Record executive and former artist manager Abou “Bu” Thiam has formed a new partnership with Atlantic Music Group that brings his BuVision label to the Warner-owned major, Billboard has learned.
As part of the deal, BuVision’s artists’ projects will now be released and marketed through Atlantic moving forward. Artists as part of the venture include 4Batz — whose “Act II: Date @ 8” reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 last year and was remixed by Drake — and Sailorr, who was just named Billboard’s R&B Rookie of the Month for February.
“[Atlantic Music Group CEO] Elliot [Grainge] has assembled the kind of forward thinking team that is critical to helping artists succeed in today’s landscape, his team is the best in the business,” Thiam said in a statement. “We have a strong slate of BuVision artist releases planned for 2025 starting with 4Batz and Sailorr. We can’t wait to get started.”
Thiam, whose brother is Akon, launched BuVision in 2018, and has worked as an executive at Def Jam and as an A&R or manager for artists like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, T-Pain, Jeremih, Ye, Chris Brown and Jay-Z. He most recently served as executive vp at Columbia Records, where he signed Central Cee, among others.
“Bu’s commitment to signing cutting edge artists and supporting their development is core to our values at Atlantic,” Grainge said in a statement. “Bu has a unique vision and a track record of both signing and developing newcomers as well as guiding the careers of some of the biggest artists in our business. We are thrilled to welcome him into the Atlantic family.”
