Everyday Struggle co-hosts Akademiks, Wayno and Nedeska Alexis revealed the Complex series will soon become a thing of the past on Monday (November 30). The popular YouTube show will air its final episode on December 17 after roughly three years of production.
Akademiks, who’s become somewhat of a polarizing figure in the rap community primarily due to his allegiance to Tekashi 6ix9ine, hopped on Twitch not long after the announcement was made and explained why the show was coming to an end.
“I’ll answer the why in case anyone does care,” he said. “The ‘why’ of why the show is ending, I think me and Complex are going in different directions. At least how we see Everyday Struggle. Mainly my employment for Everyday Struggle as how we see my brand and how they see me as someone who’s worked there for a while … I will say overall I have nothing bad to say about Complex.”
But it sounds like there’s more to the story. Akademiks was temporarily suspended from the show in July after he referred to John Legend’s wife Chrissy Teigen as a “bitch.” He also engaged in an online sparring session with Freddie Gibbs, which didn’t appear to do him any favors either. He alluded to both situations as being factors in the show’s dissolution.
“Yes, it was a very weird moment with the Chrissy Teigen thing, but it wasn’t only that,” he continued. “I received calls from them about other content that they felt I probably shouldn’t been engaged in. I specifically told them, ‘Listen, while you may look at me as the ‘guy’ on your show, I have a whole different brand to run.’ When Freddie Gibbs was on his thing … remember I got suspended for my little Twitch thing and I referred to Chrissy Teigen … whatever, whatever.
“But I remember saying to them, ‘If you guys are going to police what I do off of your platform’ — not realizing I have to defend my own platform that I’m building — ‘I never came here to be an employee, you should also keep the same energy!’ I felt like it was a spit in the face when Complex while trying to tell me I should ‘shut the fuck up’ almost … you said something about Chrissy Teigen that’s not OK and they awarded — I mean literally couple days after — some sort of award to Freddie Gibbs, even though he was saying he couldn’t wait ’til I die so he could spit on my casket.”
Akademiks claimed that’s when he realized he was “fighting with my hands behind my back.” He added, “This is what I also what I said about Everyday Struggle. Joe [Budden] once said it too, but I also agree: You don’t hire a controversial figure to not have controversy.”