Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born: April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur.[citation needed]
History[]
Life[]
Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam was born on April 16, 1973, in St. Louis, Missouri, to a Muslim family.[1]
At age seven, Akon and his family moved to Union City, New Jersey,[2] where he split his time between the United States and Senegal before settling in Newark. Growing up, Akon struggled with social interactions, leading his parents to leave them in Jersey City and move the rest of the family to Atlanta, Georgia.[3]
Music career[]
On April 5, 2004, Akon released his first single, titled "Locked Up".[citation needed]
On October 5, 2006, Akon's song "I Wanna Love You" (with Snoop Dogg) achieved his first #1 spot on the Billboard.[citation needed]
YouTube[]
On November 5, 2005, Akon created his YouTube channel. The first video was uploaded on November 14, 2008, titled "Akon - Right Now (Na Na Na) Feat. Lil Wayne".
On October 6, 2023, Akon's channel experienced a loss of subscribers, due to losing his Official Artist Channel badge. The similar thing happened to Rihanna on November 23, 2022. He has lost over 3.35 million subscribers. However, he later regained all subscribers a few days later.[4]
Philanthropy[]
Akon initiated the Akon Lighting Africa project in February 2014, which provides electricity to 15 African countries.[5]
He also established the Konfidence Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting underprivileged children in Africa.[citation needed]
Controversies[]
2007 incidents[]
In 2007, Akon faced significant backlash after being caught on camera performing a sexually explicit dance with a 14-year-old girl during a concert in Trinidad. He apologized, stating he was unaware of her age and expressed regret for the incident.[6] Also in 2007, Akon was charged with endangering an underaged fan by tossing the teenage fan off the stage during a concert in New York. He pleaded not guilty, claiming the incident was a spontaneous reaction.
Defending Kanye[]
In 2022, Akon defended Kanye West, suggesting that West's controversial comments were part of a political strategy to gain support. However, he later faced backlash for his comments.[2][1]
Akon City[]
Akon started "Akoin", a cryptocurrency which he founded in 2018, to be the central currency.[7] The Central Bank of West African States, which regulates and issues Senegal's official currency, the CFA franc, described the use of an alternative currency as illegal.[6] The Akoin cryptocurrency began trading in September 2021 at £0.23 (GBP), and as of December 2022, was worth £0.01.[8] In July 2025, the Akon City project was officially abandoned, with Akon stating he would instead pursue more realistic projects and opportunities.[5] A lawsuit was brought against Akon in the United States by Devyne Stephens for a debt of almost 4 million USD borrowed as part of the implementation of his futuristic City project. Akon's team has disputed Stephens' claims as "innuendo and speculation".[4] In April 2022, part of the lawsuit was settled for $850,000.[3]
Discography[]
- Trouble (2004)
- Konvicted (2006)
- Freedom (2008)
- El Negreeto (2019)
- Akonda (2019)
Filmography[]
- Black November (2012)
- American Heist (2014)
- Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)
Tours[]
- Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania One-off Concert (2006).[7]
- Konvicted Tour (July to September 2007, then additional dates in 2008)[citation needed]
- The Sweet Escape Tour with Gwen Stefani (April to July 2007)[citation needed]
- Good Girl Gone Bad Tour with Rihanna (Canadian-leg only, September – December 2008)[citation needed]
- Konvict Muzik Tour with T-Pain (Australia only, October 26–27, 2009)[citation needed]
- Summer Tour, (Brazil-leg only, January to February 2010)[citation needed]
- OMG Tour with Usher (North America Second Leg, April – June 2011)[citation needed]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- He is a fan of the English Premier League club Chelsea F.C.[citation needed]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20160821123250/http://www.biography.com/people/akon-21330753
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20160116095236/https://books.google.com/books?id=Pg8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20070511060455/http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2004-10-04-otv-akon_x.htm
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20231120163256/https://socialblade.com/youtube/compare/UCX2v47KsDKqajrEYFV7GbBg/akon
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20150705062734/http://www.insightnews.com/news/13643-akon-unveils-new-solar-campaign-for-africa
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 https://www.ocregister.com/2007/05/09/akon-apologizes-for-incident-with-underage-girl/
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://web.archive.org/web/19981206063030/http://www.allafrica.com/
- ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-63988368
