Akon reveals why he passed on signing Drake before his rise to fame and credits Banky W with discovering Wizkid in a candid new interview.
Akon says he had the chance to sign Drake through KardinalOffishall but passed because the rapper’s early sound reminded him of Eminem.
The singer admits he realised Drake’s potential after the release of Best I Ever Had, but by then the future superstar had become too expensive to sign.
Akon also clears the air on Wizkid’s rise, crediting Banky W with discovering the Afrobeats star before helping expand his career into the US market.
Before Drake became one of the biggest names in music, Akon says he had the chance to sign him but decided against it.
The award-winning singer and music executive recently opened up about the missed opportunity during an interview, explaining that the version of Drake he first heard was nothing like the artist who would later dominate charts around the world.
According to Akon, fellow Canadian artist KardinalOffishall was the one who first introduced Drake’s music to him.
“I had a shot at Drake through KardinalOffishall,” Akon said.
However, he admitted he wasn’t convinced by what he heard at the time.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t see the vision. Drake wasn’t that Drake then,” he explained.
