Akon revealed he chose to sign Nigerian artist Wizkid over Canadian rapper Drake in 2008 due to Drake’s $1 million signing fee, which he deemed unfeasible for an emerging artist at the time.
During a recent interview with The Shade Room, Akon emphasized that Drake had not yet developed the sound that would later make him a global star and compared his early style to Eminem’s.
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Akon expressed his belief in Drake’s potential. He said, “It wasn’t that I didn’t see the vision that he was going to be big,” but acknowledged that by the time he recognized this potential, Drake had become too expensive.
He credited Banky W, a Nigerian singer and record label executive, with discovering and nurturing Wizkid’s talent before introducing Akon to him in Nigeria.
Akon remarked that the decision to sign Wizkid ultimately “broke him into the United States.”
