24:
First and foremost thank you for taking the time out to interview with 24hourhiphop.com
Bu:
Thank You for having me.
24:
At only 27 you are the youngest individual to have been appointed Vice
President of A&R at none other then Def Jam. How does it feel to have that
responsibility of having to find the next artist and produce projects daily? Do
you ever feel pressure? What goes through your mind day in and day out dealing
with the likes of L.A. Reid?
Bu:
First of all it is a great honor to be VP of Def Jam at any age and I am very
grateful for the position. Secondly, this is not pressure to me because I’ve
had a lot of success on an independent level before joining forces with Def
Jam. Music is all I know. Finally let me say that I’m thankful to have L.A. as
my mentor. He is one of the best at what we do and understands the game inside
out. L.A. is my mentor, partner and friend.
24:
Tell me about your early upbringing and how you got into the music industry.
Bu:
As a kid growing up in the hood, we did the usual things we shouldn’t have and
it came to a point where my brothers and I were getting into so much trouble that
my mom decided to move the family to Atlanta. The move to Atlanta was when
everything really changed- Akon had just gotten out of jail and we decided that
the street stuff wasn’t the way to get to where we knew we were destined to be.
Growing
up my father, Mor Thiam, was a jazz musician and played drums around the world.
Thanks to him I’ve been around music my whole life so there never really was a
transition into the music industry- ever since I was a child I knew music was
what I wanted to do.
24:
What was it like working alongside your brother Akon on his first album
“Trouble” as an A&R?
Bu:
It was fun! I was young and it was my brother. We had an opportunity to change
our lives forever and we knew there was no turning back.
24:
How did you discover T-Pain? What were your expectations with Pain?
Bu:
A friend of mine gave me a CD with T-Pain remixing Akon’s song ‘Locked Up.’
When I heard it I said to myself “This kid is really melodic.” I just
knew there was something different about him, so I got into my car and drove to
Tallahassee to find him. I knew he was going to be massive because of his
charisma- he had something new and was super talented and I knew that if he had
the opportunity he could be big.
24:
How did it feel to become co-CEO of Kon Live Distribution?
Bu:
It feels good because I’m able to run a company with my brother. Anytime you
can run a successful company with family it’s always a good feeling.
24:
One of the acts you discovered and signed was R&B singer Jeremih. Tell me
what was so unique about his skills and the first time you’d heard of him.
Bu:
Jeremih has a very distinctive voice, he’s melodic and he had a smash with
“Birthday Sex.” It was a no brainer.
24:
I am aware that Lady Gaga’s First album “The Fame” was released
through Kon Live via Interscope. Tell me a bit about how it was working with
Gaga at that time.
Bu:
Gaga was signed to Vince Herbert at the time and a friend and brother of mine,
the Producer RedOne, let Akon and I hear some material and we instantly knew we
wanted to get involved so we did a joint venture with Vince and the rest is
history. Shout out to Vince, RedOne and Efe.
24:
Can you give us a little insight on who you are scouting or believe to be the
next big superstar?
Bu:
I would love to but unfortunately if I tell you who I’m scouting everyone else
will hop on the bandwagon! Lol! But just know I have a superstar on the way by
the name of CyHi Da Prynce, that recently released his mixtape “The Prynce
of Jacks” that Kanye posted on his blog and now he has the internet going
nuts!
24:
Besides the music business are there any other ventures you are apart of
outside music?
Bu:
No, I’m just trying to lay a solid foundation in music before I venture into
anything else.
24:
Before we conclude this exclusive interview, any last words for our readers
online and across the world?
Bu:
“You’re never a failure until you quit.”
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