DaBaby recently released Baby on Baby 2. According to industry forecasters, the project will see a steep decline in first-week sales compared to his previous album. DJ Akademiks believes Hot 97 radio personality Ebro Darden is the reason DaBaby’s numbers fell.
“Da Baby’s last project in 2020, Blame it on Baby, sold 124K first week. His new project after being blackballed by Ebro, Apple Music is scheduled to do less than 20K,” tweeted DJ Akademiks on Wednesday. “Now yall understand my Ebro convo… DSPs control who is hot and who is not. Fall out of favor with them… UR DONE.”
DaBaby also pushed the idea that powerful people in the music business are purposely harming his success. The online conversation likely led to Ebro Darden addressing Akademiks’s blackballing allegations.
“Funny s###, when artists get hot it is always how they built this themselves and the fans. When s### slows down it is radio, DJs, platforms, and the label. #BlameEbro is back for a whole new generation,” wrote Darden on Twitter.
Apple Music’s Global Editorial Head of Hip hop and R&B later added, “Apple Music is not the only platform. Based on this dummy’s logic, Da Baby should be doing well on the platform HE works for. Is it?”
DJ Akademiks hosts the Off The Record podcast which streams on Apple Music’s competitor Spotify. Ebro Darden also pointed out that DaBaby performed at Hot 97’s Summer Jam concert in 2021. That decision came after other music festivals dropped DaBaby over his controversial comments at Rolling Loud Miami.
Darden returned to Twitter to post, “I’m confused… I’m old and irrelevant. No one listens to my shows. But why am I always being brought up by people who are ‘more powerful’ and ‘doing more for the culture’ as the reason things don’t perform? Somebody lying!!”
Social media users responded to DJ Akademiks’s blackballing accusations by listing some of the other negative headlines involving DaBaby. In addition to the Rolling Loud scandal, the North Carolina native got into a fight with his ex-girlfriend’s brother. He also faced public backlash for rapping about having sex with Megan Thee Stallion.
Funny s###, when artists get hot it is always how they built this themselves and the fans.
— the Old Man Ebro (@oldmanebro) September 29, 2022
When s### slows down it is radio, DJs, platforms and the label. #BlameEbro A is back for a whole new generation https://t.co/tnLtayTiCO
Apple Music is not the only platform.
— the Old Man Ebro (@oldmanebro) September 29, 2022
Based on this dummy’s logic, Da Baby should be doing well on the platform HE works for. Is it?
That part. https://t.co/xsnNGDzQc1
— the Old Man Ebro (@oldmanebro) September 29, 2022
Im confused… Im old and irrelevant. No one listens to my shows.
— the Old Man Ebro (@oldmanebro) September 29, 2022
But why am I always being brought up by people who are “more powerful” and “doing more for the culture” as the reason things don’t perform?
Somebody lying!!