Akon Claims that Lady Gaga has "Pretty Much Retired Me"

Akon, who has a new album coming out soon, spoke with the press recently and noted that even though he’s still working, he really doesn’t need to. The reason? Lady Gaga, thanks for asking. According to Akon, who was speaking of his Interscope Records’ biggest producer, "She’s pretty much retired me. She was definitely a blessing. She came at the right moment. I’m glad I believed in her, boy. That goes to show you, if you believe in something strong enough, it will pay off." As it turns out, Lady Gaga has been dropped from at least one major label in her career, and happened to be available to sign with a new label just as Akon was joined Interscope.



Reflecting on that fortuitous signing, Akon ruminated, "And I was like ‘Yo, I want to sign that right there. She needs to be under my umbrella.’ Jimmy was like ‘Yeah, whatever you want. Take her. Let’s get it done.’ And she just blossomed into a super megastar, man." Akon’s great find is featured on his newest album, making her both a part of the record label’s team of artists and a collaborator with Akon.



In addition to gushing about Lady Gaga, Akon also noted his excitement over the fusion between American R&B melodies, hip-hop rhythms and European house beats. Said Akon, "You’ve got some straight hardcore hip-hop guys actually moving into the dance realm. And that’s shocking. When you’ve got someone like Dr. Dre about to do a dance record, that’s crazy."

By Buzzle Staff and Agencies

Published: 2/18/2010