Why I Missed Out on Signing Drake — Akon

International music mogul Akon has opened up about his near-signing of Canadian rap icon Drake around 2008, revealing that he missed the opportunity because of a $1 million price tag.

Speaking in a recent interview with The Shade Room, the Senegalese-American singer explained that the barrier to sealing the deal with the global rap star was purely financial.

“Drake was the only one I had a shot at, and I wanted it to become official. It wasn’t that I didn’t see the vision that he was going to be big; he just wasn’t big then and was requesting a whopping $1 million to sign with me,” Akon explained.

He added that Drake’s early rap style sounded very similar to that of American artiste Eminem, and it was only after Drake released his breakout hit, “Best I Ever Had,” that his true star power became clear. However, Akon admitted that by the time he realized  Drake’s potential, the Canadian rapper had become too expensive for him to sign.