Akon has made quite the name for himself over the years, but he’s not the only person in his family who is a big deal in the music industry. His brother, Abou “Bu” Thiam, is a former Def Jam A&R VP who currently serves as Kanye West’s manager. Thiam was profiled for a Rolling Stone feature recently, and in it, he offered some insight about Kanye’s new music and explained why it’s some of his finest.
He asserts that Kanye’s recent activities — his presidential run, business dealings, etc. — are giving him more material for his art, which is helping to make it great: “It’s some of the greatest music he’s made. And everything that’s happening now is making the music better. He has more to talk about, more to say.”
Thiam noted that involved with Kanye’s new album is rising artist KayCyy Pluto, who landed a writing credit on Lil Wayne’s Funeral album (on “Big Worm,” under his legal name, Mark Mbogo) and may have been with Kanye earlier this year. He also revealed of Pluto, “Kanye and I are in the process of doing some other stuff with him.”
He also said of Kanye more generally, “I’ve never met another human being like Kanye. God has put something on this guy; he sprinkled extra greatness on top of him. He has a vision and a drive like no other. We can all make money, but making history, doing something that’s going to be around for hundreds of years to come — that’s what I’m excited about.”
Read the full feature here.