Akbar V Opens Up About Needing Therapy & New Distribution Deal w/ Blueprint Music Group

Akbar V is the Queen of Atlanta, and she walks the walk as much as she talks the talk. Born and raised in the Southwest side, Cleveland Ave. to be exact, Akbar holds nothing back, speaking her truth in her rhymes and everyday life. Boasting 779K followers on Instagram alone, the rising MC arrives with one hell of a personality, effortlessly touching all those she attracts in the most positive way.

Making her reality television debut on Love & Hip Hop, Akbar is ready to transition fully into her music, celebrating a new distribution deal with Blueprint Music Group under Cortez Bryant (Lil Wayne’s manager). Teasing fans with her forthcoming single “Queen,” Akbar knows her worth and her talents — and she’s putting in the work to become that global superstar she was destined to be.

Additionally, you can find Doctor Akbar V giving expert relationship advice to her fans via Instagram Live, pulling from her own experiences as a mother of 5. Baller Alert had the pleasure of chatting with Akbar virtually to discuss her kids’ Christmas presents, getting shot in the head, needing therapy, linking with Tink, relationship with Cortez Bryant, favorite Lil Wayne song, and more!

How are you holding up in Atlanta?

I’m doing good. I really be in my house when I’m in Atlanta. I’m finishing up my kids’ Christmas, been going to get their Christmas out the way. 

What are you getting your kids for Christmas?

I can’t tell you cause they got Instagram. They ass probably be on here, but I got to do a little shopping. I gotta go get the PS5 for $1500, have to meet the dude in Lenox to get it. I got to go get some shoes and about 2 or 3 more outfits.

How old are your kids now?

I have a 14-year-old, a 12-year-old, an 8-year-old, a 10-year-old, and a 6-year-old. My family helps me, their grandma and dad helps. I got a lot of help. My kids are big, they let me know. They talk to me: what they want to do, how they want to do it. I don’t really pressure them about things. If they want something they call mom: “I need this, I need that.” I got a good relationship with them, they love me for who I am. We building.

Why are you the Queen of Atlanta?

I’m the Queen of Atlanta because I’m born and raised in Atlanta. I could go anywhere Atlanta and I put on for my city, period. With the right team, which I have now, and the right marketing plan, I’ma be a real big superstar that comes out of Atlanta. I’m good in any hood. I could go to any hood, I am who I am. I came from nothing. Atlanta knows before I touched television, I was poppin’ in my city. I was always this fly, big girl. Pretty, can rap. Always in some shit, that was me. In every hood, in that bitch, wherever. You good with me if I bring you to Atlanta, period.

Talk about being shot in the head, that’s crazy.

I was walking out this club in 2016, there’s an altercation going on. God does things for a wake up call. Me getting shot in my head was a real eye-opener, but it wasn’t. It’s like alright, I got shot. It’s still in my skull, in the back of my head. The bullet fragments exploded in my skull, but I’m strong. 

I interview a lot of artists who’ve been shot, that comes with a lot of trauma.

I had it bad! I haven’t gone to therapy. I really need therapy because I’m still dealing with childhood trauma. I really deal with mental health issues. Since I was a kid, I’ve got a lot of childhood trauma that fucks with me. People look at me and they judge me, not knowing what I’m facing or dealing with. That’s okay because I know that when you’re quick to point fingers at people, God has a way of humbling you and sitting you down. Showing you that when you’re laughing at that person’s pain, he’s going to take you through that because you reap what you sow.

Why didn’t you ever go to therapy? Or it wasn’t the right time?

I didn’t feel like I needed it, until now. That’s me being honest. I was overlooking it like what these people gon’ tell me? I can pray about it. Sometimes people really need to talk to people, and I do. That’s why I put it in my music, why my music’s so passionate and heartfelt. 

Pros and cons of Love & Hip Hop?

