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AKON On NEW MUSIC, Signing LADY GAGA and T-PAIN, Working with MICHAEL JACKSON & WHITNEY HOUSTON
Sep 27, 2022
Akon is a musical icon and has some of the most amazing stories in the business. He stopped by Sway In The Morning to talk about his new music and working with some of the greats like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg and more.
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0:00
speak about so music became my therapy
0:02
for me
0:02
it wasn't just music citizens
0:05
that voice right there it's a man who
0:07
visited this show many of times someone
0:08
I could call a friend someone I could
0:10
actually call family because we're
0:11
connected by Family absolutely come on
0:15
shout out to my my little cousin okay
0:18
okay
0:19
well Jalen he's uh his son is my cousin
0:24
son uh Farah and he's a beautiful young
0:27
man who doesn't surprise me is very
0:30
talented musically
0:31
um he's a great songwriter no it's the
0:34
truth he's gonna be a problem his son is
0:37
amazing you got to hear him he's coming
0:39
soon the young man but he's gone on to
0:41
do a whole lot of stuff after he was
0:43
locked up right and he talked about that
0:45
from that Trouble album to the album we
0:47
about to celebrate today to being in the
0:49
Guinness Book of World Records and
0:50
selling that's the number one selling
0:52
artist for master ringtones remember
0:54
that wow
0:55
come on how many artists has he helped
0:58
launch through his labels can you say
1:00
Lady Gaga Lady Gaga can you say T-Pain
1:03
can you say French Montana he's
1:06
connected to all of them it's not that
1:08
he just made and wrote hit records I
1:10
can't even think of how many hooks he's
1:12
saying going hundreds of hundreds upon
1:15
hundreds of hooks that he's saying go on
1:17
if if you ask people who's the best hook
1:19
singers in the history of hip-hop he'll
1:21
be in your top five
1:23
right and so today uh we're celebrating
1:27
him because it's 15 years since he
1:30
released the convicted album and I
1:33
remember this like it was yesterday
1:34
crazy we were still in the club smack
1:37
that
1:40
was you doing this way
1:51
I used to do but I'm proud of them man
1:54
this is my family right here I want to
1:56
welcome him back he got a new single
1:57
alcohol enjoy that as the one and only
2:00
Akon citizens
2:05
man
2:07
in 15 years you don't believe it's been
2:09
15 years since that album it feels like
2:11
a blink of an eye it doesn't even like
2:13
no it don't I'm shocked to even hear
2:16
that number 15 right I don't even seem
2:18
like it's maybe 15 days it feels like I
2:20
mean time flew when you when this album
2:23
came out and
2:24
2006 right it's 2006. yes yeah at that
2:29
point uh well you how many kids did you
2:31
have at that time I had
2:33
four you have four how many you have now
2:35
I got nine look what happened in 15
2:37
years every three years
2:47
oh wow that's amazing what do you
2:50
remember about that time when this
2:51
because you were still establishing
2:53
yourself as an artist kind of right
2:55
trouble came out but you you know this
2:57
was the sophomore album right they
2:59
always talk about the sophomore Blues
3:01
who was your competition at that time
3:04
who was on the charts man honestly I
3:06
don't even know you don't remember I
3:08
don't even remember who was all I know
3:10
is that around that time I was in every
3:12
building giving everybody hit records
3:14
what do you mean like who like as a
3:16
producer as a writer like that whole
3:17
that whole era about 80 of the radio was
3:20
all written up maybe produced by me at
3:22
that time wow like you couldn't turn on
3:24
the radio and not hear me or hear one of
3:25
the records I produced the road
3:27
you know why that's so crazy Akon I just
3:30
read recently Jadakiss said that
3:33
um as an up-and-coming struggling artist
3:35
it was very difficult for him to write
3:38
for puffy he was a millionaire at the
3:40
time right um and I okay I could
3:43
understand that but what's fascinating
3:45
to me is that when men write songs for
3:48
women right like how did you and you
3:51
don't have to say who if you're not but
3:52
how do you tap into that side of like I
3:55
heard Neo try to explain it right but
3:57
how for someone like you how do you tap
3:59
into that I think everybody has their
4:01
own method like me it's impossible for
4:03
me to tap into a woman so I write it as
4:06
a man and then I flip it for a woman
4:08
[Music]
4:10
exactly so that's me I write it from a
4:13
man stand point of view because a lot of
4:15
those songs are easier for women to
4:17
relate to because they actually getting
4:18
gained from the man but it's always a
4:21
lot of things in there that's familiar
4:22
to them so then once you flip it as a
4:24
woman it makes a little bit more
4:26
aggressive can you give me an example of
4:28
a woman you've written for that you that
4:30
you use that process Whitney Houston
4:39
what's the question
4:43
that's kind of how you did it though
4:45
I got more too did what song was it uh
4:49
like I never left
4:51
like I never left look at reasons so you
4:53
write it in pronoun mail and then switch
4:56
Yeah I write it as if it's going to be
4:58
my record and then if it's going to be a
5:01
woman then I flip the lyrics as if a
5:03
woman singing it to a man did you do the
5:05
reference vocals I do the reference and
5:06
everything so what did Whitney think of
5:08
your voice uh she loved it I mean she
5:11
told you that oh yeah that's why she
5:12
kept me on the song
5:14
that's how we ended up a lot
5:16
what's interesting is the reason why I
5:19
got so many collaborations is because
5:21
nobody never wanted to take my voice off
5:22
the Record off the reference yeah
5:31
Michael Jackson let's talk about Mike so
5:35
