"It’s Nipsey all over again" — Internet reacts to DJ Akademiks condemning rappers for not reaching out to Rich Homie Quan when he was alive

On September 6, 2024, DJ Akademiks took to social media to criticize rappers for not reaching out to Rich Homie Quan when he was alive. The 33-year-old Atlanta rapper passed away on Thursday, September 5, 2024.

As reported by the Associated Press on September 6, the Fulton County Medical Examiner confirmed that the rapper had passed away in an Atlanta hospital. The cause of death was not disclosed, and an autopsy was held on Friday, September 6. Since then, the hip-hop community has been sharing their condolences for the rapper.

Shortly after Quan's death, DJ Akademiks alleged that the rappers who were sharing their messages for Rich Homie Quan would not answer him when Quan was alive. Fans took to X to react to Akademiks' video, sharing their views on the matter. One X user wrote:

"Facts!!! It’s nipsey all over again. Sick people love to chase clout with death."

Several other fans expressed similar sentiments online.

"AK hurt by this one I can see it on his face Quan and Thug was the soundtrack to millions of teenagers lives!!!(2014-2016) The music was a synopsis of their lives," one person said.

"Akademics himself wouldn't talk about DHQ when he was still alive too. Nobody has cared about that guy since he released Flex a lifetime ago. Let people show him a bit of love before he's eternally forgotten," another user added.

"That happens in real life neighborhood homies nothing new," another person said.

Some other users felt it was unfair to target those sending Quan condolences in this manner, explaining that it is hard to understand someone's situation.

"Well, I don’t think they’re fake and maybe they didn’t reach out to him when he was alive, but we all our soldiers and hip-hop," one netizen said.

"So because they don’t want to work means they don’t care about his life?," another netizen commented.

"I hate this opinion. We all humans, we don’t know what he got until it’s gone," one person wrote.

"I didn’t reach out to Fatman. Scoop because I thought that he was holding his own for him to go out on the stage because he’s like my little brother," another person said.

Rich Homie Quan, originally named Dequantes Devontay Lamar, was one of Atlanta's most popular hip-hop artists in the mid-2010s. He is best known for his tracks such as Type of Way and Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh).

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Rich Homie Quan began his hip-hop career as an evolving artist in 2011

Homie Quan at Hot 107.9 Birthday Bash (Image via Getty)

Rich Homie Quan emerged on the hip-hop scene in 2011, quickly establishing himself as one of Atlanta's most promising artists. The rapper grew up in DeKalb County, located on the east coast side of Atlanta. He released several mixtapes in the early 2010s before he shot to fame in 2013 with Type of Way, a standout track from his third mixtape.

Type of Way's success broke boundaries for Quan, as many rappers came on board to work with him, including Jeezy and Meek Mill. Rich Homie Quan was soon featured on a YG track with Jeezy. In 2014, he featured in the track Lifestyle, alongside rappers Young Thug and Birdman.

Quan continued to make music with his distinctive style. Produced by DJ Spinz and Nitti Beatz, the rapper's song Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh) became his highest-ranking solo single at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, Quan was featured in Lil Dicky's track Save Dat Money.

In 2018, Rich Homie Quan released his first and only studio album, Rich as in Spirit. The album featured a collaboration with Rick Ross, among other tracks. In an interview with the Associated Press in 2022, Quan expressed his intent to make a comeback in hip-hop after a sudden hiatus from music.

In his short but illustrious career, Rich Homie Quan's collaboration with Young Thug became extremely successful, with both rappers topping the charts. However, their partnership broke soon after Young Thug's alleged involvement in the YSL case.

The fiasco is believed to have begun from a major fallout between two factions of the Bloods street gang in Atlanta. In a major shootout in 2014, Rich Homie Quan's father, Corey Lamar, was shot four times by rival gang members at his barbershop. However, he survived the gunshot wounds.

In 2022, Young Thug and some other rappers were charged in a major YSL case. The case became the longest-running criminal case in Georgia history, and Rich Homie Quan was one of the witnesses in it.

Quan's last release was an extended play, Family & Mula, released in October 2022.