Akon visits the Ebro in the Morning, talks about Eminem
Akon made a visit to the Ebro in the Morning show on Hot 97 for a new interview. On the show, he talks about his experiences with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Whitney Houston, and more. Akon also shared his experience of working with Eminem during recording ‘Smack That‘. The song, which was a single off Akon’s second album Konvicted, ended up being a big hit in the U.S. and around the world, peaking at the number 2 spot on Billboard Hot 100.
He revealed that Eminem basically works in the studio like a 9-5 job, he comes to the studio at 9 AM, takes an hour-long lunch break in between then goes back at 5 PM no matter what stage the recording is at.
Akon says “He comes in at 9 A.M every day to the studio, takes his lunch break at 1 A.M, and is out of there by 5 PM. It’s like a schedule. I did not expect that from him. The first day I come, I come around 6 PM. Like we going to do an evening session. I get to the studio, they said ‘Em just left!’ He said ‘I am out of here!’ I said ‘I just got to the studio, you coming back here?’ He said, ‘yeah, I’ll be back there at 9 AM.”
“I was like, you joking right? but he was like I’ll see you at 9 AM so I get there on 9 and he shows up exactly on time. Plays some beats, we vibing, Em’s like, ‘yo I am about to go out for lunch.’ I said I will meet you after…He goes takes his lunch, after an hour comes back. I play him the record, play him the chorus. He is like oh, this is it!”
“He goes into his verse. 5 PM comes. He’s halfway in. He’s like ‘alright bro, I’ll see you tomorrow. At this point, I’m like ‘Yo, this is crazy right! but then Em said ‘I just like to be here. I treat it like a real job. I don’t make it no more than what it’s supposed to be. I don’t let it stress me out, stay longer than I have to. I got a family, I got a daughter. I want to make time.”
“I was like, ‘Damn, he’s right. Some days, I’m in the studio three, four days. I do not come out. Don’t see my kids, don’t call my wife, none of that. I am sitting here like, [Em’s way] makes a lot of sense. Ain’t nothing gon’ change between today and tomorrow.”
“I’m sitting there like, ‘That makes a lot sense. Ain’t nothing gonna change between today and tomorrow,’” said Akon. “I hit him up, I said, ‘You just gave me a whole new outlook on how to treat the business from the creative end of it.’ ‘Cause now I create the schedule going in and I do it when time permits for it, but I don’t force it no more like I used to.”
Akon claims that following that, his perspective changed for the better, and he embraced the mindset of treating the studio as if it were a profession. While reports about Dreamville’s famed “rap camp” for Revenge Of The Dreamers III may pique the public’s interest, it’s important to remember that one of the best to ever do it maintains things in perspective.
Akon also talked about releasing three new albums in October, his cryptocurrency, doing business with the Chinese, and more in the rest of the interview.
Watch it below and listen to Akon’s new song ‘Can’t Say No’ here.
Akon explains Eminem’s process in the studio. This is hilarious lol pic.twitter.com/3LtEWYIDkT
— Navjosh (@Navjosh) September 11, 2019