what songs did you write for Mike uh
5:37
there's a record called Hold My Hand
5:39
that was the record that was released
5:40
but we got many more that never was
5:42
released that weren't released what's
5:43
this right here towards assistant
5:45
this is uh like I never left Whitney
5:47
let's hear this Akon wrote this
5:50
okay
5:52
so Mike the mic song were you in the
5:55
studio with Michael Jackson yeah we was
5:57
actually in the studio we actually
5:58
recorded this record hold my hand in
6:01
Palm studio in Vegas uh-huh we locked it
6:03
down for like a week the Palm Hotel yeah
6:05
the Palm Hotel they got a studio down
6:07
there what was conversation like with
6:10
Mike man the best really just imagine
6:13
like you see how I mean you conversate
6:14
yeah that's how me and Mike was
6:16
conversating like we literally talked
6:17
about everything
6:19
business family women
6:22
industry like everything what did Mike
6:24
say about women
6:31
but as soon as he said he was like damn
6:34
why did I say women this is about to be
6:37
all over the Internet no but actually
6:40
Mike's type was supermodels he like he
6:43
like slim supermodels uh-huh he loves
6:46
slim supermodels that's what he said
6:47
yeah hey kind of I like slim supermodels
6:50
that's your mic yes that was my mic how
6:53
was it did it
6:54
I mean because me I mean on my type I
6:56
like being slim thick I like Mike you
6:59
don't like no booty
7:00
too much booty just just a little he
7:03
like him slim he said not too much booty
7:05
not too much booty but in the song Beat
7:07
It the first line is
7:09
your butt is mine yeah but not that's
7:12
not literally
7:19
no he was the coolest dude ever like
7:23
when I tell you I wish the world was
7:24
able to experience the mic I experienced
7:27
the person the man you know Johnny
7:29
Osmond said the same thing it was just
7:32
the most amazing announcement that's
7:33
pure heart though like a pure pure heart
7:36
I feel like you know the the the media
7:38
took advantage of his his heart knowing
7:41
him you have no doubt that those
7:43
allegations were false he would never
7:45
like never ever think look or harm any
7:50
child man he's like his his purpose he
7:52
felt was to save the children
7:55
you know and he felt he was made as a
7:57
child star specifically to understand
7:59
that role in which children should be
8:01
able to experience in their lifetime to
8:03
live a successful healthy life so when
8:04
he got older and he didn't get the
8:06
childhood that he normally would have
8:07
gotten because of his success he wanted
8:09
to pass that childhood down the kids
8:10
that's why I get that let me build that
8:12
big ass house in Cali the neverland the
8:15
neverland like this is an experience for
8:16
children to actually be children you
8:19
know like he really loved children he
8:20
always wanted to make sure that sick
8:22
children had you know Health Care he
8:24
would put up his own money like fun
8:25
hospitals medication oh I mean his whole
8:28
life was built around you know making
8:30
sure the children was healthy were you
8:31
nervous having the right for Michael
8:33
Jackson
8:34
oh man no
8:36
I had records ready for my like I grew
8:39
up Mike was like my idol I'm like oh
8:41
wait right here this right here
8:45
that's dope yeah damn so when something
8:49
doesn't make the album do you ever take
8:51
that as like damn does that hurt like
8:53
you're no not at all it just listen like
8:56
everybody has a different sound
8:57
everybody have a different style yeah
8:59
and every body's music represents them
9:01
differently so when I'm writing for
9:03
people I'm shooting in the dark until we
9:05
actually get in the same room okay
9:06
sometimes I may hit sometime I may miss
9:09
but it's cool because if it don't go to
9:11
you it's gonna go to somebody else that
9:12
feels it so it don't really to me it's
9:14
all merchandise and I always look at
9:16
this business like customer service I'm
9:18
gonna give you what you want now do you
9:19
still get paid even if a song doesn't
9:21
make it to the album no not for no not
9:23
you only get paid when the song is
9:24
chosen oh so not for your time spent
9:27
though I'm brainstorming and putting it
9:29
together well me I used to do song deals
9:31
okay so whether the song got chosen or
9:33
not I had already got paid up front so
9:36
we just keep going until you find the
9:38
records you like or you can say you know
9:39
what I'm gonna catch you on the next
9:40
hour we ain't in the same Vibe right now
9:42
but you know it all depends it's up to
9:44
you hey come man we celebrating the
9:46
convicted album from 2006 we'll talk
9:48
about some of those songs too
9:50
um
9:52
I love this conversation man Lady Gaga
9:54
do y'all still communicate yeah
9:56
absolutely when the last time you talked
9:58
to Gaga last time I actually talked to
9:59
Gaga probably was about maybe
10:02
it has been a minute actually now I
10:04
think about it yeah but time has been
10:06
flying by so fast yeah bro I haven't
10:08
even I think it was the last time when
10:10
her last show in Atlanta was the last
10:11
time I actually spoke and then even then
10:13
that night I was on my way to Africa I
10:15
just passed through to say hello and I
10:17
was out the door what was it that you
10:19
said to her
10:20
took of I don't even know if convince is
10:23
the best word but to make her open to
10:25
working with you at that time
10:27
um
10:28
it wasn't a conversation of convincing
10:31
um I think it was something that she
10:32
wanted to do anyway okay
10:34
um ultimately it was a matter of me
10:36
discovering that she was an artist
10:39
because at the time I had just signed
10:41
this um producer named red one
10:45
come on man he say names like that you
10:48
know this producer I said at the time at
10:52
the time well knows him now okay good
