead single ‘Zacuti’, which is available to hear below.
Acaster and Wicks formed the group in Kettering in 2004. According to a press statement, they had already chosen to end the band by the time they recorded their full collection of songs with producer Chris Hamilton in December 2007.
The statement also revealed that the group’s name was inspired by an intoxicated audience member who tried to say they lacked “the X factor”. However, the person repeatedly used the wrong phrase and told them: “You don’t have the wow scenario, guys. You need to get the wow scenario”.
The musicians revisited the recordings with Hamilton in 2018, removing the original singing and replacing the vocal melodies with saxophone, clarinet and fiddle. At that stage, they planned to release the material as an instrumental record.
After deciding they were not satisfied with that version, the group returned to the studio for a third attempt in March 2023. BC Camplight and Emma Daman provided vocals for the new sessions, while the album was eventually mixed and finished in March 2025.
1. ‘Diving!’
2. ‘Once More!’
3. ‘Golf Socks!’
4. ‘Alpaca Spinner!’
5. ‘Reality!’
6. ‘Instructions!’
7. ‘Zacuti!’
8. ‘The Curse!’
Acaster previously created the music project Temps, which brought together a collective of 40 performers, including Quelle Chris, Xenia Rubinos, Shamir, NNAMDÏ and Seb Rochford.
When the collective was first revealed, the comedian and Off Menu podcast host discussed its origins during NME’s ‘In Conversation’ interview series.
“I was doing bands when I was a teenager into my early 20s, and I was like, ‘This is gonna be my entire life, all I’m gonna do is music,’” Acaster said. “When the band split up I started doing stand-up as a placeholder, and then I fell in love with stand-up and got really obsessed with that.
“I’d never made an album from scratch that didn’t exist yet – recording it and writing it at the same time – and I’d never produced anything before, or mixed something as intensely as this one. There’s a lot of new things – if I had been doing it on my own, I don’t know how long I would have lasted.”
