Akademiks (an intentional misspelling of "academics") is an American brand of urban clothing popular with devotees of hip hop music. The label was founded by two brothers, Donwan and Emmett Harrell, along with another group of partners.
Akademiks was popularized in 2001 by Brooklyn rapper Fabolous whose lyrical content advertised the brand. He also wore an akademiks velour on the inside cover of his debut album Ghetto Fabolous.
In 2005, the label achieved a degree of notoriety when its advertisements on New York MTA buses, which included the tagline "Read Books, Get Brain", were banned. Although MTA officials had not originally realised that there was any double meaning in this phrase, it was later pointed out that "get brain" was in fact a slang term for "receive oral sex" along the lines of "get head". Akademiks released another small group of ads for the MTA in early September, 2006. The ads are clean and without controversy.
Akademiks has gained popularity in the clothing industry due to the number of celebrities who wear the brand's PRPS jeans, such as rappers Dizzee Rascal and 50 Cent .
The name Akademiks is spelled akdmks, or occasionally AKS, on many of the company's garments. Some apparel also bears the Akademiks "A.S.A.P." insignia, standing for "Akdmks Small Arms Patrol".