10:54
point and I was writing for the Pussycat
10:56
Dolls
11:02
right and then I just caught a block
11:04
because I was like right at the time it
11:06
was that same couple of the little month
11:08
when I had just signed my deal with
11:09
Jimmy Iovine and I was just super super
11:11
excited but I had caught a block I
11:13
couldn't really come up with nothing and
11:15
I was like man we need some girls in the
11:16
studio or something I need some
11:17
motivation right and then red was like
11:19
no I know this one girl you can bounce
11:20
off with she's a pretty good writer and
11:22
he's mentioned Gaga and at the time I
11:25
didn't know that Gaga was already in the
11:27
Interscope building okay I had no idea
11:29
you know so we write Just Dance
11:32
and then she goes in and she's right no
11:36
no and she's different
11:38
you wrote song out well say that again
11:41
y'all wrote Just Dance Just Dance and
11:42
she's going to demoing the song out and
11:45
I'm watching her in the booth like man
11:47
this chick is a star
11:50
so I was like yo Ray what's the
11:51
situation is she signed like what's up
11:52
he was like I don't know she just comes
11:55
and writes and I was like all right cool
11:56
so when she got out I was like yo like
11:59
what is your situation like she's like
12:01
well you know I'm in a scope I said what
12:03
I said hold on a second I call Jimmy I
12:06
said yo Jimmy I I got the first girl
12:08
that I wanted to be on my label he's
12:09
like who I said guy guy he said really I
12:11
said yeah yeah trust me this is the one
12:13
I promise you I put my label on it I
12:14
need this I need this be like all right
12:16
well let me hear what you got I said
12:17
cool so the next day we went to go play
12:20
the song but he was expecting to hear
12:22
the record for Pussycat Dolls yeah so I
12:24
said yo I gotta hit so he's like yes
12:26
perfect we play Just Dance he was like
12:29
oh my God this record is a monster wait
12:32
till the girls hear this and I heard it
12:34
I'm like the girls wait hold on I think
12:38
we need to keep this record for Gaga
12:41
and he was like oh God don't do this to
12:43
me these girls need to hit this record
12:44
you know and I was like but this record
12:46
can break an artist
12:48
that record of course girls pussycat
12:51
girls are globing on it we can make
12:52
another one for them they're gonna be
12:53
fine but this record is different this
12:55
can break another superstar in this
12:57
building I promise you and Jimmy was
13:00
like you know what
13:01
I'm gonna believe I'm gonna take them
13:02
I'm gonna let you do it he literally
13:04
believed in me and allowed me to put
13:05
this record on this girl but the
13:06
challenging part about it was that when
13:08
we first put the records out the record
13:10
wasn't it wasn't back I remember that it
13:13
took almost a year for this for a long
13:14
time
13:19
to take them a long time before they get
13:21
it 13 I mean
13:24
you know it's wow that's Evergreen
13:32
what was the turning point for that
13:34
record because most artists or
13:36
Executives I should say most Executives
13:38
would get super frustrated if uh not me
13:41
because I always don't always not you
13:43
but you know like how the the building
13:45
sometimes they get what's happening it's
13:47
not going it's been eight weeks whatever
13:48
whatever yes what was the Turning Point
13:50
whatever those conversations was in that
13:52
building I wasn't aware of it all I know
13:54
is once I realized that the record
13:56
needed some help that's when I went on
13:58
the road okay and then I brought Gaga
14:00
with me
14:05
I broke the record yeah he went on the
14:09
road with me everywhere Thursday Friday
14:10
Saturday we was out yo Urban clubs top
14:14
40 clubs gay clubs yo we went and worked
14:16
y'all
14:18
nothing he was like yo just make sure I
14:20
got a first class ticket make sure I got
14:22
a presidential suite and let's go yeah
14:24
oh he sounds like me right
14:28
drop 10
14:30
. it popped from the clubs right that's
14:33
where it popped from now for citizens
14:35
who are watching this on YouTube or
14:37
however you're hearing this Troy
14:38
Marshall is probably one of the most
14:40
Innovative uh promotion people to ever
14:42
come through the music business ever
14:44
that's a blueprint that was created to
14:47
how to bust and break records he's the
14:49
best that ever did it he's the best he's
14:51
one of the people who wrote The
14:52
Blueprint so Troy Marshall Brian Sampson
14:54
thank you sincere Thompson all these
14:56
people come from that's my clan right
14:58
here yeah he's the first person to take
15:00
me to a gun range oh wow straight up
15:04
yeah yeah I remember that Akon is here
15:07
we're celebrating the convicted album 15
15:09
years
15:10
that's crazy 15 years there's a song on
15:13
there um called I want to love you
15:16
that uh you did with Snoop right that
15:18
was on this album yeah now that reckon
15:21
did you ever you know how that got
15:22
started no
15:23
that's an interesting story so back to
15:27
my producer songwriting days I had wrote
15:29
This Record I ran into Trick Daddy in
15:31
Miami
15:33
and I was like man we're just talking
15:35
because I love trick I used to love
15:37
tricks and then I was like yo I want to
15:40
do something for you said man I'm ready
15:41
I'm ready let's go we gotta Rock we
15:43
gotta Rock so I went back home and I
15:45
wrote This Record Carl I want to [ __ ]
15:47
you oh that's what it was called
15:49
initially okay it was originally
15:51
supposed to be for Trick Daddy okay
15:54
this was crazy
15:55
so I write the record I said oh this is
15:57
gonna be crazy
15:58
emailed it to him
16:01
my little brother Boo comes in the room
16:02
he hears the record
16:05
[ __ ] you crazy you ain't giving up this
16:08
