Akon

Senegalese-American singer, rapper, record producer and philanthropist

Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (/ˈkɒn/; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. Akon began his career as a singer-rapper, with his big break arriving in 2004 with the release of the singles "Locked Up" and "Lonely." Both songs achieving great success, leading up to an album deal with Universal Motown. In the 2010s, Akon branched out onto philanthropy (Akon Lighting Africa), property development (Akon City in Senegal), television/movie production, politics, and others.

Akon
Akon in 2019
Born
Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam

(1973-04-16) April 16, 1973 (age 51)
Other names
  • Akon
  • El Negreeto
Citizenship
  • United States
  • Senegal
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
  • record producer
  • entrepreneur
  • philanthropist
Years active1996–present
OrganizationAkon Lighting Africa
AgentJohnny Wright
Works
Children9
Parents
  • Mor Thiam (father)
  • Kine Gueye Thiam (née Gueye, mother)
AwardsFull list
Musical career
OriginNewark, New Jersey, USA
Genres
Labels
Websiteakon.com

He grew up in Senegal but at age 7, his family settled in New Jersey. His father, Mor Thiam was a successful jazz percussionist. Soon after moving back to the United States, Akon discovered hip-hop for the first time. Akon has collaborated with and produced for some of the biggest names in the music industry.

Akon has been nominated for many awards including 5 Grammy Awards, 3 American Music Awards winning 1 and 4 MTV Video Music Awards. Billboard ranked Akon number 6 on the list of Top Digital Songs Artists of the decade.[1]

Akon had been friends with Michael Jackson until his death. Akon released a tribute song called "Cry Out Of Joy". In 2010, a song that Akon sung with Jackson, "Hold My Hand", was released. It was also released on Michael.

R&B star Akon entered the Congo Mining sector in a Joint Venture with a State owned company in accordance to Times Live in January 2021. [2]


Discography

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Studio albums

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References

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  1. "Billboard - Music Charts, Music News, Artist Photo Gallery & Free Video". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  2. "R&B star Akon enters Congo mining sector in JV with state company". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Akon Talks 4 New Albums". Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.

Other websites

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