Abou Thiam is a star-maker and one of music's brightest young business minds. Nolonger dismissed as 'Akon's little brother,' Thiam, as VP of A&R for Def JamRecordings is one of music's most quietly powerful voices. After guiding hisbrother's Konvict Muzik imprint to success, Thiam stepped into the position of VP oA&R for Def Jam and continued to prove that, despite his relatively young age, he's a season industry veteran that knows how to build artists and guide careers.
Over the past year at Def Jam, Thiam handled A&R for Rihanna's hit album Loud and Jay-Z and Kanye West's smash Watch the Throne album. He has also inked a jointventure distribution agreement between Island Def Jam and his Bu Vision, whose roster includes CyHi Da Prynce.
Thiam says that there's a method behind all of his success. He's taken a chance on outside-thebox artists like T-Pain and Lady Gaga over the course of his career, because he believes great risks yield great rewards if you believe in talent. "[I] have to have a vision of who [the artist is]gonna be," he says. "I’m about taking risks because I believe you get big rewards at the end ofthe day."
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Abou Thiam is a star-maker and one of music's brightest young business minds. Nolonger dismissed as 'Akon's little brother,' Thiam, as VP of A&R for Def JamRecordings is one of music's most quietly powerful voices. After guiding hisbrother's Konvict Muzik imprint to success, Thiam stepped into the position of VP oA&R for Def Jam and continued to prove that, despite his relatively young age, he's a season industry veteran that knows how to build artists and guide careers.
