Reviews for Akon

akon, dont mind your enemies,People in Ghana(africa0 would for ever be with you in prayer.thank for Mama Africa video in Ghana.I always adore and will be with you in prayers.Max

AAAEKOONN U HAVE THE MOST MELODIOUS SOUND. I M UR CRAZY FAN N WANT TO BE IN UR CONSERT. BUT I AM ASIAN U RARELY COME HERE. I LOVE UR EVERY SONGS. MOSTLY Mr> LONELY. N DON MATTER WIS ONE OF MU MOST. I WANT TO WORK IN UR DIMOND MINE IN AFRICA SO THAT I COULD SEE U. I JUST WANT TO TOUCH YOU ONCE. ONCE I SAW YOU IN INDIA BUT I COULD NOT TOUCH U. KEEP ON SINGING RnB. UR MAMA AFRICA, BONANZA, DON MATTER SMACK THAT, TROUBLE R TOO MUCH PREETY. I THINK U WANT TO DANCE WITHH YOUNG GULS ..... MM THATS SOUNDS GOOD. LOVE MISS U EVERY TIME.
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i hate all of your music. it was your fault, you knew she was 14 i was there!! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS THE BALL SUCKER!

AKON I AM NOT SURE IF U EVEN READ THESE THINGS BUT HELL SOMBODY WILL. IF YOU R, REMEMBER WHEN U CAME TO THA V.I. IN 05-06 AT BERTHA C. BOCHULTE MIDDLE SCHOOL. I COULDN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT. PLEASE COME AGAIN. I REALLY REALLY LOVE U. MY FAMILY EVEN CUSS ME WHEN IN START TO SING YOUR SONG CUZ THEY KNOW I'N STOPPIN. I LOVE MUSIC.I HAVE 2 OF YOUR ALBUMS. AND GATTIN THE NEXT ONE TOMMOROW. I HOPE YOU COME BACK TO THA V.I. CUZ I LUV U SO MUCH PROBABLY 2 MUCH(NOT)!!!! V.I.QUEEN!

HEY AKON
I DONT KNOW WHAT THESE PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT YOU. BUT I KNOW THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE GIRL WAS 14. AND IF YOU DID KNOW EITHER WAY SHE SHOULDN'T OF BEEN AT THE CLUB.I JUST LOVE YOUR SONG "SORRY, BLAME IT ON ME", IT'S POWERFUL.YOU ARE A BRAVE MAN AND THAT'S WHY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. I WOULD LOVE TO MEET YOU ONE DAY.MY NAME IS CHANIECE, I LIVE IN MONTREAL,QC UPTOWN.I AM 17 YEARS OLD TURNING 18 MAY 19 1990.I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU.

I LOVE YOU AKON
-XOXO-
CHANIECE

Akon is he best! i am in love with sorry blame it on me. it so wasnt your falt. how were u sopoused to kno she was 14? u r my hero! i am 12 and tht was the most insprational osng i have hear in my 12 years of life! it was so awesome of u to be a man enuff to tale blame 4 somthing do! u inspare me and u rock! i love you!!

am a nigerian.and i want to remix one of your track titled blame.though am an upcoming artist.i wish you grant me the opportunity to do so.thank you.onelove brother

Sayin i like ur songs is an understatement,i luv it.God!u r good.exp.d song Sorry Put The Blame on Me its ma favorite.u must be a real gem 2 come up wit smtin like dis.sure i'm gonna meet ya rite thurr.peace out

yo akon this is ya boy Km yo songs are so tight man don't matter is like my favorite song and shake down come to spokane yo

hi akon!!
OMG its u OMG im coming to your concert..

i thinnk u should advetise the concert on t.v more.
your songs r the only songs i listen to..
posters of u all over mi room
tlk bout u 24/7.
(im crazy about u!!)

your NOT a mr lonley lol
u have ME!!

i love u so much i have u all over mi m.s.n\bebo\and bedroom walls!!

i really really idal u..

i wish u lived in mi strett..
u would have anouth of me in jst 1 day coz i won`t shut up with all da questions! and junk ill be talking about lol..

im a good singer i wanna be jst like u but cain`t haha im a female hehe..

but im gonna sing like u..
and be like u in some other wayz..

i know all your songs off bi heart lol..

i have all 3 of your albums hehe

and im getting your 2007 album (don`t matter) today yaya..

oh man ranning out of room i would of keept going.. damm. JST LETTING U NO I LOVE U (YOUR HOT) YA DA BEST SINNGER.. i will sing your songs 4 the rest of mi life. at mi funrall they will play sorry blame it on me lol..
XoXOxOx sighning off akon`s #1 fan KrYsTAl XoxoX
p.s *hugs*

