Akon doesn’t "regret" not signing Drake to his record label.
The ‘Locked Up’ hitmaker – who is responsible for kick-starting the career of global superstar Lady Gaga, who he helped sign a joint deal with Interscope Records and his own KonLive Distribution, turned down taking on the ‘Hotline Bling’ rapper because, at the time, he felt the star wasn’t "as developed" as he his now.
Asked if he regretted not signing him, Akon exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "No I never regret things like that, there are going to be some things that pass you by that you miss.
"Unfortunately at the time when I had the opportunity to sign Drake he wasn’t as developed as he is today. At the time when I spoke to him he was at the developmental stages and also I had never met him in person.
"His demo was brought to me by Kardinal Offishall, who I was signed to my label at the time, who I had the number one record ‘Dangerous’ with.
"It was all done in an area of the timing just wasn’t there."
However, now that Drake – whose current LP ‘Views’ broke Billboard’s Hot 100 Record with 20 simultaneous hits – has found international success, Akon believes he is an "amazing artist" and feels "blessed" that he was the first person to be asked to help encourage his career.
He said: "I think his travels and experience and what he has learnt along the way have made him an amazing artist that he is today. I never look at something like that as a regret because things happen for a purpose or a reason and not everyone is going to be successful through your channels, but I was blessed that it came to me before it went to anybody else."
Akon was speaking in conjunction with the ‘Tell Me We’re OK’ video from DJ Hardwerk (feat. Akon), which is part of Shell’s #makethefuture campaign and can be watched on YouTube: http://bit.ly/1OlCNPT
Akon feels ‘blessed’ he was offered to sign Drake
