The hugely popular singer Akon successfully mixes American rap
and R&B with his African heritage, that he so proudly bears to
the world. When you listen to Akon, his lyrics will haunt you for days!
Akon Biography
Akon's age and biography are a bit of a mistery. Clear is, that he was
born in St.
Louis, Missouri, USA. He grew up in Dakar, the capital city of
Senegal,
and was raised by his father, a Senegalese percussionist, who
taught him
a lot about
music. As a teenager, he permanently moved back to the USA.
It is not entirely clear how much time Akon spent in jail, but
it was the place where he began to
appreciate his musical background. After his release, Akon started
recording in his home studio, and one if his audition tapes reached
the office of Universal. This gave birth to his first Album
“Trouble” in the year 2004.
Ongoing Success
Since then, Akon released
several more albums and also produced albums for others. An example of
his many collaborations with other artists is Gwen
Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape”.
Another notable collaboration
is the one with rapper Eminem entitled “Smack That”. The track
was nominated for the “Best Rap/Sung Collaboration” at the 49th annual
Grammy Awards.
A Fresh Voice
Akon brings something
entirely new to a genre that is extremely saturated. While most artists
compose rap songs to boast about their street smarts, Akon
uses the same type of music to talk about loving, losing and loving
again (Right Now Na Na Na).
Where others try to tackle living the
hard life, Akon speaks of his homeland and the beauty of life (Mama
Africa).
In African cities you'll hear Akon music everywhere you go: People are
proud of their African star and sing along without even realizing. I'm
sure you'll like
what you hear - if you like it or not!