The beginning of a new year always makes it great for leveling up. DJ Akademiks, one of the most popular critics in Hip-Hop, is venturing into the executive lane. The streamer publicized a video on his social media accounts on New Year’s Eve with Top 5, a rising act from Toronto, in which Akademiks reveals that he has signed the Toronto native to a five-million-dollar deal under his music umbrella, Akademy Records.
Big Ak signed Top5 & The Wassas for $25M 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/OLKxGxIGtD
— Akademiks TV (@AkademiksTV) January 1, 2025
Akademy Records. I told you I was launching," he said with his artists next to him. "Listen, I dropped a $25 million bag. I had to do it. First signee to Akademy Records, the biggest demons outta Toronto. Y'all artists, you don't have a hit song, y'all not dripping like this. It's gonna take a while. Let me tell you this, $5 mill. I signed him for $5 million in his pocket. This guy's been rich. I gave him $5 mill just because. When these guys drop, big Ak is behind them. There's no bigger voice than me.
Akademiks has been vocal over the last few months about his plans to help reshape the Hip-Hop space in light of label executives boss and heir Lucian & Elliot Grainge controlling over 30 percent of the global music market under Universal Music Group and Atlantic Music Group. While the Grainges oversee most executive decisions under their respective labels, they do not own those entities outright. In a recent livestream, Akademiks spoke at length about Universal Music Group and its shareholders, which include Chinese conglomerate Tencent & Concerto Partners owning 20 percent, The Balloré family owing 18 percent, Pershing Square Holdings owning 10 percent, Vivendi Corporation owning 10 percent, and the rest belonging to common shareholders. These major shareholders collectively own 58 percent of Universal Music Group.
The 33-year-old Hip-Hop critic did not stop his music mogul ambition short of Top 5 as an investment; Akademiks also signed The Wassas Crew, which includes well-known artists like Pressa, Bundog, and other popular Canadian musicians. The acquisition comes at the hefty price of $25 million, which Akademiks claims will keep the collective as a unit and prevent them from “sliding” or resorting to criminal activities to keep up with their expenses.
As the music business becomes more fragmented with streaming deals, could this move by Akademiks motivate media personalities with influence to take matters into their own hands to build their own media empires? Akademiks is certain that his investment will pay off as he is a major contributor in the Hip-Hop Space and will do whatever is necessary to ensure Top5 and the other signees are successful.