Complex‘s Everyday Struggle show has been a magnet for controversy almost from its first episode. How could it not be, with rap provocateurs Joe Budden and DJ Akademiks regularly antagonizing guests like Lil Yachty, Vic Mensa, and Wale?
Practically the only guest they had any positive words for was Vince Staples, and even he called out Akademiks for his corny (and dangerous) hyping up of Chicago gang beef. You almost have to feel bad for moderator Nadeska, who often looks caught in the middle between tetchy guests and her malignant co-hosts. However, it looks like they finally picked the wrong group of rappers to try to flex on. The video is up top.
During a particularly prickly interview with Takeoff, Quavo, and Offset at a BET Awards after-party, DJ Akademiks has an apparent misunderstanding of Takeoff’s response to a question about his apparent disappearance from the group’s breakout hit “Bad And Boujee.” While any number of reasons could be to blame, from the rapper’s heavy Atlanta accent, to the high level of background noise (seriously, why are they trying to film an interview at a crowded awards show party anyway?), it clearly set the group on edge.
So, when Akademiks proclaims Migos one of his favorite rap groups and Joe drops his mic and walks away in disdain, the Atlanta rappers understandably reacted, all standing up in unison and asking, “So, what you wanna do then?” It’s clear from the outset of the short clip that found its way online, courtesy of Nadeska’s Twitter, that Joe Budden isn’t really enjoying interviewing yet another rap act he views as inferior to his personal standard of quality. However, his reaction would be perceived by anybody as being disrespectful, especially given his reputation and the frustration of conducting an interview in a noisy room with an antagonistic host.
While the clip cuts off before anything really interesting happens, Nadeska can clearly be heard calling for security, while DJ Akademiks tries to deescalate the situation. This wouldn’t be the first time Budden’s mouth and surly demeanor have gotten the Jersey rapper into an altercation with a colleague. In 2009, Wu-Tang Clan representative Raekwon the Chef confronted the loudmouth New Jersey rapper after he made unseemly comparisons to himself and fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man, after Joey took issue with his lower placement in a “best rappers” list published in Vibe earlier that year.
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