Akon

Akon

Datos generales

Nombre real

Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam

Nacimiento

16 de abril de 1973 (39 aos) en San Luis,

Origen

Dakar,

Senegal

Ocupacin

cantante, productor

Informacin artstica

Gnero(s)

R&B, hip hop, pop

Perodo de

1988-presente

actividad

Artistas

Kardinal Offishall, Colby O'Donis, Lady Gaga, DJ

relacionados

Khaled, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, Young

Dadlani, Abhijit Vaghani, Hamsika Iyer

Web

Sitio web

[Link]

Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, ms conocido como Akon1 (pronunciado /ekn/2 ) (San Luis, Missouri, 16 de abril de 1973) es
un cantanteestadounidense-senegals de hip hop y R&B, compositor, rapero, actor y productor musical.3 4 Salt a la fama
en 2004 con el single "Locked Up" de su primer lbum Trouble. En su segundo disco, Konvicted, se inclua el single "Smack That",
por el que fue nominado a los Grammy. Es el fundador de Konvict Muzik yKon Live Distribution. Akon es conocido por cantar coros
y ha colaborado en ms de 175 canciones, 40 de ellas incluidos en el Billboard Hot 100. Cant en la cancin benfica We Are The
World 25 For Hait.
Contenido
[ocultar]

1 Biografa
2 Discografa
o

2.1 lbumes

2.2 Sencillos

2.3Colaboraciones
3 Curiosidades
4 Referencias
5 Enlaces externos

[editar]Biografa
Hijo del percusionista Mor Thiam, Akon creci en una familia dedicada a la msica y aprendi a tocar varios instrumentos, entre
ellos el yembe. Naci en San Luis, Missouri, por lo que no tuvo ningn problema de inmigracin, pero vivi en Dakar, Senegal,
hasta los siete aos de edad. Durante un tiempo estuvo entre Estados Unidos y Senegal, Akon se asent definitivamente en el pas
norteamericano a los 15 aos de edad, cuando fij su residencia en Jersey City, Nueva Jersey.5
Tambin conoci la criminalidad de las calles y lleg en un par de ocasiones a la crcel. Akon utiliz ese tiempo para canalizar sus
conocimientos e intuiciones musicales. A su salida, realiz unas maquetas que, gracias a las gestiones de su manager Devyne
Stephens, encontraron un paso a los despachos de Universal. As fue como se gest su debut, Trouble, aparecido en 2004. En l
se encontraba el xito Locked Up, directamente inspirado en el tiempo que pas entre rejas, as como Guetto, Bananza o
Lonely, canciones todas en las que se fraguaba el estilo peculiar de Akon que fusiona rap de las calles con elegantes melodas de

soul, produccin para el club y ritmos africanos. El disco fue multi-platino, y lleg a vender ms de 3 millones de copias en el
mundo.
Guetto fue remezclada posteriormente para la radio, incluyendo reconocidsimos versos de los rappers 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G.
y artistas marroques afincados en Holanda como Yesser Rochdi, conocido artsticamente como YES-R y Ali B. Y, gracias a la
popularidad ganada, hizo una aparicin estelar en Soul Survivor, con Young Jeezy. Otras colaboraciones han tenido de coprotagonistas a R. Kelly, Obie Trice, Elton John, Daddy Yankee y Gwen Stefani, con la que ha compuesto un tema en su ms
reciente disco, The Sweet Escape (Interscope, 2006). Adems, se ha dado tiempo para crear su propio sello (Konvict Muzik), en
donde publica a T-Pain y Rozonda Chilli Thomas.

Akon junto a Gwen Stefaniinterprentado una cancin en The Sweet Escape Tour.

En 2006 ve la luz la continuacin del aclamado Trouble, con ms historias de lucha, segregacin, races, amor y salvacin.
Destilando sus experiencias personales en canciones, se llama Konvicted (Universal, 2006) y est enteramente escrito, cantado y
producido por Akon (todas las canciones excepto una, Blown Away). En l se ha dado el lujo de contar con artistas invitados de la
talla de Eminem y Snoop Dogg (I Want to Love You). Smack That es el single de presentacin y una cancin de irresistible gusto
para la pista de baile, que cuenta con los versos del rapero blanco en perfecto contraste con la templada voz de Akon.
El lbum se ha aupado hasta el nmero 2 del Billboard Top 200. Ahora puede aadir tambin el ttulo de Nominado a los Grammy
(para los 49 premios), en la categora de Mejor Rap y Colaboracin, por Smack That, a su lista de mritos. Ha probado
sobradamente, con su comprometida labor, que los ex convictos tienen una oportunidad para reconvertir completamente sus vidas.

[editar]Discografa
[editar]lbumes
Ao

lbum

2004

Trouble

2006

Konvicted

2008

Freedom

2008

[Link]

2010

Akonic

2011

Koncrete

Akon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Akon

Akon arrives in Mumbai for [Link] recording

Background information

Birth name

Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam

Born

April 16, 1973 (age 39)

Origin

Dakar, Senegal

Genres

R&B, hip hop, reggae, pop

Occupations

Singer, songwriter, record

Years active

1996present

Labels

Konvict Muzik, Kon Live

Associated

Eminem, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Snoop

acts

Dogg, David Guetta, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Gwen

Website

[Link]

Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), professionally known as simply Akon, is a Senegalese
American R&B and hip hop recording artist,songwriter, record producer and businessman.[1] He rose to prominence in 2004
following the release of "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 100 charts twice.[2]
Akon often sings hooks for other artists and is currently credited with over 300 guest appearances and more than 35 Billboard Hot
100 songs. He has worked with numerous performers such as Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Whitney
Houston, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Gwen Stefani and many more artists. He has had five Grammy
Awards nominations and has produced many hits for artists such as Lady Gaga, Colby O'Donis, Kardinal Offishall and Leona
Lewis. Lady Gaga and T-Pain are two artists who were given their chance at fame by Akon.
Forbes ranked Akon 80th (Power Rank) in Forbes Celebrity 100; in 2010[3] and 5th in 40 Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa list; in
2011.[4] Billboard ranked Akon No. 6 on the list of Top Digital Songs Artists of the decade. [5]

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 renowned percussionist father, Mor Thiam, Akon learned to play five
instruments, including drums and guitar and djembe.[6] At age 7, he moved with his family to Union City, New Jersey,[7] splitting his
time between the United States and Senegal until settling in Newark, New Jersey.[6] 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.[8]

Music career
200305: Discovery and Trouble
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.[9] 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.[9][10] The songs Akon recorded with Stephens were brought to the attention
of Universal's imprint SRC Records.[10] In an interview with HitQuarters SRC A&R Jerome Fostersaid, "What caught my
attention right away was "Lonely", and I said, 'this kid is official this is a huge record." [10] Foster and SRC CEO Steve Rifkind
immediately boarded a private plane to Atlanta to meet the young artist. [10] 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. [10]
Akon's solo debut album, Trouble was released on June 29, 2004. 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. "Ghetto"
became a radio hit when it was remixed by DJ Green Lantern to include verses from rappers 2Pac and The Notorious B.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". [11]
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, He made his first
critically acclaimed guest appearance on Young Jeezy's debut album, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101, with the song "Soul
Survivor." In December the same year his manager, Robert Montanez was killed in a shooting after a dispute in New Jersey.

200607: Konvicted

Akon performing with Gwen Stefani on The Sweet Escape Tour.

Akon's second album, Konvicted was released on November 14, 2006. It included collaborations with Eminem, Snoop
Dogg and Styles P. The first single "Smack That" featuring Eminem was released in August 2006 and peaked at number two
on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks. "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 100, and Snoop's second.
"I Wanna Love You" topped the U.S. charts for two consecutive weeks. In January 2007, a third single "Don't Matter" which
earned him his first solo number one and second consecutive Hot 100 chart topper was released. "Mama Africa" was
released as a European single in July 2007, making it the fourth overall single from the album reaching just 47 in the UK.
To coincide with the release of the Platinum (deluxe) edition of the album "Sorry, Blame It on Me" was the album's fifth single,
debuted in August 2007 on the Hot 100 at number seven. The deluxe version was fully released on August 28, 2007. The final
single was confirmed by Akon to be "Never Took the Time."[12] 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. It stayed in the top twenty of theBillboard 200 for 28 consecutive weeks and peaked at number two on four different
occasions. On November 20, 2007, the RIAA certified the album triple platinum with 3 million units sold in the US. It has sold
more than 5 million copies worldwide.[citation needed] He has achieved gold and platinum certifications in twenty-three countries
with the album .
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 was fueled by its number six debut on Hot Digital Songs with 67,000
downloads. The record has since been broken several times. 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".[citation
needed]

When asked by an interviewer on [Link] in October 2007 what his fans could expect in the future, Akon responded, "Just
expect the [Link] fans can definitely know that I'm gonna always come a whole new way of how they saw me last

And that's always been my goalto kind of surprise them and come from a blindside angle because that's how you keep the
excitement going about you. You always want to do something they would never expect you to do, and then when you do it,
you do it well.[13] "

200809: Freedom

Akon in October 2009

Akon released his new album Freedom on December 2, which spawned four singles: "Right Now (Na Na Na)", "I'm So Paid"
(featuring Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy), "Beautiful" (featuring Kardinal Offishall and Colby O'Donis) and "We Don't Care". "We
Don't Care" has failed to chart significantly in many countries, only reaching 61 in the UK and 91 in Australia. After the
unexpected death of The King Of Pop Michael Jackson, who Akon was working with in Jackson's last years, Akon released a
tribute song called "Cry Out Of Joy". Akon & Michael Jackson were close friends near the end of Jackson's life.
Speaking of his relationship with Michael Jackson to noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning 'Blues & Soul' in
October 2008, Akon stated: "Mike is the King Of Pop, and I think that it's a dream come true for ANY major
artist/songwriter/producer to be able to work with the best in the business! You know, to work with someone like Mike who's
created opportunities, opened doors for so many people, and achieved so much in the music world, period is just an
experience which would be enough to take home for ANYONE! I mean, when I first flew up to Vegas and met him it was
almost like we'd known each other for YEARS! LITERALLY! 'Cause musically we were on the same exact page! The
chemistry was just INCREDIBLE! And, as a person, he was the most cool, humble dude I've ever met! I mean, we even
actually got to go to the movies together in broad daylight! Which was an experience in itself!" [14] Freedom was certified
platinum in US and achieved gold and platinum certifications in many countries .
David Guetta collaborated with Akon in "Sexy Bitch", a first house track by Akon, and has been a "summer anthem" across
the globe. Reaching No. 1 in more than 6 countries, and charting at 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, it is featured on Guetta's One
Love album. It is Akon's 19th Top 20 hit worldwide.

2010present: Stadium
The album's lead single, "Angel", was released to US radio stations on September 14, 2010, [15] and was released as a single
on September 27, 2010. It was produced by French producer David Guetta. Akon performed the song during the
2010 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.[16] Akon travelled to Jamaica to work with Damian, Julian & Stephen Marley.
[17]
Stadium will be released on September 11, 2012.[18]