Akon (IPA pronunciation:(born Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam)On April 30, 1973is a Senegalese-American hip hop and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Akon rose to fame in 2004 following the release of his single "Locked Up" from his debut album Trouble. His second album, Konvicted, earned him a Grammy Award nomination for the single "Smack That". He is the founder of Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution. He is well known for singing hooks and has over 130 guest appearances and 21 Billboard Hot 100 songs to his credit. He is the only artist to ever accomplish the feat of holding both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice. Akon often goes by the shorter, Aliaune Thiam,though other sources have said his name is Alioune Badara Thiam,and About.com says the long form of his name, "Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam," has not been independently verified.His age has also been under scrutiny recently. Some media institutions reported that he was born in 1981 making him 26 years old. However, recently the AP has been reporting he was born in 1973 and is 34 years old. Akon says he doesn't know his exact age nor does he understand the importance in releasing his age, but claims he has been "blessed to look young for a long time". In a September, 2007 interview for an Israeli magazine Akon hinted that he was around 25 or 26.His age is still uncertain.

Background
He is the son of jazz percussionist, Mor Thiam. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but grew up in Dakar, Senegal[12] until he was seven. He split time between Senegal and the U.S. until he was fifteen, then his family permanently moved to Jersey City, New Jersey and as such he speaks English, French, and Wolof. He recorded his first song, "Operations of Nature," at the age of fifteen. He was then subsequently jailed for armed robbery and drug distribution charges, and used his time in prison to work on his music. Upon release, Akon began writing and recording tracks in his home studio. The tapes found their way to SRC/Universal, which released Akon's debut LP Trouble in June 2004. The album is a hybrid of Akon's silky, West African-styled vocals mixed with East Coast and Southern beats.


2004–2005: Trouble
Akon's solo debut album, Trouble was released on June 29, 2004. It spawned the hit singles "Locked Up" and "Lonely," as well as "Belly Dancer (Bananza)," "Pot Of Gold," and "Ghetto". Akon served a three-year jail sentence for grand theft auto, an experience that inspired his "Locked Up".[8] "Locked Up" reached the top 10 in the U.S. and the top five in the UK. His manager Robert Montanez was shot to death following a dispute in New Jersey in December 2005. "Ghetto" became a radio hit when it was remixed by Green Lantern to include verses from legendary rappers 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. In 2005, he released the single "Lonely" (which samples Bobby Vinton's "Mr. Lonely"). The song reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Australia, the UK and Germany. His album also climbed to number one in the UK in April, 2005. 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 2005, Akon gained more popularity after being featured on Young Jeezy's debut album, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, on the song "Soul Survivor" which became a top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100.


2006–2007: Konvicted
In 2006-2007 Akon has had one of the most successful spans any singer has ever enjoyed with eleven songs in the Billboard Hot 100. Akon's second album, entitled Konvicted, was released on November 14, 2006. Konvicted included collaborations with Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Styles P. Late August 2006, Akon released the single "Smack That" featuring Eminem, from the album. This single peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks. The music video for "Smack That" was directed by Raymond Garced. "I Wanna Love You", the second single off Konvicted, was released in September 2006. It is a collaboration between Akon and Snoop Dogg. This single earned Akon his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and Snoop's second. "I Wanna Love You" topped the U.S. charts for two consecutive weeks. In January 2007, Akon released his third single "Don't Matter" which earned him his first solo number one and second consecutive Hot 100 chart topper. "Mama Africa" was released as a European single in July 2007, making it the fourth single. It debuted in the UK at number 47. "Sorry, Blame It on Me" is the album's fifth single which debuted in August 2007, on the Hot 100 at number seven, which also happened to be a career best. The song is not available on the original album, but instead will be part of the Deluxe Edition of Konvicted, due August 28, 2007. The sixth and final single was confirmed in an interview by Akon to be "Never Took the Time". [13] Konvicted debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 286,000 copies in its first week. After only six weeks, Konvicted sold more than one million records in the U.S. and more than 1.3 million worldwide. The album was certified platinum after seven weeks, and after sixteen weeks it was certified double platinum. Konvicted was able to stay in the top twenty of the Billboard 200 for 28 consecutive weeks, where it peaked at number two on four different occasions. Currently it has sold more than 2.4 million records in the U.S. and 3.8 million worldwide in 30 weeks.

On October 5, 2006, Akon broke a record on the Hot 100, as he achieved the largest climb in the chart's 48-year-history with "Smack That" jumping from number 95 to 7. The leap is fueled by its number six debut on Hot Digital Songs with 67,000 downloads. The record was broken on April 7, 2007 by Beyoncé and Shakira's Beautiful Liar when it jumped from 94 to 3 on the Hot 100, because of their 150,000 digital downloads on the Hot Digital Songs.

