Without Akon’s original song, I would not have been able to do what I did.”Īkon continued to gain exposure by collaborating with other artists overseas, including Savage, a rapper from New Zealand. My work was inspired by the original version of the song that Akon did. I hired Carlos to come in and mix this new version. I worked on what I call “drops” – points in the record where it feels different, to break the monotony and make it a little more interesting. I got the rapper Styles P on the record and rearranged it a bit. Eventually, Steve and Akon gave me the go-ahead to make some changes. Some people in the label agreed, some disagreed. “I thought ‘Locked up’ was a huge record. I thought that was the place for us to start to get a fan-base, knowing that we had a record like “Lonely”, which was more commercial, to follow it. When asked why he used Akon’s song “Locked Up” instead of the song “Lonely” which is the song that originally got him interested in Akon’s work, he said, “My vision was to break Akon in the streets first and work our way towards cross-over, because his music ultimately appeals to a wide audience. He knew of my work as a producer and there was this mutual respect for each other´s work.”
What caught my attention right away was “Lonely” and I said, “this kid is official this is a huge record.” So right away we jumped on a private plane to Atlanta to meet him. We linked up with Devyne, listened to all his music, loved it, and said, “there is a deal we need to do, there´s something different here. “A guy by the name of Devyne Stephens had Akon signed to his production company. In an interview with Jerome Foster, known by hist stage name as Knobody, he had to say the following of him noticing Akon’s work: Akon would regularly come by Stephen’s office asking for advice, and when Akon lost his deal with Elektra, Stephens signed him to his own production company and began grooming and preparing him professionally.Īkon started recording songs, and they caught the eye of Universal’s imprint SRC Records. The relationship between Akon and Stephens grew very fast, as they became friends and Stephens became Akon’s mentor. Devyne Stephens, a music mogul and president of Upfront Megatainment, first heard about Akon shortly after his time in jail from rapper Lil’ Zane, who brought Akon to Stephens’ rehearsal hall, where talents including Usher and TLC where developed. While locked away from the outside world, he began to recognize his musical abilities and he developed an appreciation for his musical background. By the time he and his brother reached high school, his parents left them on their own and moved the rest of their family to Atlanta, Georgia.Īllegedly, Akon spent three years in jail due to being framed. Growing up, he had difficulties getting along with other children. When Akon turned seven years old, he moved with his family to Union City, New Jersey.
This is where Akon first discovered his love of music, and his desire to create his own grew.
While Akon was a young boy, he learned to play five instruments, including the guitar, the drums, and the djembe, a rope tuned skin covered goblet drum that one plays with their bare hands. His mother was a dancer, and his father, Mor Thiam, was a percussionist. What has he been up to?īorn by the name of Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Bongo Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam on April 16th, 1973, Akon grew up in the West African country Senegal, which he personally describes as his hometown. Akon was one of the most famous people to come out of Africa, but his career has seemed silent as of late. He even ranked number six on Billboard’s list of the Top Digital Songs Artists of the Decade. He has even released songs recorded in other languages, including Tamil, Hindi, and Spanish. He has also had four songs go three times platinum, three songs certified as two times platinum, and over ten songs certified at one times platinum. Where is he now? Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Bongo Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam, who uses Akon as his stage name, has founded multiple record labels, has released albums and singles to critical acclaim, has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards, and has accomplished the feat of being the first solo artist to hold both the number one and number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and he’s done that twice. What happened to Akon? Just a few years ago he was releasing hit after hit, rising all over the R&B and hip hop charts.