You finna stress me out with that. With Love & Hip Hop, it’s a platform. I’m very thankful for the opportunity that Mona Scott gave me, and VH1. I’m in a different space. It’s toxic only because you’re getting judged for your actions. I really don’t have no ill will towards it, and I’m not excited. I don’t have either one. It’s a platform for me to be who I am and I got a chance to show the world who I really was. Some people didn’t understand it, and I grew. This pandemic made me look at things a lot different so right. I even reached out to LightSkinKeisha and Tokyo Vanity, told them it don’t matter who’s wrong or who’s right, I want to apologize. I’m different now, my energy’s different.

I respect that, it takes a lot to apologize. 

Everyone knows I ain’t gon’ lose a draw. I’m gon’ fight, I’ma do whatever. It comes to a point where I’ve been fighting my whole life, I’m over that. I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to win with my music and my career, take care of my family. If I gotta tell people “hey, I apologize. I don’t want no ill will, you’re a queen.” It is what it is. I don’t want no drama with nobody. I even went in Kash Doll DMs. All my beef, it wasn’t really a beef. It was egos. A a lot of ego and me being on my bossy shit. I can be my own worst enemy, and I’m over that. I don’t want to be on no drama or no negativity, I want to win. I gotta win. I got a lot of people I want to save.

Did something spark this awakening to make right with people?

Me and Shekinah already had squashed our beef, I already reached out to Shekinah. A lot of people try to bring that back up, but I won’t even entertain it. What sparked it was the pandemic and me realizing that life is so short. I seen so many people die off COVID, off breathing and inhaling things. I was praying a lot more, trying to get close to God. Even when I went to LA this time, I went to the water. I was praying, I was on my journey. Trying to find myself and trying to learn to love myself. That gave me a wake up call seeing how people were here one day, the next day they gone. You start to think man, this ain’t even about nothing.

Best memories from the video shoot with Tink? 

There was so much going on, I really loved it. That whole day was very fun. The best of the best was when we sat down and we talked. She’s telling me about how people done her, how fake the industry is, we got to connect. We really connected. That right there alone was amazing, she really opened up to me and trusted me with her secrets. I trusted her with my secrets, so we built our sisterhood. I really love Tink.

Congrats on your new deal with Blueprint Music Group. What does it mean to have Cortez bryant backing you? 

That’s real big right? I’m very thankful for Cortez. He has a lot going on, he’ll go missing. But overall, he believed in me. I used to be pulling him like “come on, let’s do this! We can do this!” He had so much going on and couldn’t focus, he didn’t want to sign me to something that had me locked in and he couldn’t give me his all. He still made sure he gave me what I needed. He’s a father figure overall, I love him. No lie, I had a deal on the table. Tez and I weren’t talking, I’m doing my own thing. What’s crazy, there were times I was about to sign. I always called him, asked him for his opinion like “what you think?” 

Because I wanted to sign with Tez for the simple fact of what he’s done for careers and his history, how he invested in me without signing a contract, how he believed in me. I always asked God, “God I want someone to believe in me,” more so than to sign me and put me on a shelf. For him to do everything he’s done for me without a contract, I was indebted to sign a contract. He told me “Akbar it don’t matter if you don’t sign with me, I’m still gon’ love you. I’m still gon’ support you, still be happy for you.” That alone let me know he’s who I need. I love him! He knows that, that’s like my dad. He knows what I’ve been through, he sticks by me. Even if I mess up, he’ll talk to me about it. I’ll learn my lesson but he won’t turn his back on me, that’s what I love about Tez. Tez is a good man.

Can we expect a little Wayne collab? You feel me?

I’m telling you! I need that. I need the best rapper alive! I love Lil Wayne, that’s what I grew up on too. 

What’s your favorite Wayne song?

My favorite Wayne song, [starts singing “Somebody You Forgot”]. “I been waiting for you. I’m pretending, and that’s all I can do… You forgot about the house, you forgot about the ring. I remember everything, I just wanna hear you sing. I remember the love, right after the fights

You can’t tell me you don’t remember those nights.” I love Wayne. 

Are you going to be singing on your new music?

I’m working on that ‘cause Lord knows I cannot sing. But with the right autotune and the right vocal coach in there, I’m good to go baby! I can hit some tones though.