DJ Akademiks Claims Drake’s UMG Feud is Blocking $$$4U from Radio Play
Hip-hop commentator DJ Akademiks has stirred controversy by alleging that Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s latest project, Some $exy $ongs 4 U, is being sidelined from radio airwaves due to Drake’s ongoing dispute with Universal Music Group (UMG).
On February 28, 2025, Akademiks took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his take on the situation. He wrote, “The reason why $$$4U by Drake and Partynextdoor has received no radio play so far is because of Drake’s issues with UMG.”
According to Akademiks, the album’s release under both Republic Records—an arm of UMG—and Santa Anna Group led to promotional conflicts, requiring negotiations before any airplay could be arranged.
“Only two songs from the album will be pushed on radio… Labels have agreements with radio stations, and a deal had to be made before Drake could get airplay. This is how everyone profits off Drake,” he claimed.
The hip-hop analyst also pointed to Drake’s ongoing legal battle with UMG, which began in 2024 when the rapper accused the label of unlawfully boosting Kendrick Lamar’s track Not Like Us. Akademiks suggested that this feud is now affecting the promotion of Some $exy $ongs 4 U, with Gimme a Hug and Somebody Loves Me being the only tracks officially supported—one by Republic and the other by Santa Anna Group.
Despite the reported radio restrictions, Akademiks praised the album, specifically highlighting Nokia as a potential Top 5 hit. However, when the song landed at #13 on the Billboard charts, he accused UMG of interfering, stating, “If this song doesn’t break into the Top 5, that’s on UMG.”
As of now, neither Drake nor UMG has responded to Akademiks’ claims, leaving fans and industry watchers debating the real impact of the label dispute on the album’s success.