record I said oh I mean boo trust me
16:10
this record we good I can make more he
16:13
said Khan listen bro hit records I get
16:15
it you'll hit maker but certain records
16:17
you just don't give away you just don't
16:19
I said well look I already gave the
16:21
[ __ ] my word I'm sending it out I had
16:23
already sent the record out Trick is on
16:25
the road at this point the record went
16:27
to the slip and slide email uh-huh Plies
16:30
pick the record up
16:34
wow
16:40
the last Ambush that Plies heard it off
16:43
top but it wasn't his it didn't matter
16:45
Plies took his voice put took the
16:48
because I already have my always I used
16:49
to always send my my tracks with my
16:51
chords already on it so all you got to
16:52
do is perverses he put the verses on it
16:54
leaked the record
16:56
the record becomes the biggest record in
16:58
Florida satellite radio at the time
17:01
there was no serious accident that's
17:02
right it was the bootleg satellite
17:04
joints you remember what they used to
17:06
call him
17:16
you had tops 48 hours but you had to
17:20
move the location otherwise they're
17:21
coming in yeah yeah like they would
17:23
check
17:24
in Florida it was huge in Florida yeah
17:29
the record become the biggest record in
17:31
the clubs it comes gets back to Atlanta
17:33
and I'm like what's this
17:36
I'm like what the hell is this so I
17:38
called Kelly I said yo who was this kid
17:40
he said it's supplies this is the
17:42
biggest record of Floyd I said what so
17:44
at this point trick is living because he
17:47
never even incurred the record before
17:48
Plies put it out right so then everybody
17:51
SRC is going crazy Akon got this huge
17:54
record it's unreleased has been and
17:56
hasn't been cleared what do we do and
17:57
boo was like
17:59
I said we gotta snatch that back said I
18:01
told you yeah that's what he said he
18:03
said yo I told you bro I said all right
18:05
we got to get this record back so then
18:07
that's that's what I call Snoop I see a
18:08
snoop I'm about to put his record out in
18:09
a week I need a verse on it like
18:11
tomorrow man I need to send it to you
18:12
right now literally Snoop sent it right
18:14
back literally within hours we got the
18:16
record Mix Master and dropped the
18:17
following week and we put that bad boy
18:20
out ASAP and it became but what it did
18:23
it was a backlash because I felt super
18:26
bad because Plies was a brand new artist
18:28
and I always had pride of giving an
18:30
artist the opportunity but for me to
18:32
have to take that opportunity from them
18:34
I felt super bad right so me and him
18:37
actually talked he was mad as well too
18:39
but I explained to him what do you say
18:40
he said man why y'all that's messed up
18:43
man y'all doing this man you know what
18:45
I'm saying I'm from the hood I ain't got
18:46
no just my way out and I I felt him I
18:48
understood I was like you know what
18:49
don't worry I'm gonna get you another
18:50
one where did Plies think the music came
18:54
from
18:56
Plies was hungry boys
19:08
I went right back in and that's when I
19:10
made hypnotize and gave him now damn wow
19:12
okay yeah so hypnotized your word
19:15
hypnotized was a way of cleaning that up
19:17
yeah
19:19
and then Snoop came in on it and did
19:21
this to it right
19:23
in 15 years of the convicted album Akon
19:26
is here dropping so many gems I'm about
19:28
to open a jewelry store
19:30
a lot of gym flips we got a lot of
19:33
people on the lines I'm gonna go through
19:34
this real quick citizens um quick
19:36
question and he'll give a quick answer
19:38
and then just buy the new single all
19:41
right shamans in Alabama
19:43
sham what up sham
19:44
they have from Birmingham I just want to
19:47
sit on Akon that ablenet I thought that
19:51
was the album of the year because it
19:53
made me want to go to Africa and see the
19:55
motherland before he got he got what the
20:00
hell just had as a young man yeah that's
20:03
why I thought it was gonna be a record
20:05
of the year I'm the album of the year
20:08
I appreciate it wow man you're welcome
20:13
69 years old I'm 69 years old you just
20:17
made it see that me that to me is more
20:20
important than the Grammy yeah that's
20:21
what I do it for but you got Grandma
20:23
right no I never had it you got
20:25
nominated a lot thank you Sam you're a
20:27
citizen all those Grammy nominations you
20:30
don't have a Grammy all those names
20:31
never
20:32
Whitney Gaga Snoop the only ever award
20:36
that I've ever received was
20:40
um People's Choice Awards
20:43
ever
20:44
to me again that's the most important
20:46
award I can ever get because of the
20:48
people that chose me it wasn't a
20:50
buildings okay I feel the same way
20:52
brother man that's crazy ever T-Pain
20:55
that's my little man
20:58
I remember when he first came out yacht
21:00
there were a lot of comparisons yes
21:02
that's why I picked them up
21:04
[Laughter]
21:10
everything we represent I mean the sound
21:14
is so similar it was no way I would he
21:16
like my motto was always if there's
21:18
anything that's close to what we're
21:20
doing and that's representing what we're
21:22
doing making a part of what you're doing
21:24
I would rather T-Pain been a part of us
21:26
than me being have been him than him
21:28
being my competitor how did y'all I know
21:30
T-Pain sat with me and talked about
21:33
um the business dealings he dealt with
21:34
early on right right well he felt like
21:36
he was taking advantage of by the label
21:38
and the people he was signed with I
21:40
think I think he was in the beginning
21:41
yeah that was we the best though right
21:44
was it was it he was speaking about his
21:46
relationship with Khalid at that time
21:47
well a lot of those situations it was
21:51
been was negotiated by his manager Mike
21:53
at the time okay so as convict we was
