45 Akon Facts That Every True Music Fan Needs To Know

This artist is known to keep his life very private but we know a few facts on Akon that you may like to know!

Born Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, Akon is a very religious man who has never said yes to alcohol or smoking. But that does not make him any less of a sensation in the hip-hop scene.

Winner of the BET Hip Hop Award, Billboard Music Award, and Teen Choice Award, Akon is a singer, record producer, and businessman. He even owns a diamond mine and two clothing lines. In addition to this, Akon runs a non-profitable charitable organization for underprivileged children in Africa.

His Akon Lighting Africa project aims at bringing electricity to many homes in Africa. Hence, Akon is not simply a singer extraordinaire but also a great businessman and philanthropist. Keep reading to learn more facts about Akon! Since he uses his wealth for greater causes, his status as a billionaire is farfetched.

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Forgotten Facts About Akon

Akon is a Senegalese singer whose musical success as well as thriving business endeavors often take the back seat in conversations amidst the hip-hop scene in America. He got his name from his Senegalese culture. This is because even though Akon's musical career was in full swing in the early 2000s, the singer does not seem to be investing too much time as an artist lately.

Akon's journey as an American hip-hop artist began in the year 2004. His first album, 'Trouble', was certified platinum in the United States after tracks such as 'Lonely', 'Pot of Gold' and 'Locked Up' made it to the Billboard charts.

Akon's first album was made in order to reminisce and go over his time at the jail. He used songs like 'Locked Up' to show how his prison time had changed him completely. A Senegalese American singer who holds two platinum albums, Akon was once one of the most celebrated singers in Africa.

The people of Senegal, especially, still view Akon as an inspirational figure since he was able to make himself known in the hip-hop industry and work with such famous people throughout his career so far.

Life History Of Akon

Born Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, this hip-hop artist was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was brought up in Senegal, West Africa until the age of seven. When Akon was seven years of age, his parents decided to move back to America and settled in New Jersey.

It was here that Akon started moving towards his music career. A trouble-maker in high school, Akon was often sent out of school. It was at the East Coast that Akon started spending time with the local hooligans and became known as a fearless fighter.

He was arrested multiple times before being booked for car theft. This gang theft accusation landed him in jail to serve a three-year sentence. His time in jail, according to his own words, was what made him a changed man. He mentions in an interview how after a year and a half, he started to feel as if the jail was his home. It was then that he realized that he needed to change something in his life and started focusing on his music.

Akon's father was a jazz musician and hence, he had ample exposure to music. During his time at school, he learned to play at least five musical instruments, which shows that his talent in music was not something that had developed suddenly.

When he came out of jail, Akon started to use his contacts in the music industry in order to somehow be able to sign a deal with a record label. He was friends with Wyclef Jean from the Fugees band and used his connection with Jerome Foster of SRC Records. Foster flew out to Atlanta to meet with Akon and signed him for his first album, 'Trouble', which was released in 2004.

After releasing his first album in 2004, Akon became a record producer himself. He started a new record label named Kon Live Distribution and released his second album, 'Konvicted', in 2006. This album was a huge hit and earned him many awards. He was given a Grammy nomination for the track 'Smack That'. In this album, he collaborated with many artists like Gwen Stefani, Eminem and Snoop Dogg.

Akon's First Record

One of the top digital songs artists in his own time, Akon started his career in music with an album named 'Trouble'. He signed his first record deal with SRC Records in the year in the year 2003 and released his album in 2004. In his album, there were many all-time classic numbers such as 'Lonely', 'Pot of Gold' and 'Locked Up'. These songs were Akon's way of going over his time in jail and how it made him a completely changed man.

Akon's Musical Collaborations

Over the years, Akon has collaborated with many artists and given the world some unforgettable music. One of the facts about Akon is that he released a tribute song for Michael Jackson. Akon was friends with the King of Pop.

Akon released his second album in 2006, which had many collaborative pieces. He collaborated with Eminem on 'Smack That', which went on to break many world records and made him a known figure in the industry. It also had collaborations with artists like Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani.

Akon also released a collaborative mixtape in 2017.

Akon's fourth album was canceled after being postponed numerous times.

Billboard ranked Akon 6th among the top digital songs artists!

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