Akon - Wikipedia. Not to be confused with Acon. Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam (born April 1. Akon (), is an American- born Senegalese singer, songwriter, businessman, record producer and actor. He rose to prominence in 2. Locked Up", the first single from his debut album Trouble. He has since founded two successful record labels, Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution.

His second album, Konvicted received three nominations for the Grammy Awards in two categories, Best Contemporary R& B Album for Konvicted album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Smack That" and "I Wanna Love You". He is the first solo artist to hold both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 1. Akon has had four songs certified as 3× platinum, three songs certified as 2× platinum, more than ten songs certified as 1× platinum and more than ten songs certified as gold in digital sales.

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Akon has sung songs in other languages including Tamil, Hindi, and Spanish. He was listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the #1 selling artist for master ringtones in the world. Akon often provides vocals as a featured artist and is currently credited with over 3. Billboard Hot 1. 00 songs. He has worked with numerous performers such as Michael Jackson, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Whitney Houston, Bone Thugs- N- Harmony, and Gwen Stefani.

He has had five Grammy Awards nominations and has produced songs for artists such as Lady Gaga, Colby O'Donis, Kardinal Offishall, Leona Lewis, and T- Pain. Forbes ranked Akon 8. Power Rank) in Forbes Celebrity 1.

Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa list, in 2. Billboard ranked Akon No. Top Digital Songs Artists of the decade.[6]Early life. Akon was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent much of his childhood in the West African country Senegal, which he describes as his "hometown". The child of a dancer mother and a percussionist father, Mor Thiam, Akon learned to play five instruments, including drums, guitar and djembe.[7] At age 7, he moved with his family to Union City, New Jersey,[8] splitting his time between the United States and Senegal until settling in Newark, New Jersey.[7] Growing up in New Jersey, Akon had difficulties getting along with other children. When he and his older brother reached high school, his parents left them on their own in Jersey City and moved the rest of the family to Atlanta, Georgia.[9]In regards to his birth date, Akon is very protective of it, which is the reason many media outlets have reported incorrect dates.

However, legal documents released by The Smoking Gun list his date of birth as April 1. Music career. 20. Discovery and Trouble. Showtime Full The Quiet Man Online Free more. Akon's alleged three years in jail saw him begin to recognize his music abilities and develop an appreciation for his musical background. Music mogul Devyne Stephens, president of Upfront Megatainment first heard about Akon when the rapper Lil' Zane brought him along to Stephens' rehearsal hall, a place that at the time saw talents such as Usher and TLC being developed. The relationship between Stephens and Akon began as a friendship and mentorship, with the young artist regularly stopping by to ask for advice, but when Akon lost his deal with Elektra, Stephens signed him to his production company and began grooming him professionally.[1.

The songs Akon recorded with Stephens were brought to the attention of Universal's imprint SRC Records.[1. In an interview with Hit. Quarters SRC A& R Jerome Foster said, "What caught my attention right away was "Lonely", and I said, 'this kid is official – this is a huge record."[1. Foster and SRC CEO Steve Rifkind immediately boarded a private plane to Atlanta to meet the young artist.[1. Akon knew of Foster's work as producer Knobody and so there was a mutual respect for one another and the pair hit it off.[1. Akon increased his exposure further by collaborating with overseas artists, including New Zealand's rapper. Savage ("Moonshine" from album of the same name) and hip- hop producer P- Money ("Keep on Callin'" from Magic City), performing choruses as a featured vocalist.

Akon's solo debut album, Trouble was released on June 2. It spawned the singles "Locked Up" and "Lonely", "Belly Dancer (Bananza)", "Pot Of Gold", and "Ghetto".

Locked Up" reached 8th position in the U. S. and 5th in the UK. 24 Season 6 Watch Online Free. Ghetto" became a radio hit when it was remixed by DJ Green Lantern to include verses from rappers 2. Pac and The Notorious B.

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I. G. The album is a hybrid of Akon's silky, West African- styled vocals mixed with East Coast and Southern beats. Most of Akon's songs begin with the sound of the clank of a jail cell's door with him uttering the word "Konvict".[1. In 2. 00. 5, he released the single "Lonely" (which samples Bobby Vinton's "Mr.

Lonely"). The song reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 1. Australia, the UK and Germany. His album also climbed to number one in the UK in April 2. When music channel The Box had a top ten weekly chart, which was calculated by the amount of video requests, Akon's "Lonely" became the longest running single on the top of the chart, spanning over fifteen weeks. Akon then released another single featuring with a New Zealand rapper, Savage with the single Moonshine, which had become a success in both New Zealand and Australia, becoming number one in the New Zealand charts. In 2. 00. 5, He made his first critically acclaimed guest appearance on Young Jeezy's debut album, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 1.

Soul Survivor". In December the same year his manager, Robert Montanez was killed in a shooting after a dispute in New Jersey. In 2. 00. 6, Akon and Young Jeezy suggested plans for a collaborative album.[1. Konvicted. Akon started his new record label Kon Live Distribution under Interscope Records.

His second album, Konvicted was released in November 2. Billboard 2. 00, selling 2. After only six weeks, Konvicted sold more than one million records in the U. S. The album was certified platinum after seven weeks, and after sixteen weeks it was certified double platinum.

It stayed in the top twenty of the Billboard 2. On November 2. 0, 2. RIAA certified the album ‘triple platinum’ with 3 million units sold in the US. The album included collaborations with Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Styles P.

The first single "Smack That" (featuring Eminem) was released in August 2. Billboard Hot 1. 00 for five consecutive weeks. On October 5, 2. 00. Akon broke a record on the Hot 1.

Smack That" jumping from number 9. The leap was fueled by its number six debut on Hot Digital Songs with 6. The record has since been broken several times.

Smack That" was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 4. Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Justin Timberlake and T. I.'s "My Love".[1. I Wanna Love You", (featuring Snoop Dogg) was the second single released in September, it would go on to earn Akon his first number- one single on the Billboard Hot 1. Snoop's second. "I Wanna Love You" topped the U. S. charts for two consecutive weeks. In January 2. 00.

Don't Matter" which earned him his first solo number one and second consecutive Hot 1. Mama Africa" was released as a European single in July 2. To coincide with the release of the deluxe edition of the album "Sorry, Blame It on Me" debuted in August 2.

Hot 1. 00 at number seven. In February 2. 00. Akon launched his clothing line, Konvict Clothing. It features urban streetwear including denim jeans, hoodies, T- shirts and hats. Aliaune is the upscale version, or high- end line, for males and females, which includes blazers, denim jeans and other items.[1.

Akon performing with Gwen Stefani on The Sweet Escape Tour. He produced and featured on Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape" which has reached No. Billboard Hot 1. 00. Akon performed at the American leg of Live Earth. He later recorded a remix of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" by Michael Jackson for the 2. Jackson's Thriller.

He also worked with bachata group Aventura and Reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel on All Up 2 You. The song received two nominations at the Premios Lo Nuestro 2.