21:56
just a label distributor okay we didn't
21:58
never handle his business dealings we
22:00
just handled his record distribution
22:01
like 80 20 split type thing no
22:05
was
22:06
pushing it we made him the star but we
22:10
didn't really maximize on that because
22:12
we didn't manage him yeah you know
22:14
knowing what I know today I would have
22:15
definitely managed them and I think I I
22:18
believe he would have been so much
22:19
bigger because
22:21
you know the way he was moved around he
22:23
was just they stagnated him in the urban
22:25
department and he was already a part of
22:28
a global
22:29
globally recognized label that clearly
22:31
he could have been a global Superstar he
22:34
was from a standpoint of um uh
22:36
affiliation okay but from a stardom
22:39
standpoint like pain is so talented he
22:42
really is so talented like yep I was
22:44
trying to get him to do afrobeat back
22:46
before we even started the movement in
22:48
Nigeria this was something that convict
22:50
was supposed to start in the United
22:51
States believe it or not
22:52
are you yeah like what year was this
22:55
this was in 2008 2008. this was in 2008
22:59
So when you say afrobeats the name
23:02
that's the big one of the biggest names
23:03
I won't say The Only Name Is where's kid
23:06
whiz kid is probably the poster child to
23:10
afrobeat so that's the biggest name yeah
23:12
we knew he was going to be that when we
23:14
discovered them we knew that and what
23:15
year did y'all discover wizkids because
23:17
the America is just now like within a
23:20
couple years yeah they just now
23:21
understanding what this is but we picked
23:23
up Wizkid in 2010. damn wow and how did
23:27
you get put on what was the first time
23:29
you're introduced to Wizkid
23:30
um in Nigeria actually
23:32
you met him at a showcase no it was he
23:35
had a um a manager and the guy that he
23:38
was signed to at that time before we did
23:40
the joy Venture
23:42
um and he was the one that actually
23:43
brought him to us because he felt like
23:45
okay whiz could be bigger and my jury
23:48
was just not big enough for him
23:52
at the time he was a real kid like he
23:55
was only 14. yeah like he was super
23:58
young you know what I'm saying in Banky
24:00
W who he was signed to at that time you
24:02
know we was actually signing his label
24:04
because what I was doing I was going
24:05
acquiring all the small independent
24:07
labels all throughout Africa and when we
24:10
went to go acquire his label which could
24:12
happen to be the artist that he had
24:13
signed but clearly of course Africans
24:16
they don't at that time they didn't have
24:17
all the instruments that they needed to
24:19
go to the next level and that's what we
24:21
would provide that's what we was
24:22
providing for them
24:24
damn yeah let's talk uh since I got you
24:27
here for real um
24:29
let's talk about David Guetta oh man
24:32
that right there it was it's interesting
24:34
who became an EDM right Club Legend
24:38
producer DJ so it was funny because
24:41
previously we was um having a
24:43
conversation about uh just a movement of
24:47
how music kind of like moved into where
24:49
it is today right and that's in all
24:51
genres and somebody was brought to my
24:54
attention because at the time when
24:55
you're working you don't normally see it
24:56
and he was mentioning how everything
24:57
that we actually touched became the
25:00
industry standard and I was like what do
25:02
you mean like mind you this is him
25:04
explaining this to me David Gatto
25:05
sentence no oh so I'm just I'm leading
25:07
this into David Guetta okay so he comes
25:10
and say yeah you know when you first
25:12
came out man you know he was like
25:13
singing but you was kind of rapping but
25:15
you wasn't like you was more of singing
25:17
but you was rapping and that became like
25:19
now the industry stranded where
25:20
everyone's like singing rapping you know
25:22
and then I you know we watch how it
25:24
escalated into the 808 clap with
25:25
auto-tune when you came with T-Pain and
25:27
you started doing the auto tune now
25:29
that's the industry standard and then as
25:32
I was traveling I'm at the World Music
25:34
Awards and I'm sitting next to this
25:37
African lady who's like one of my
25:39
biggest fans ever and she was like oh my
25:41
God I love you so much you have to help
25:43
my husband he's one of the biggest DJs
25:46
in Paris BJ's in all the biggest clubs
25:47
and I was like okay cool and she's like
25:50
yes he's gonna perform next and I was
25:52
like okay cool so he's performing now
25:55
uh-huh
25:56
and I'm waiting for the husband to come
25:58
out
25:59
he got the biggest record at the time
26:00
and it was called when the love is gone
26:02
which was my favorite record and I was
26:04
like yo this is my favorite record
26:06
but I'm waiting for the artist to come
26:08
out and sing
26:10
the show is over the artist never came
26:12
out and sing and I was confused I said
26:13
where where was the artist
26:17
she said that was him the white guy that
26:20
wasn't I said what he didn't sing though
26:22
she said no he's a DJ I said huh I
26:25
didn't grab the concept so when David
26:27
came down I was like man this is amazing
26:29
man the record is beautiful but but was
26:32
that you singing he said no it's a guy
26:33
out of Atlanta that actually sang that I
26:36
paid him this thing on the record I said
26:38
interesting because back then in house
26:40
music they would just grab a person with
26:43
a beautiful voice and chop it up Soulful
26:45
voice right like I got the power yeah
26:47
you probably never seen the woman before
26:49
in your life like they were you just any
26:50
but that was the stand and I was like so
26:52
y'all just grabbed beautiful voice put
26:54
them on and what do you own the song he
26:55
