UMG’s Power Play? DJ Akademiks Says the Grammys Sent Drake a Clear Message

Despite Drake missing the 2025 Grammy Awards, the evening still said a lot about his standing in the industry, or so argues DJ Akademiks. In a fiery livestream on Monday night, the talkative commentator insinuated that Universal Music Group (UMG) deployed the award show in a strategic move to keep the Toronto rapper in his place.

The night’s biggest winners weren’t just Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd, according to Ak, but also the executives working the controls behind the scenes. Lamar also took home five statuettes, including Song of the Year for “Not Like Us,” a Drake dismissal. Meanwhile, The Weeknd, a fellow Canadian with whom Drake temporarily boycotted the Grammys in solidarity, was allowed to perform his new single. Then there was the moment Ak couldn’t miss Dr. Dre and UMG boss Lucian Grainge high-fiving after Lamar’s big win. “You think Universal doesn’t have nothing to do with that?” he questioned. “Universal probably pulled the Weeknd in and said [that] ‘Next year you’re gonna get showered with awards.’ ”

Akademiks describes industry chess moves, positioning Lamar and The Weeknd as pawns in a larger agenda. By paying them so much, he argued, UMG was further solidifying its grip on the music industry and delivering a not-so-subtle message to Drake: If you want to play, we can make that happen; if not, you’re on the sidelines. Drake’s absence didn’t stop the night from being about him. And if the Grammys were intended as a power play, they appear to have only stoked the flames of his still-ongoing war with the music industry.