DJ Akademiks claims Young Thug's album flopped because he ruined his "mystique" by tweeting about his leaked jail calls

Popular hip-hop influencer DJ Akademiks has claimed that rapper Young Thug's album flopped because he ruined his "mystique" by explaining himself. Akademiks' comments referred to the sales of Thug's latest studio album, UY Scuti.

On October 2, DJ Akademiks mentioned on his live stream that Young Thug's new album, UY Scuti, has sold 48K units. The podcaster was surprised by the sales numbers and suggested reasons behind such a performance. He said:

"The long awaited Young Thug being free album, which is now titled UY Scuti, came out, and it only did 48,000 I like Doug, and I hope no one think I'm being facetious with these thoughts. This is a complete flop. And I'm gonna give some constructive advice to thug, because I do think he's at that point we get it. He has some issues with people who might not be friends anymore."

He continued:

"He's trying to convince people of whatever. Thug ruined all of his Mystique, and it's because people found out his kryptonite. It was questioning his street credibility, or these snitch allegations. He has been acting out of character ever since he got out of jail, ever since people start accusing him of doing such things, and ever since people are looking at like the narrative of him saying all these other people are rats, people are looking at it like some hypocrisy stuff."

DJ Akademiks was referring to Thug's RICO trial, which took place after he was arrested in Atlanta in May 2022. However, the rapper was released after the trial ended in October last year. UY Scuti marked his first studio album release since he came out of jail.

DJ Akademiks claims Young Thug "did not care" what people thought of him before

In his live stream on October 2, DJ Akademiks shared more thoughts about how Young Thug's approach has changed in recent times. Akademiks felt that previously the rapper remained unbothered about how others thought of him, but that outlook has changed now, which has led to his "mystique" going away. He said:

"Young Thug wore a dress and was unbothered and unfazed for years. Did not care what we thought about him. He had dresses, makeup, he had whatever on. I used to make jokes about him all the goddamn time. He was on bother. I used to make all the Thugger, Thugger jokes, all the jokes about him being flexible, all of that type of stuff. Never. He never addressed me. He was like, I never existed. They question if he's a rat thug. Is, is? Is he can't have a good night of sleep spiraling. The Mystique is gone."

Thug notably sported a periwinkle-colored dress, which covered his entire body on the cover of his 2016 album, Jeffrey. The rapper is also known for his unconventional androgynous fashion choices, including wearing tight shirts, skinny jeans, and colorful diamonds. Despite receiving controversial views on it, Thug stuck to the cover and the images remain popular today.

Speaking further about the rapper, DJ Akademiks suggested that Thugger giving "explanations" for his actions does not sit well with him. He described it as "not a Thug thing to do". The podcaster indicated that everything began going downhill for the rapper when he began "tweeting too much", given that he is well known for being active on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform.

"Now, I don't know, like the aura pause, we don't even see it. Thug. Just look like a ni**a with a Lean Belly, just walking around, bro, like, even when he when he come on stage, it don't even look like, oh s**t, that's legendary. It just looked like, that's Jeffrey. Hope I don't take that like I'm dissing him. But I'm telling you, a lot of what Thug did over the years was creating this mystique," Akademiks said.

Finally, DJ Akademiks also opined that Young Thug is currently at a position where his career needs a "refresh and a restart." He also shared some of his thoughts on Thug's latest album, claiming that the music was not bad. However, the podcaster mentioned that a lot to music than just the "quality of the music", including promotion and how people receive it.

He pointed out that the "perception of the person" matters, and in the case of Thugger, it has been "decimated." He observed that the rapper does not look the same now as he did before.

Young Thug's latest album, UY Scuti, dropped on September 26, 2025, and is available on all streaming platforms.

About the author

Pratyasha is a Pop Culture and a European Football writer for Sportskeeda. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, and has over 3 years of experience in the pop culture industry. Throughout her career, Pratyasha has always emphasized detailed background checks, and believes in verifying all information regardless of how correct it may seem.

Pratyasha is an ardent admirer of Lionel Messi and has followed his journey since she was a kid; he inspires her with his dedication and humility. She has grown up watching, living, and breathing Satyajit Ray's cinema, which she believes is timeless. She loves Taylor Swift’s music and thinks she's a lyrical genius, and also admires Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Deepika Padukone.

When Pratyasha's off the clock, she enjoys reading books and listening to music. During the football season, she is usually busy watching football matches late at night when Barcelona are playing.

Know More

Edited by Pratyasha Sarkar