Akademiks says hip hop’s long obsession with streaming numbers has backfired, allowing internet streamers to overtake rappers as the dominant cultural force online.
During a recent livestream, the media personality explained why he believes “rappers are competing with streamers” rather than setting the agenda themselves. He pointed to the growing trend of artists appearing on livestreams hosted by figures like Kai Cenat, Adin Ross, and N3on as a turning point.
“Rappers made a huge mistake in the last two years,” Akademiks said. “When they were chasing numbers, they all went to streamers. You’ve got to understand, the rapper collab with the streamers is what got these guys to record levels of clout.”
According to Akademiks, those collaborations ultimately favored streamers more than the artists who joined them. He cited Tory Lanez as an early example, noting that the rapper appeared on Adin Ross’ livestream back in 2021, well before Lanez was later sentenced to prison.
“These streamers on their way to whatever clout level they get to. They collaborate with rappers, but overall the end result is that it helped the streamers more than they help the rappers,” he said.
Akademiks also argued that rappers may have unintentionally shifted their own audiences elsewhere. He believes hip hop artists have effectively “handed their audience over to discover these streamers,” allowing creators to build massive followings off rapper-driven exposure.
“I do believe that streamers have done a great job to extract the attention of potential fans away from the rappers,” Ak said. “Now to the fact that the rapper have to show up to the streamers’ bedroom to try to get the attention back, expect, fans are making a hard choice.”
He concluded by framing the shift as a broader change in taste. “We’re buying into personality over this coolness factor and music that is hit-or-miss,” he said.