DJ Hed has used the latest episode of The Bigger Picture to address Akademiks‘ recent claims of Kendrick Lamar being on the verge of dropping a new project.

Prior to the episode, DJ Hed had responded to Ak’s prediction, made earlier this month, by posting a simple baseball cap emoji on X (formerly Twitter).

He followed that with another cryptic message: “Dot don’t really talk to nobody, especially not Ak.”

Check the tweets out below.

The latter tweet, which many interpreted as a reference to Akademiks, sparked a response from the man himself, who seemed to believe DJ Hed was calling out his recent prediction of a new Kendrick Lamar album.

“DJ Hed, I’m the greatest single journalist you’ve ever heard of,” Ak said during a livestream. “I built a 20-plus [year] industry by doing this shit. I played Drake’s video and Drake had to ask me, ‘How’d you get it?’”

On the latest episode of The Bigger Picture, out on Saturday (August 31), co-host Elliott Wilson (Editorial Director of Hip Hop Journalism at DX‘s parent company, UPROXX Studios) jokingly said Hed got “ethered” by Akademiks and then asked, “Is Kendrick coming out with an album anytime soon?”

DJ Hed’s response was “Not right now,” though he did note Akademiks has “sources.”

Hed took the opportunity to address things diplomatically, questioning the role and responsibility of media figures like Akademiks. He asked the show’s panel if they believe Akademiks is the greatest living journalist. All three panelists (Hed, Wilson, and HipHopDX‘s Jeremy Hecht) said no.

While Hed acknowledged Akademiks’ success in building a large platform with millions of followers, he questioned whether that alone made Ak the best in the field.

he West Coaster explained that he takes the title of “journalist” very seriously.

“I’d never claim to be a journalist, because you have to put work in for that,” he began. “There’s accolades and things that come along with that. I take journalism seriously. I’ve advocated for journalists countless times. I think it’s a serious thing.

“One thing that’s mainly serious when it comes to journalism is journalistic integrity, when it comes to somebody saying something is off the record or not leaking. Even when I was on the radio that wasn’t my brand. I wasn’t [an] I-got-it-first leak guy. That was another person’s brand.”

He went on to mention figures like Joe Budden and his Bigger Picture cohosts Wilson and Hecht, who use their platforms to give other people opportunities.

“​​I know Elliott Wilson has empowered people,” he continued. “I know Harvey Levin [of TMZ] has empowered people. He’s put people in position. I know Van Lathan has done so. Charlamagne [Tha God] has a whole network. Jeremy Hecht has empowered people who work here — I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Big Boy’s put people on. All these people who have used their platform to benefit others.

“Joe Budden, we got [former Joe Budden Podcast cohosts] Rory and Mal out of it. Then out of Rory and Mal, we get Demaris [Giscombe, an on-mic and behind-the-scenes part of Rory and Mal’s new podcast] and all these other people, right? So when does someone use their platform to benefit anyone other than themselves, is my question.”

Hed ended with a surprisingly positive message to Akademiks:

“I’m proud of you, bro,” he said. “You’ve amassed a following, you’ve made it to number one or wherever you fall on the list.”

Then he added a challenge.

“My question is, what do you plan to do with that?” he asked. “How many people do you plan to empower with your platform or this fortune that you’ve amassed? How many people do you plan on putting on?”

You can catch the full discussion on episode 15 of The Bigger Picture, out now on HipHopDX’s YouTube channel. Check it out below.