"Damn Louis that don't matter" — Kendrick Lamar's supposed cousin refuses to confirm his relation with the rapper in interview with DJ Akademiks

Media personality DJ Akademiks was recently in a phone conversation with rapper Hitta J3, who had previously claimed he was Kendrick Lamar's cousin. The phone call was aimed to talk to Hitta J3 about his alleged involvement in Top5's recent arrest in Toronto.

For the uninitiated, Toronto rapper Top5 was arrested on charges of "unauthorized possession of a firearm and prohibited gun possession" on January 25, 2025, as per a report from Hot New Hip Hop. Following this, DJ Akademiks talked on the phone with a man presumed to be Hitta J3 during his Rumble livestream.

The media personality asked him if he was Kendrick Lamar's cousin, as he had previously claimed. Hitta J3 didn't confirm the allegation, saying it didn't matter and that he had grown up in the same neighborhood as the Compton rapper. He also claimed he was younger than Lamar, who turned 37 in June 2024.

"Damn Louis that don't matter. That don't matter. I don't got nothing to prove to the internet that validates all motherf**kers...This is all you got to know. Bro, we from the same section. We grew up, I've been around since a little kid. That's all you gotta know," Hitta J3 said.

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DJ Akademiks accused Kendrick Lamar's alleged cousin of snitching on Top5

DJ Akademiks alleged that Hitta J3 played a part in Top5's recent arrest in Toronto during his phone call with the rapper. The media personality claimed Hitta J3 allegedly recorded his video call with Top5, where he was holding a gun, and posted the clip on social media.

He added that Top5 believed Hitta J3 snitched on him to the police, following which the Toronto rapper was arrested.

"Respectfully, Top5's team is telling me that he got on FaceTime with y'all and that he got locked up about a video and he thinks y'all told on him," Akademiks told Hitta J3.

Hitta J3 denied the allegations, claiming he did not record his conversation with Top5. He also added that he didn't get involved with Canadians, accusing the media personality of making things up for content.

Hitta J3 added that if anyone found proof that he recorded his call with Top5 and posted it on the internet, he would delete all his social media accounts. He also warned Akademiks that his accusations could lead to people getting hurt.

Top5's arrest came after Hitta J3 dissed the Canadian rapper in a track called Billy Butcherson, released on January 5, 2025. Top5 was a known associate of Drake, which led many to speculate the diss was a product of Drake's beef with Kendrick Lamar.

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While it is unclear whether Hitta J3 is Kendrick Lamar's cousin, the two have worked together, with their latest collaboration in the title track of Lamar's 2024 album GNX.

Kendrick Lamar and Hitta J3 reportedly have a long-standing friendship. In a December 2024 interview with The Daily Targum, he said his brother and Kendrick were good friends, adding:

"Him and Kendrick were friends when they were younger. So that's what led to Kendrick always being in my corner, seeing what my brother went through."

In the interview, Hitta J3, whose real name is Dominicke Williams, added he was present during the Not Like Us music video shooting, which featured cameos from Lamar's TDE affiliates, DeMar DeRozan, Tommy the Clown, and Whitney Alford (Kendrick Lamar's fiancée), to name a few.