Abou Thiam was inspired to pursue a career in music after
growing up listening to his father play drums. Bu’s older brother
was determined to break into the industry as an artist, and Bu
followed suit. His older brother would realize his dreams and take
the music industry by storm as multiplatinum
singer-songwriter-producer Akon. Bu initially hoped for success as an
artist and even became a hype-man for rapper Lil Zane, but he soon
realized his destiny lay on a different path.
“I realized that I wanted to be my own boss and have my own
company and have my own group. I decided to do that as opposed to be
being an artist,” he says. “I wanted to be an artist as well,
but…ain’t no money in that [laughs].”
By taking his time and learning the business Bu went from hype-man
to co-CEO of KONVICT MUSIK with his brother, an imprint that has
launched the careers of superstars like Lady Gaga and T-Pain. Now, Bu
has made the leap to vp of Def Jam Recordings, one of the most iconic
labels in music.
You don’t climb up the food chain without having the right
instincts and Bu reveals a few key factors that have led to his
success.
His eye for talent:
“I look for originality. You’ve got to be creative and you’ve
got to be different. T-Pain didn’t look like Chris Brown, but I
felt like he was different and he had a lot of charisma. [I] have to
have a vision of who they’re gonna be. I’m about taking
risks because I believe you get big rewards at the end of the day.
Lady Gaga was a risk, T-Pain was a risk … even Akon was a risk. If
you think about the artists [affiliated] with me, they all have their
own lane.”
Silencing industry haters:
“You can talk and say what you want to say about being who you
are and what you do, but until you have some success, people aren’t
going to take you seriously. People [may] say he’s too young, and
how did he get the job. But I’ve always been in the background and
the people who need to know me, know me. I can [walk] into 10
different buildings and see every VP and I guarantee they haven’t
done what I’ve done — [and] I’m 27 years old.”
He and Akon’s bond:
“Akon is my brother, my best friend and my business partner.
We’ve had this dream since I was a kid. He always said, ‘you’ve
got a real good ear for music.’ With that being [the case], he
wanted me to be the A&R for all his albums.”
–todd williams