In December 2006, Akon's "Smack That" was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Justin Timberlake and T.I.'s My Love.

On July 7, 2007 Akon performed at the American leg of Live Earth.

From April to July Akon performed in The Sweet Escape Tour with Gwen Stefani. From July to September he will embark on his worldwide Konvicted Tour. In September, Akon will start on the Canadian leg of the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour with Rihanna.

On August 2, 2007, Akon was scheduled to perform at the Rock tha Block Tour in Australia but had trouble obtaining a visa due to his criminal past. The tour was postponed until late August and his visa was eventually processed but Akon was quoted as saying "Australia is the home of the convicts so it's the last place I would have ever thought it would be a problem".[14]

Akon will release a Platinum Edition of his album Konvicted in UK on October 1.


Other ventures
In 2006, Akon started his new record label Kon Live Distribution under Interscope Records. His first signed artist wasEarl Ray.

He was featured on Gwen Stefani's latest album, The Sweet Escape. He made an appearance on the title track and second single, "The Sweet Escape". Akon produced the song. On December 10, 2006, Akon and Stefani appeared as musical guests on Saturday Night Live, however they did not perform the song as Stefani had not yet learned the lyrics. He performed the song live, however, on American Idol on March 28, 2007 due to Gwen Stefani's appearance as a coach the night before. "The Sweet Escape" has reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached #1 on United World Chart and is on the top for eight weeks. The song is also Akon's first #1 on World Chart.

Akon collaborated with Chamillionaire on his mixtape, Mixtape Messiah 2. He is featured on "Ridin' Overseas", which he also produced. The mixtape became available for download on Chamillionaire's website on December 24, 2006.

Akon and Young Jeezy are doing a collaborative album together. In 2006, after their 2005 Akon-produced single, "Soul Survivor", the duo said that there is a lot more to expect from them in the future.[15][16]

Akon also appeared on Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's album Strength and Loyalty and Three 6 Mafia's eighth studio album, Last 2 Walk, We The Best by DJ Khaled, Fabolous's album, From Nothin' to Somethin', with 50 Cent on some tracks for Curtis S.S.K.[17], T.I.'s 5th album, T.I. vs. T.I.P.[18], Mario's third solo album Go![19], and produced for Daddy Yankee's El Cartel: The Big Boss which was released on June 5, 2007.[20]

Akon will be the executive producer of Not 4 Sale, Kardinal Offishall's fourth solo album, which will be released in fall or winter 2007. The first single "Graveyard Shift" features Akon, and Akon also makes his rapping debut in the song.[21]

Akon holds the record for most guest performances on popular television show American Idol with two. He once sung The Sweet Escape with Gwen Stefani and three weeks later he sung Don't Matter on the show while it was number one on the Billboard charts.


Television
Akon has confirmed that a reality television show is in the works. It will be called "My Brother's Keeper" and the point is that Akon's two nearly identical brothers will go around in Atlanta posing as him fooling people into thinking that it is in fact Akon. They will try to get VIP treatment, girls and free things. Akon has claimed that people have mistaken his brothers for him many times in Atlanta which is what the show is based on.[22]


Film
Akon is planning to work on a full-length movie titled Illegal Alien. The film is based on some of the events of his life and actor Mekhi Phifer is set to play him.[3] He was featured on a Verizon Wireless commercial. He was also featured singing Snitch along with Obie Trice on a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode named "Poppin' Tags."


Fashion
In February 2007, 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.

Personal life

Akon was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents moved to the United States to avoid immigration problems and so he and his siblings could get a better education.

He has spent a total of five years in prison and states that his time in jail has made him what he is today.

Akon once considered a career in basketball until he injured his knee, which required surgery. He still remains an avid New Jersey Nets fan. He is also a soccer (football) fan.

He currently splits time residing between Atlanta, Georgia and Dakar, Senegal

In late 2005, his long time friend and manager Robert Montanez, who Akon referred to as a brother, was killed in a drive by shooting; the album Konvicted is dedicated to him. Akon was also in the car and was shot in the shoulder, however he made a full recovery.