said yeah we licensed the labels and we
26:57
put it up and I was like well have you
26:58
ever thought about putting the A-list
26:59
artist on this record that everybody
27:02
knew like can you not imagine how big
27:04
that would be and he's like well you
27:07
know this is expensive and we won't be
27:09
able to clear them I said no no let's
27:11
try me and you first if it works then we
27:13
can scale this whole album out this way
27:15
so we do a record called sexy [ __ ]
27:19
right sexy [ __ ] he is a A-list artist
27:22
on it on a house music record who came
27:24
up with that title of the song Oh I did
27:26
as soon as I went in I produced wrote it
27:28
it was nasty it was a lot of your titles
27:32
and that record opened the doors for
27:35
every idiot mdj to now put A-list
27:37
artists on the record which is now the
27:39
industry standard and then you start
27:41
seeing people like Waka Flocka you start
27:43
seeing a rapper you got over there I
27:45
actually do something to that world
27:47
that was you who brought and Walker
27:49
resurrected reinvented his career Walker
27:52
is probably the smartest
27:54
no
27:56
the smartest businessman in hip-hop
27:59
that [ __ ] get it I I don't and I I used
28:02
to try to he's into everything you
28:03
wanted to be managed by Walker all right
28:06
Walker get it bro remember I used to he
28:10
get it now I tried to get Walker to
28:11
management I've never had a man is the
28:15
smartest [ __ ] in hip-hop I promise you
28:17
what has he taught you
28:19
huh what has Walker taught you how smart
28:21
he was
28:22
[Laughter]
28:28
circles you've never
28:29
and after having a conversation with him
28:32
versus conversation I had with other
28:33
hip-hop [ __ ] I said this [ __ ] got it
28:35
he understands okay let me ask you this
28:37
man I once heard this and you tell me if
28:39
this is true or not like because I'm you
28:42
know I when you see young thug you see
28:44
his affiliation that right there is
28:46
another story he's one of ours too you
28:49
discovered Young Thug okay okay
28:52
I didn't discover Thug okay Thug was
28:55
signed the Gucci okay
28:58
right that's Gucci's artist well Gucci
29:01
got put away
29:02
me and Gucci was super tight before
29:04
Gucci went in okay right when he went
29:07
away I saw a thug and I was like this
29:09
[ __ ] is African
29:13
more African than any African I know
29:15
uh-huh but my little brother boo was
29:18
moving Thug around
29:20
and they had this record at the time it
29:22
was called Stoner so we said okay cool
29:25
let's pick this kid up put him around we
29:27
did a full promo run we I mean I had one
29:30
of those Sprinter vans at the time and
29:32
we put them in there to two of his
29:33
homies and everywhere Thug would go he
29:35
would actually make records in the
29:36
Sprinter van because we had like the
29:38
system where you can have the microphone
29:39
you can actually record inside the
29:40
studio I mean inside the Sprinter so as
29:43
we were working the stoner record he
29:45
gets to Memphis
29:47
and he introduces me
29:49
to OG Boo Dirty wow that's how I met
29:52
that's how you met OG Boo Dirty it was
29:54
Young Thug that introduced me to OG Boo
29:56
Dirty
29:57
yeah but this was our record
30:00
[Music]
30:02
um
30:10
it is African right aren't we all right
30:12
we ain't watch the woman King
30:15
you watch the woman King yeah monster
30:18
come on I love that you happy about
30:20
these stories being told I'm super super
30:23
happy about that yeah but what was even
30:25
interesting was around that time we was
30:27
pushing the thug record
30:28
Davido was in Atlanta trying to be a
30:31
rapper really
30:33
David always in our life David who's one
30:35
of the biggest afrobeat artists of today
30:37
was in Atlanta trying to rap
30:39
wow that's a [ __ ] if you don't take
30:41
your ass back home to Africa and do that
30:43
music that's what we need to be doing go
30:46
to Africa so who are some of the artists
30:48
now that you say salute to Coming Out of
30:50
Africa and that afrobeats movement and
30:53
otherwise man I'm I'm loving how burner
30:55
boy is moving right now Myrna is killing
30:58
it yeah and it's interesting because
30:59
he's moved he's being moved around by a
31:02
guy named Kirk Harding Kirk Harding used
31:04
to be the head of international for
31:07
convict when I was at SRC wow he gave
31:10
literally gave Berner the Akon blueprint
31:12
to break them
31:14
wow
31:15
is one of the most
31:17
that nigga's a beast selling out the
31:20
garden he's killing it like he he's
31:21
killing it because he he's coming with
31:23
the swag of Nigeria and Ghana like he's
31:27
he's representing it on the level that
31:29
it needs to be represented on Wiz kid is
31:31
just a superstar yeah like he's a
31:33
superstar he's one of those guys that
31:35
put out one record a year and that
31:37
record lasts the whole year like he's
31:38
just a he's like one of those he's just
31:40
born born star without a doubt Davido is
31:43
like the hardest working
31:45
artist because he was the underdog back
31:48
then
31:49
everybody wanted to be a whiz kid
31:51
everybody who plays whiz kids so Davido
31:53
was like the one like he was the
31:55
underdog
31:56
but what he had support was he had a
31:58
wealthy family so he was able to come
32:01
every week with a new song new video he
32:03
just kept coming kept coming kept coming
32:04
kept like his his wrote I mean his his
32:07
discography when it comes to songs he
32:09
got you go on David he got more songs on
32:11
there than any afrobeat artists out but
32:14
he beat you with quantity versus quality
32:17
so he had his method like everybody had
32:19
their method of how they kind of Mr easy
32:21
yeah oh Mr Easy another one that's
32:23
another brilliant one yeah he's
32:24
brilliant he's super smart he's more of
32:26
