DJ Akademiks pointed to the ongoing tension between 50 Cent and T.I. to highlight a bigger debate — Atlanta hip-hop versus New York rap.
Atlanta heavyweight T.I. and his family have unleashed several diss tracks aimed at their New York rival 50 Cent this week, but so far, Fif seems content with trolling instead of stepping into the booth. That could always change — especially since their tension originally sparked from Verzuz talk — but DJ Akademiks doesn’t think T.I. should even entertain it.
Speaking on his livestream, Akademiks argued that 50 Cent would come out on top in a hit-for-hit showdown against Tip — and he didn’t stop there. He went even further, claiming almost no Atlanta rapper could truly stand toe-to-toe with New York’s elite… except for one name.
“He not only beating T.I., everybody [in Atlanta] catching it… Except Future,” Ak said, according to joebuddenclips/fanpage on Twitter. While he acknowledged Tip as the “King of the South,” he made it clear he doesn’t believe T.I.’s catalog stacks up against 50’s.
“Atlanta, when it comes to Verzuz, leave them New York n***as alone,” Akademiks continued. “Y’all got mad regions y’all can compete with… Y’all ain’t got no females that compete with Nicki Minaj, she’s New York. And y’all don’t got nobody except Future Vandross and maybe Outkast that can compete with Jay-Z, Fif, and I might throw some other people in there… Chill out. Jeezys and the T.I.s, we love y’all n***as, but come on… Y’all catching belt. Y’all got to throw Future out there. Future gon’ give 20 stone cold bangers. Even then, I still think Future and 50 is 12-8.”
For anyone out of the loop, T.I.’s issues with 50 Cent reportedly began after 50 allegedly pulled out of a Verzuz battle they had agreed on. There are other angles fueling the tension too, including Fif’s snitching accusations aimed at Tip and plenty of back-and-forth trolling online.
Now that T.I.’s family has joined in with diss tracks targeting 50 Cent, the situation feels like it could turn into a much bigger debate. DJ Akademiks is framing it strictly as a hit-for-hit showdown in a club environment packed with major crossover smashes, but there are plenty of other ways fans could size it up.
Future definitely earned his recognition in the conversation, and at least Outkast got some acknowledgment as well. Atlanta versus New York isn’t an easy matchup to judge — especially when you factor in the current state of rap.