He is a Muslim. It has been reported that he is both a believer and practitioner of polygamy, but such reports are unconfirmed, as Akon has not given a straight answer to questions about the matter.[24][8] He first discussed it on a radio program saying, "I really don’t bite my tongue for anybody and I always felt like if you’re going to be real, you got to be truthful all the way around the board. Lies only make things worse. But it got to a point where my coming out like that ended up being a mistake." Akon has recently said in an interview with an Israeli magazine that he only has one main wife whose name is Tomeka[citation needed] and claims to have five children with three different women in an interview with Blender.[11]

He drives an orange Lamborghini Gallardo[8], and refers to this car in his song "Smack That". In the May 7, 2007 edition of US Weekly Akon admits to owning over 4000 pairs of shoes.

He also has his own charity for underprivileged children in Africa called Konfidence Foundation.[25]

Akon also owns a diamond mine in South Africa and denies the existence of conflict diamonds saying, "I don't even believe in conflict diamonds. That's just a movie. Think about it. Ain't nobody thought about nothing about no conflict diamonds until the movie came out."[26]

He also had a previous occupation as a drug dealer but states that he has never used drugs. He also said that in spite of his previous criminal history, he has turned his life around, as sung in "Tired Of Runnin'".

In 2006, he ventured to Africa to play a concert in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania . While performing a show in Lagos, Nigeria in 2006, Akon's white belt was stolen when he jumped into the crowd.[27]


Controversy

The Trinidad incident
In April 2007, Akon drew criticism for a raunchy dance with a fourteen year old girl at a club in Trinidad and Tobago, as part of a fake contest, despite the club's claim to have an eighteen-years and over age limit.[28][29] The incident was filmed by Akon's crew and later uploaded to the Internet. On April 20, 2007 local media, channel TV6, aired the video clip publicly. Amid criticism on the radio, television, and from the blogosphere, Verizon Wireless removed ringtones featuring Akon's songs. Verizon also decided not to sponsor The Sweet Escape Tour where Akon was to be the opening act for Gwen Stefani.[30] However, Universal Music Group did not take action against Akon, but rather simply ordered the video clip be removed from video-sharing site YouTube due to copyright infringement. Conservative commentator and Parents Television Council founder Brent Bozell called this "corporate irresponsibility".[31]

In a newly released song, "Sorry, Blame It On Me", Akon apologizes to the young girl for the incident at the club, though citing the club for admitting the girl because she was under 21, and the parents for letting her go out. He also tells how Verizon dropped promoting him and Gwen's tour, and stopped sale of his ringtones. He also makes several other apologies to his children and wife as well. The song is available to listen to on Akon's MySpace page and was released onto iTunes (U.S.) on July 17, 2007.

Political commentators Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, and Bill O'Reilly criticized Akon for "degrading women".[32][33] Malkin uploaded commentary about Akon to YouTube, using footage from music videos and the Trinidad concert, and Universal Music Group then forced its removal by issuing a DMCA takedown notice.[34] The Electronic Frontier Foundation joined Malkin in contesting the removal as a misuse of copyright law, citing fair use.[35] In May 2007, UMG rescinded its claim to the video, and the video returned to YouTube.


The staged Fishkill incident
On June 3, 2007, at WSPK-FM's KFEST concert at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, New York (near Poughkeepsie), a concert attendee threw an object towards Akon on stage. Akon asked the crowd to identify who threw the object and that he be brought on stage. Security staff grabbed the young man and took him up to the stage. Akon then pulled him up from the crowd and hoisted him across his shoulders. The singer then tossed the attendee back into the crowd from his shoulders. Video of the incident was reviewed by Fishkill police and they are interested in speaking to the thrown boy to determine if charges will be filed.[36] Akon has confirmed that the incident was staged and that he in fact used the act to set up for the next record.

Yo Akon. I am one of your esteemed fan from Nigeria.I hope to meet you in person one day.I love all your tracks and Albums especially Blame it on me and also The Rain.Could you just create a way for all fans to communicate with you directly..Jah 3 love gun shot in the area..Lawal

hey i love u so much. i got all of ya c,ds. i feel where you come from in life also. i dnt relate as much but if i were in yo shoes. you mustve had a hard life. i love yo music n i wanted 2 let u kno i b le im yo #1 fan. i love u.call 704 496 3248 jalisa simpson

your music is the best...aspecially when you and Eminem joined force for the Smack That video...and i love your song entitled Sorry, Blame it on me.....Good Luck!!!!

Hi Akon, my name is Bhoomika & I have 3 years old. Everytime when my mum put your songs I like to dance and sing. I tell my mum that I like you very much and want to see you. I live in Mauritius Island. One day if u come in our Paradise Island don't forget to come & meet.

Ok it's time for me to go to sleep. I have just watched u in T.V where you were singing with Gwen Stephan in American Idol. I don't know your exact name, I tell my mother that you name is "Oh Macket" as I don't know how to say Smack That

Lots of kisses from Bhoomika.