a businessman to me than an artist but
32:28
he understood how the music was a
32:29
vehicle to get to the money we've had
32:31
them all up here except for baby though
32:32
oh no no can you make that happen I'm
32:34
gonna make that happen okay I'm gonna
32:36
make that's leave that to me okay cool
32:38
you got to get the debuted we've also
32:39
had South African artists like uh nasty
32:42
c or stogie t or all these different
32:44
folks uh AKA Casper knowy vest and I
32:48
realized that a lot of folks from
32:50
Nigeria don't really know
32:53
it's like that that market is so
32:55
segregated yeah South African music
32:57
versus Nigerian music is two different
32:59
genres yeah it's almost like it's almost
33:02
like country music and R B wow that's
33:06
not different it's that different I love
33:07
this information because we you know we
33:10
yeah I was trying to figure out like do
33:12
y'all are you familiar with I'm
33:13
educating folks from the continent about
33:15
artists from the continent right and I
33:17
really eyes okay there's you know what
33:19
is it 54 countries oh yes about 54. in
33:22
Africa so why would they know
33:24
necessarily like I don't know every
33:25
artist in every other country right yes
33:27
right A lot of them yeah now but because
33:28
of the internet they're all starting to
33:30
kind of move in see that's that's what
33:32
whiz kid actually had an advantage
33:35
because I would pull producers from
33:37
South Africa to work with Wizkid damn
33:40
[Music]
33:41
so Whiz Kids records never sounded like
33:43
they were from Nigeria he was already
33:45
Nigerian he was from the evil so he
33:47
spoke when he spoke you knew he was
33:48
Nigerian but his music was a little
33:49
different so he would kind of change the
33:51
wave a little bit and that's what made
33:52
him stand out from everybody Akon is
33:54
here man we celebrating 15 years we got
33:56
a few minutes left man there's a lot of
33:57
people online can we go through some
33:59
quick calls absolutely all right cool uh
34:01
let's start with Daniel and Cali Daniel
34:03
what's your question hey Danny
34:06
hey Khan I just want to ask you the
34:08
question of what's your thoughts on
34:09
solar and do you think that with the
34:12
industry how it is that's going to be a
34:15
good thing for young black men to get
34:17
into the industry now yeah actually it's
34:19
interesting you raised that point
34:21
because solar is one of the few energy
34:24
sources that anybody can actually get in
34:26
because I remember when I was getting
34:27
into the energy business it was in
34:30
America was impossible it was no way
34:32
like it was you know it was governed by
34:33
the United States it's monopolized if
34:36
you went down with them boys in Texas it
34:37
wasn't happening yeah period that's just
34:39
what it was right but when I went to
34:41
Africa I was able to start my own
34:43
utility company and gained enough power
34:45
in Africa that I was able to work in the
34:47
United States so we're currently working
34:49
right now with the Biden energy
34:51
renewable energy plan that when we're
34:53
the only literally the only black solar
34:55
providers that's doing it on a utility
34:57
scale in the whole United States wow wow
35:01
Daniel thank you in the Biden
35:03
Administration has made it easy for you
35:04
yep way easier okay so you can
35:07
definitely get into the market real easy
35:09
right now foreigners on the line from
35:11
Boston foreign go ahead hey foreign
35:23
artist by the name of Casey yep uh we
35:26
can't wait for him we can't forget about
35:27
the Kenyan artists yeah you can Africa
35:29
West Africa a lot don't forget about it
35:31
you know but that's that's the thing
35:34
don't don't separate it Africa is Africa
35:36
I think that's the mistake we always
35:37
made yeah you know you got West Africa
35:39
East Africa North Africa South Africa
35:41
Africa's Africa bro like we stay as one
35:43
believe me everybody get their Fair
35:45
shine if we stay as one yep everybody
35:48
will get their fair shot that should be
35:50
a quote what's your question real quick
35:52
shout out to people because uh Kanye
35:54
just said you was right all along all
35:56
these 10 Years bro
35:59
all these years
36:08
can you tell people about just how
36:11
Africa has their influence especially as
36:12
Executives behind the scenes in American
36:14
Music we know what you did but you know
36:16
you got Zumba over there YouTube and
36:18
right like there's a lot of Africa
36:20
fabric that that's in these high-ranking
36:23
you know I mean in music industry can
36:24
you kind of just touch on that and let
36:26
people know how Africa is really making
36:27
an impact out here oh no absolutely man
36:30
the thing is is now it's almost cool to
36:33
be African in the beginning a lot of
36:35
people shied away from being African you
36:37
even back then when I was coming up
36:38
there was a lot of huge African
36:41
Executives uh you know artists that was
36:43
African but never really claimed it but
36:45
you know now that everybody's kind of
36:46
opening up and we're kind of realizing
36:48
our power as embracing who we are as
36:50
people is opening the doors actually for
36:52
bigger opportunities to make even more
36:53
money outside the United States and
36:54
within the states itself when we come
36:56
together and do major projects but yeah
36:58
they I mean we're running the industry
37:00
right now right appreciate it you're the
37:02
one who did it for us bro no thank you
37:04
yeah hey man listen that's out yeah come
37:06
on man let's get this man this prize
37:07
foreign
37:09
artist from Africa work from artists
37:12
from Africa who live in the United
37:13
States like us you know right we all
37:16
from Africa so you know it comes back it
37:20
all comes back burner boy said to me hey
