Key Takeaways
- DJ Akademiks compared J. Cole to Kawhi Leonard at ComplexCon 2026, arguing that Cole has the talent but lacks the drive to be No. 1.
- Akademiks called The Fall-Off “not a bad project” but said it disappointed him and disappeared from the conversation within three weeks.
- He also joked that he left Drake’s OVO chain at home because he feared someone in Los Angeles might snatch it and that Kendrick Lamar had put a bounty on it.
DJ Akademiks let everyone at ComplexCon 2026 know what he thinks about J. Cole currently — and he made a pretty random NBA comparison in the process.
During a panel with our own Jordan Rose, Adam22, and French Montana, in which they debated what 2026’s album of the year was, AK expressed his disappointment with Cole’s The Fall-Off and then went into why.
"I was let down," he said. "I was never no super fan of him, 'cause I knew he wasn't like that in terms of him being an MC. It's not about talent, 'cause I do think he got the talent. When we look at the top rappers in the game, you have to have that will to be number one... Talking about basketball, Kobe [Bryant] had it. J. Cole’s like Kawhi.”
AK continued on, expressing that he thought Cole would have come harder on his album but it ultimately settled into being “not a bad project.” “He was supposed to give us some shit that was supposed to last a year. That shit was out of here in three weeks.”
Also during the panel, AK made a joke about why he didin’t wear the OVO chain he received from Drake during the ICEMAN rollout to ComplexCon. "LA n****s was gonna try to snatch it.. I thought Kendrick put a bounty on it."
ComplexCon 2026 is still going on in full-swing. Get your tickets here before Playboi Carti and Opium performs tonight.
