Instagram/@akademiks
DJ Akademiks has recently shared a fresh music video of 448Gotti that drew a lot of different reactions and hilarious modeling from his audience. He posted the video of the song on his website and asked the fans whether they consider the rapper to be voicing the Hispanic communities in the urban culture. But most of the answers were concerned with the rapper’s style and appearance rather than the cultural matter.
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The video shows 448Gotti as a lively performer reflecting the lyrics with his movements. The verses were quick and loaded with street-centric topics but the acting was to a point of showing the artist’s liveliness. Still, this liveliness was what the audience was discussing about and that was shown in their comments.
The viewer’s opinions were directed mostly to who 448Gotti resembles. One person immediately likened him to young French Montana and then a number of remarks of the same type came thus. Another one said flatly that Nav was in the recording booth which was soon agreed by one more person who wrote, ‘on my momma was jus fin say this same shit.’ The who-is-he-like game went on with one more person saying that even if the sound was turned off, Joyner Lucas was the one they heard.
In addition to these comments about the artist’s resemblance others watched for technicalities in the performance. One person claimed that the audio and video were not synchronized and, jokingly, asked, ‘Why his mouth not matching the lyrics?’ This comment had a double-edged sword as it made both the artist’s delivery or video editing be questioned, but at the same time the issue was not ignored by the audience.
DJ Akademiks’ promotion’s authenticity was another topic that came up. A number of users joked about the money that was the reason behind the post. One user tagged the upload with a ‘#PaidPromo’ hashtag which suggested that the feature was a sponsored placement. Another one expressing a similar view said that the only condition for getting promoted by Akademiks was payment in McDonald’s chicken nuggets, which is the running joke, even a meme, in his community. Another, more critically, simply remarked, ‘All money ain’t good money ak…. Stop it!’
The responses were not only humor or criticism. There were still some who gave more balanced, albeit lukewarm, assessments of the music itself. One listener summed it up pretty straightforward by writing, ‘He could be better honestly. Ok music, could be better.’ This meant that although the track was not bad, it did not have a strong impact. Another person was even more upfront in their refusal, saying that imitation is not the same as talent.
The language issue seems to be a minor issue though. One follower criticized the rapper for not being clear and requested the artist to include subtitles in his next videos, ‘please put subtitles next time. I ain’t dumb but dis niqqa definitely not speaking fluent English.’ This indicates that the artist’s accent or pronunciation was a concern for some people and that was an obstruction to the song’s reach and impact.
Amidst the mockeries and the jokes, some comments escalated to pure discouragement. One person even took the liberty of giving the artist a very harsh career advice, ‘Nah bro it’s time to get a 9 to 5.’ This harsh view made the performance’s failure in winning some of the audience over to the artist’s side in the music industry even more prominent.
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DJ Akademiks is the one who can shape hip-hop media and he uses his platform to promote both new and already established artists. His backing can do wonders but this case shows that his audience is very selective. The response to the 448Gotti video suggests that a post is not enough; the content must connect on its own merits so that it gains the ‘power’ of organic traction. The mix of feedback, through comparisons and critiques, ultimately reflects an artist who hasn’t yet established a distinctive and attractive personality in the eyes of this particular crowd. The promo was a topic of debate, yet most of it stemmed from arguments not directly related to the original cultural representation issue. This situation brings to mind recent discussions about 50 Cent‘s public commentary on other artists. The conversation around hip-hop integrity often extends to other areas, including the NBA, which has faced its own scrutiny. Meanwhile, the emotional power of a live performance was recently demonstrated by an NBA YoungBoy Never Broke Again concert attendee who was moved to tears.