37:22
what are you I said I'm African-American
37:23
he said why you say American right
37:27
you dead in your soul he set me up for
37:29
that he set you up
37:35
there you go you know but when we come
37:38
together yeah come on it's different we
37:41
are the culture we are the power we are
37:43
the beginning we are the alpha
37:46
but now that's why we so fear yeah and
37:49
this is why the system is set up to keep
37:50
us down but it's set up to keep us down
37:53
but it ain't meant to keep us down we
37:55
allow it yeah because even when I was
37:57
it's so crazy and I hate to talk like
37:59
this but sometimes it just needs to be
38:01
heard like we control all the
38:03
entertainment business we control all
38:05
the sports we control all fashion we
38:08
control all the influencing platforms
38:10
we're the reason why they're making
38:12
billions and billions of dollars but we
38:13
never came together to do it for
38:14
ourselves
38:16
and then we're all out there shopping
38:18
for situations yeah
38:20
to do it for them yeah like we're
38:22
busting our ass shopping for situations
38:23
doing for them when we can all just
38:25
literally come together and just do it
38:26
for ourselves and listen and also insult
38:28
all seriousness that's the glory of
38:30
where Kanye has landed now right why am
38:33
I giving I can't control it I think they
38:35
doing [ __ ] I don't want it I just ain't
38:37
what I said I don't like that price
38:38
point how y'all doing I'm just gonna do
38:41
it myself do it the way you feel it's
38:42
the right way do it with my people but
38:43
let's do it together let's do it
38:45
together yeah hey Akon man this has been
38:47
a beautiful conversation and we could go
38:49
another hour to be quite honest with you
38:51
I'm trying to think of what else I
38:53
didn't touch on
38:54
well something that people don't know
38:57
man there's too many things the media
39:00
been all over me it's nothing they don't
39:01
know
39:04
you know I mean I've always been honest
39:06
and upfront with everything so believe
39:07
there's nothing out there that they
39:09
don't know at this point do you want to
39:10
have more children no no no I'm actually
39:12
my my uh you could say
39:15
Legacy is fully controlled now and all
39:20
my kids were made by Design because they
39:22
all got a piece of my legacy that they
39:24
would literally control wow so
39:26
now the only kids I'm gonna have is
39:28
grandkids because I want to be at a my
39:30
retirement years I want to be able to be
39:33
there for them because I wasn't there
39:34
for my you know my firstborns you know
39:37
they I mean they hardest challenge with
39:39
me was just dad not being available
39:40
because I've been so busy right but me
39:43
showing the love to their kids will show
39:45
the sacrifice given back to what I miss
39:47
with them I got you yeah and uh uh we
39:51
talk about it my little cousin Jaden is
39:53
his son right from my cousin uh Farah um
39:57
out of Oakland and you know so I brag
40:00
about it that it comes
40:16
you have beautiful children all around
40:18
right right all your kids are beautiful
40:20
and uh my little cousin Jaden is just a
40:22
special dude and I see so much of you in
40:25
them
40:26
um that is really amazing in his mom
40:28
fair I gotta say this because they're
40:29
gonna watch it no listen it's open
40:31
sesame that's my that's my boy yes and
40:34
it's funny because I was just talking to
40:36
him before I came here I texted him and
40:38
he said I told him I'm going to see you
40:40
know Sway and he um he sent me his
40:43
um um uh a SoundCloud
40:45
I said hold up my [ __ ]
40:50
I heard the lyrics I said I'm gonna talk
40:53
to you out this way though
40:54
we need a conversation
40:57
[ __ ]
41:11
when he was even younger suede would put
41:13
him on the spot and just make him
41:14
freestyle
41:35
the beautiful part about because they
41:37
man they all so precious I love them all
41:40
so much but because of who who and what
41:42
God made me amen it's like you got to
41:45
sacrifice something in the worst part is
41:46
sacrificing the family and she's like
41:48
you don't Spin and then he's on the west
41:50
coast so that's why I got my house in
41:51
Cali so whenever I'm in Cal I could be
41:53
closer to him but when all is moving
41:55
around dealing with this and that it's
41:56
really hard to spend time the way you
41:58
want to man hey man I'm not sure if the
42:00
game acknowledges you well enough yeah
42:02
like you are a true pillar in this you
42:05
are a staple in this you know when we
42:07
talk about who being influential if we
42:10
if you if we put a chart up of all the
42:13
artists whose careers you've touched
42:15
impacted written for benefited from your
42:19
success
42:20
you're in a high bar oh absolutely a
42:23
high bar of people who've come through
42:25
this culture man and the way you've done
42:27
it and the way you're Bridging the
42:29
continents who is that's what's oh man
42:32
that warms my heart because our folks
42:34
over there need to know about our folks
42:36
over here our folks over here really
42:39
need to know about what's going on over
42:41
there all this money we invest over here
42:43
we should be investing you know back 10
42:47
times full and faster and then there'll
42:49
be people there that love you for you
42:51
yes you're not doing business with
42:52
people who secretly hate you right don't
42:55
want ain't never gonna let you get
42:56
bigger than them never so it's I want to
42:59
commend you you know as my as my family
43:02
member as a man as an artist I love you
43:05
egg huh all right brother hey
43:08
congratulations man he got a new single
43:10
enjoy that enjoy that tell me about it
43:12
man well I have a life like mine if you
43:15
don't take the time
43:23
here it is
43:26
[Music]
#Arts & Entertainment