DJ Akademiks has accused Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) of using bots to inflate rapper Doechii’s streaming numbers. During a livestream referenced in a report by HotNewHipHop on July 28, 2025, the American YouTuber reacted to a post comparing Doechii’s monthly streams to Eminem’s, implying the numbers were artificially inflated. On the live stream, DJ Akademiks is reportedly heard saying,"This is utterly ridiculous. So, you're telling me, not Nicki Minaj, not Drake, not Lil Wayne, not none of these n****s. Doechii? Oh hell no. Kojo, you got to turn the botting down. You gotta stop it."He addressed TDE directly, warning the label that its alleged tactics could negatively impact the rapper’s career, despite her being a "good artist.""I'm giving a really stark warning to TDE. Y'all are about to ruin a good artist."As of July 29, 2025, neither TDE representatives nor Doechii have publicly responded to Akademiks’ statements.DJ Akademiks compares Doechii to Megan Thee StallionAkademiks continued his remarks by pointing to rapper Megan Thee Stallion as an example to illustrate how public perception could turn against Doechii, and why TDE should "stop botting her.""Y'all gonna Megan Thee Stallion her. Not with controversy but Megan Thee Stallion her where people are just gonna hate her because they're gonna think nothing she's doing is organic. And, she's gonna make some good music. You're gonna ruin this artist. Y'all got to stop botting her."Akademiks’ criticism comes amid several recent milestones in Doechii’s career. As reported by HotNewHipHop, she is set to headline the ONE Musicfest in Atlanta this October. Other headliners include Future, The Roots with Mary J. Blige, Ludacris & Friends, and a reunion of the Dungeon Family.Earlier this year, Doechii won Best Rap Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for her project Alligator Bites Never Heal, which reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200. In March 2025, Billboard named her Woman of the Year at its Women in Music event. She has recently collaborated with artists such as Tyler, the Creator, and Westside Gunn.Read More: "We're seeing in real time a label botting their artist" – Debate ensues as netizens react to Doechii having the most monthly listenersDJ Akademiks Denies Taking Payola From Drake, Accuses Kendrick of Sending BotsOn June 11, 2025, Billboard reported that DJ Akademiks has denied accepting money from Drake in exchange for favorable coverage during the rapper’s feud with Kendrick Lamar. According to Akademiks, the allegation was made by pgLang co-founder Dave Free during a backstage conversation at a stop on the Grand National Tour."Dave Free had a moment- he asked me- he said, ‘Ak, what are you getting from this?’ He says, ‘Is he paying you?'"Akademiks called the implication “the most insulting thing,” saying that he had built his reputation on his own over more than ten years.Akademiks admitted that his commentary might have favored Drake during the exchange, partly because of personal bias and poor communication with Kendrick’s team."Not only because I like Drake and he’s my favorite rapper… but you guys lost communications with us at that time. If you chose not to involve yourself in clarifying the narrative, the narrative gets written without you," he said.He denied getting paid for coverage but admitted his platform has indirectly benefited artists he supports, saying,"We don’t do pay-for-play. You can’t buy my opinion."On May 13, 2024, HotNewHipHop reported that DJ Akademiks accused Kendrick Lamar of sending bots to flood his social media with quotes from diss tracks. He shared screenshots on X suggesting coordinated spam, though no evidence confirmed who was responsible.