Akon

Not to be confused with Acon, A-Kon, or Abdus Sattar Akon.

Akon
Akon in 2019
Born
Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam[1]

(1973-04-16) April 16, 1973 (age 51)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Other names
  • A-Kon
  • El Negreeto
Citizenship
  • United States
  • Senegal
Occupations
  • Singer
  • rapper
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • businessman
  • philanthropist
Years active1996–present
OrganizationAkon Lighting Africa
Works
Children9[2]
FatherMor Thiam
AwardsFull list
Musical career
OriginNewark, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres
Labels
Websiteakon.com

Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (/ˈeɪkɒn/), is a Senegalese-American singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. An influential figure in world music, he rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of his single "Locked Up" (featuring Styles P). Styled in hip hop, it preceded the release of his debut studio album Trouble (2004), which became his commercial breakthrough and spawned the R&B-styled follow-up, "Lonely" the following year.

His second album, Konvicted (2006), was met with continued success and was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, while its lead singles, "I Wanna Love You" (featuring Snoop Dogg) and "Smack That" (featuring Eminem), both received nominations for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. The songs simultaneously peaked at numbers one and two on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, along with two of his singles released the following year: "Don't Matter" and his guest performance on Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape"; this made Akon the first solo artist to concurrently hold the top two positions on the chart twice.[4][5] His third album, Freedom (2008), was supported by the top ten single, "Right Now (Na Na Na)", as well as the top 40 singles "I'm So Paid" (featuring Lil Wayne and Jeezy) and "Beautiful" (featuring Colby O'Donis and Kardinal Offishall). His fourth album, El Negreeto (2019), explored reggaeton and Latin music, while his fifth album, Akonda (also 2019), explored Afrobeats; both of which failed to chart.

Along with his solo career, Akon has guest performed on 23 Billboard Hot 100 entries for other artists—such activity earned him two additional Grammy Award nominations. Akon founded the record labels Konvict Muzik in 2004 and KonLive Distribution in 2007, through which he has signed commercially successful acts including Lady Gaga, T-Pain, R. City, Kardinal Offishall, Jeffree Star and French Montana, among others. In addition, he holds a separate career in production and songwriting predominantly for artists on the labels, but also for other artists such as Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Lionel Richie, Leona Lewis, Sean Paul, Whitney Houston, Mario, and Estelle, among others.

Akon has since been prolific in charitable and philanthropic endeavors. He launched the non-profit Akon Lighting Africa in 2014 and has begun development on his own city in Senegal, which is scheduled for completion in 2028. Forbes ranked Akon 80th (Power Rank) in the Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2010[6] and 5th in the 40 Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa list, in 2011.[7] Billboard ranked Akon number 6 on the list of Top Digital Songs Artists of the decade.[8] He was listed by Guinness World Records as the number-one selling artist for master ringtones in the world, with 11 million sold by December 2007.[9]

  1. ^ "Akon Reveals His Full Name". YouTube. BigBoyTV. February 13, 2023. Archived from the original on September 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "Akon Defends Nick Cannon Having Numerous Kids with Multiple Women, Says That's How Life is Supposed to be". XXL. December 21, 2022. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  3. ^ Loftus, Johnny (2006). "Akon — Biography". Allmusic. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  4. ^ Bronson, Fred. "Chart Beat Archived September 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine", Billboard Magazine, April 5, 2007.
  5. ^ "Chart Beat". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  6. ^ "Akon". Forbes. April 18, 2012. Archived from the original on April 17, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  7. ^ "Forbes releases "40 Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa" list | Channel O TV Online". Channelo.dstv.com. October 17, 2011. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  8. ^ "Billboard – Music Charts, Music News, Artist Photo Gallery & Free Video". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 4, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  9. ^ "Best-selling mastertones act | Guinness World Records". Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.