Akon Biography

* Born: October 14, 1981, Dakar, Senegal
* Active: 2000s
* Genres: Rhythm & Blues
* Instrument: Producer, Vocals
* Representative Albums: "Freedom", "Konvicted", "Trouble"
* Representative Songs: "Locked Up", "Don't Matter", "Lonely"

Biography
Although he was born in St. Louis, MO, Aliaune Thiam -- aka Akon -- grew up in Senegal before he and his family (including his father, jazz percussionist Mor Thiam) returned to the United States and settled in New Jersey when he was seven. There he discovered hip-hop for the first time, as well as crime. He was eventually jailed but he used the time
-- three years, he claimed -- to work on his musical ideas. Upon release, Akon began writing and recording tracks in a home studio. The tapes found their way to SRC/Universal, which eventually released Trouble, Akon's debut LP, in June 2004. The album was an interesting hybrid of Akon's silky, West African-styled vocals with East Coast- and Southern-styled beats.

"I Wanna Love You" and "Smack That," made their way to the upper regions of the Billboard charts. The surprisingly Euro-pop-flavored Freedom, his third album, followed two years later, and it repeated Konvicted's chart success by peaking within the Top Ten of the Billboard 200. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
Akon Photo
Akon Photo