Scandal Uncovered: Akon’s Brother Abou “Bu” Thiam Accused of Impersonating the Star and Pocketing the Profits

Bu Thiam, is the Vice President at Columbia Records. With a keen understanding of global music trends and a proven track record in artist management, Bu has played a key role in the careers of major acts such as Lady Gaga, Chris Brown, T-Pain, and Kanye West. Red Carpet sat down with him at his Bu Vision studios in Atlanta for an in-depth conversation.

Thiam is also the brother of singer Akon. Akon confirmed that Bu actually started out as his hype man when he first started touring, but eventually he had to start passing on shows that would pay a lot of money because he didn’t have the time. “I was like, ‘Man, all this money I’m leaving on the table,’” he continued. “We cannot leave all this money on the table.” He said he even sent his brother to perform at a Hot 97-hosted show at one point. Asked if Bu can sing, he simply replied, “No.”

After years of rumors that Akon’s brothers would perform as him, the singer is confirming the truth.
He says two of his brothers would hit the stage and perform his songs without anyone knowing.

Around the time they did this, Akon noted that the only way people could tell the difference between them is that Bu would wear hats and he wouldn’t. Akon later joked that his brother Omar did the same thing, but without his permission. “That was probably the funnest part of our lives,” he recalled.

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While both brothers are in the music business, their paths have been quite distinct—Akon in performance and public-facing ventures, and Bu in the executive and management lanes. They’ve occasionally collaborated, particularly through Konvict Muzik, but have mostly carved out separate niches.