Akon's done some regrettable things since making it in the music industry: Signing and unleashing the autotune-fueled artist known as T-Pain, dry humping an underage girl at a Caribbean concert and letting his fists fly at a fan in the crowd are just a few examples. But putting aside what you think about Akon as a person or an artist, the truth is if he didn't take a chance on Lady Gaga when many others had turned a blind eye to her, we might not be enjoying her new world order now.
A few years ago, Gaga was bouncing from label to label and Akon had closed the deal on his imprint under Interscope. He collaborated with Gaga in the studio and walked away incredibly impressed with her talents. He later told Jimmy Iovine of Interscope that he wanted to sign Lady Gaga to his label Kon Live Distribution. Voila! Before you can say "Ro-ma-maaaa!" Gaga was signed to a joint deal with Interscope/Kon Live music and put to work with RedOne on what would be her multiplatinum debut album, "The Fame." Akon explains his role in Lady Gaga's success below in an interview with the AP.
Most people might not be aware of the Akon/Gaga association because Gaga herself rarely talks about it. This might be done purposely, since the last white female pop singer Akon was closely associated with, Gwen Stefani, got burned by his embarrassing public scandals which cost Gwen her tour sponsor. No bueno. So this time, Akon's hanging back and counting the stacks as Gaga and her little monsters keep writing them checks. Smart move. Look but don't touch.
