{"id":10103,"date":"2015-10-02T05:16:11","date_gmt":"2015-10-02T05:16:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/?p=10103"},"modified":"2016-11-28T16:11:16","modified_gmt":"2016-11-28T16:11:16","slug":"akon-drake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/akon-drake","title":{"rendered":"Akon Explains Why He Decided Not To Sign Drake On His Label"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"a6b39195b99473d6c9dd698db2668010\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:2px 0 2px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<center>\r\n\r\n<script type='text\/javascript'>\r\nfunction ShorterThan(widthMax) {\r\n                if (screen.width < widthMax) {return true;}  \r\n                else {return false}\r\n    }\r\nvar LimitWidth = 728\r\nvar MobileZoneID = 348996\r\nvar DesktopZoneID = 348995   \r\n<!--\/\/<![CDATA[\r\n   document.MAX_ct0 ='';\r\n   var m3_u = (location.protocol=='https:'?'https:\/\/cas.criteo.com\/delivery\/ajs.php?':'https:\/\/cas.criteo.com\/delivery\/ajs.php?');\r\n   var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999);\r\n   document.write (\"<scr\"+\"ipt type='text\/javascript' src='\"+m3_u);\r\n   if (ShorterThan(LimitWidth)) {document.write (\"zoneid=\"+MobileZoneID);} else {document.write (\"zoneid=\"+DesktopZoneID);}\r\n   document.write(\"&nodis=1\");\r\n   document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r);\r\n   if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write (\"&exclude=\" + document.MAX_used);\r\n   document.write (document.charset ? '&charset='+document.charset : (document.characterSet ? '&charset='+document.characterSet : ''));\r\n   document.write (\"&loc=\" + escape(window.location));\r\n   if (document.referrer) document.write (\"&referer=\" + escape(document.referrer));\r\n   if (document.context) document.write (\"&context=\" + escape(document.context));\r\n   if ((typeof(document.MAX_ct0) != 'undefined') && (document.MAX_ct0.substring(0,4) == 'http')) {\r\n       document.write (\"&ct0=\" + escape(document.MAX_ct0));\r\n   }\r\n   if (document.mmm_fo) document.write (\"&mmm_fo=1\");\r\n   document.write (\"'><\/scr\"+\"ipt>\");\r\n\/\/]]>--><\/script>\r\n<\/center>\n<\/div>\n<p>Senegalese-American R&amp;B singer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/akon-plans-bring-electricity-600-million-people-africa\" target=\"_blank\">Akon has been very busy promoting his Akon Lighting Africa initiative<\/a>. Akon plans to bring electricity to millions of Africans through solar energy. To achieve this goal, he installed solar street lamps and panels in 14 African countries. During a recent trip to Montreal, Akon took the time to speak to Montreality on many topics about his life, and about his first impression on Canadian rapper Drake.<\/p>\n<h2>A\u00a0360 artist<\/h2>\n<p>Akon believes that Drake is winning right now in 2015 and he thinks that no other rapper can compete with him.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cHe\u2019s a poet to me,\u201d he said. \u201cThe way he delivers certain lyrics. He mixes reality and real rapping in one. And then he adds melody to where people who [are] not really familiar with that culture can sing along to it. He\u2019s a 360 artist.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10110\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10110\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10110\" src=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/10\/Akon2.jpg\" alt=\"source\" width=\"700\" height=\"452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/10\/Akon2.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/10\/Akon2-85x55.jpg 85w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10110\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-Mruv59D6M70\/T56XS04rwQI\/AAAAAAAABtw\/6juVOuvpu-A\/s1600\/Akon2.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">{adinserter CNP5}<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>A\u00a0missed opportunity<\/h2>\n<p>Akon recalls the day when Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall brought him recordings of Drake. Akon was not impressed with what he heard and preferred not to sign Drake to his label, Konvict Muzik.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI honestly did pass on him because at the time, he didn\u2019t sound like what he sounds like today,\u201d Akon said. \u201cThe \u2018Best I Ever Had,\u2019 it wasn\u2019t even close to what that sounded like. I think he was at a position where he was finding himself. \u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10107\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10107\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10107\" src=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/10\/Screen-Shot-2015-10-02-at-12.49.29-AM.jpg\" alt=\"Screen Shot 2015-10-02 at 12.49.29 AM\" width=\"700\" height=\"482\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/10\/Screen-Shot-2015-10-02-at-12.49.29-AM.jpg 603w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/10\/Screen-Shot-2015-10-02-at-12.49.29-AM-600x413.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/10\/Screen-Shot-2015-10-02-at-12.49.29-AM-85x58.jpg 85w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10107\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/p\/8ONZFvDQB5\/?taken-by=champagnepapi\" target=\"_blank\">source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>No regrets on both sides<\/h2>\n<p>Akon insisted he had no regrets about his decision.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cUltimately, as time goes, people develop, they get better,\u201d he said. \u201cThey become the best because of things like that [not getting signed]. Sometimes that motivates you to want to be better and take yourself to the next level.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Drake has come a long way. Today, he is part of Lil Wayne&#8217;s Young Money label.\u00a0He has sold an estimated 10 million albums worldwide, he won a Grammy Award in 2013, and he is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/drake-billboard\" target=\"_blank\">one of 4 artists to have more than 100\u00a0hit songs on the\u00a0Billboard Hot 100 list<\/a>. Who knows what direction his career would\u2019ve gone had he signed a deal with Akon?<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10108\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10108\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-10108\" src=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/10\/CQKh71CWoAAjIsD.jpg\" alt=\"source\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/10\/CQKh71CWoAAjIsD.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/10\/CQKh71CWoAAjIsD-85x57.jpg 85w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10108\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/CQKh71CWoAAjIsD.jpg\" target=\"_blank\">source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Watch the video of the interview below:<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"AKON \u2718 MONTREALITY \u27a5 Interview\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TWjG0RjLPNE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">[interaction id=&#8221;560e0f34c70ac51c03bdde6f&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/drake-billboard\">SEE ALSO:\u00a0Drake Achieved Something That Only 4 Musicians Have Ever Done.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senegalese-American R&amp;B singer Akon has been very busy promoting his Akon Lighting Africa initiative. Akon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":10110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[45,108],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Akon Explains Why He Decided Not To Sign Drake On His Label<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Akon thinks that no other rapper can compete with Drake.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/akon-drake\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Akon Explains Why He Decided Not To Sign Drake On His Label\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Akon thinks that no other rapper can 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