DJ Akademiks says Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR's $$$4U gets no radio play due to Drake’s UMG feud

Akademiks suggests Drake & PND’s album is suffering from limited radio promotion amid the Drake’s battle with UMG.

Hip-hop commentator DJ Akademiks has sparked debate by claiming that Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s latest album, 'Some $exy $ongs 4 U', is receiving little to no radio play due to Drake’s ongoing issues with Universal Music Group (UMG).  

In a post on X on February 28, 2025, Akademiks wrote, “The reason why $$$4U by Drake and Partynextdoor received no radio play so far is because of Drake’s issues at UMG.”

He explained that the album was released under two labels—Republic Records, a UMG subsidiary, and Santa Anna Group—and that a deal had to be negotiated to resolve promotion conflicts.  

“Only 2 songs from the album will be promoted on radio... Labels have deals with radio stations and a deal between the two had to be negotiated before Drake received any airplay. This is how everybody gets to eat off Drake,” Akademiks concluded.  

The reason why $$$4U by Drake and Partynextdoor received no radio play so far is because of Drakes issues at UMG and how the album was released under 2 labels Republic (which is UMG who Drake is suing) and Santa Anna Group and which labels get to promote the singles. A deal has… pic.twitter.com/5Poc0ZsfQ5

— Akademiks TV (@AkademiksTV) February 28, 2025

The tension between Drake and UMG stems from a 2024 lawsuit in which the rapper accused the label of unlawfully promoting Kendrick Lamar’s song 'Not Like Us'.

Akademiks suggested that this rift has impacted the promotion of 'Some $exy $ongs 4 U', with only two tracks, 'Gimme a Hug' and 'Somebody Loves Me', being pushed by Republic Records and Santa Anna Group, respectively.

Despite the limited radio play, Akademiks praised the album, particularly the track 'Nokia', which he predicted would be a Top 5 hit. However, after the song dropped to #13 on the Billboard charts, he accused UMG of manipulation, stating, “If this song don’t go top 5, that’s UMG.”  

As of now, neither Drake nor UMG has publicly addressed Akademiks’ claims, leaving fans and industry insiders speculating about the true impact of the legal battle on the album’s success.