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Akon
- StudentCity.com Appearances:
- (Cancun '08) The City AE Spring Break, (Cancun '07) MTV performance at The City
StudentCity Appearances: (Cancun '09, South Padre '09)
Akon grew up in Senegal until he was 7 years-old, but he was originally born in St. Louis, Missouri. He split time spent between Senegal and America until age 15, where he permanently moved to Jersey City, NJ and also recorded his first song, “Operations of Nature”. He was later convicted of armed robbery and drug distribution and spent time in jail, where he used this time to work on his music. When released, Akon began writing and recording music in his own home studio. His tapes ended up in the good company of recording label SRC/Universal, which released his debut album “Trouble” in June 2004. He usually begins songs with the sound of jail cell bars as he mutters the word “Konvict.” He has made celebrity appearances with StudentCity in a couple locations during College Spring Break and gave the crowd a great Spring Break vacation to remember.
Career
Akon is a unique musician who has been described as a hip hop artist, an R&B singer and a rapper. Born the son of a jazz musician in Senegal, Akon’s sound has been influenced by a number of different music styles and musicians. After breaking onto the music scene in 2004 with the summertime hit ‘Locked Up,’ Akon has evolved his career to include the title of producer, and has worked with big names like Snoop Dogg, Elton John and Gwen Stefani. He’s also one of the most in-demand guest artists in the music industry. And in 2007, he was one of the featured artists at MTV’s Spring Break ’07 in Cancun.
Since his debut album release, Akon has traveled around the world collaborating with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Lady Black Mambazo His Konvict Music Imprint, which will distributed by Interscope Records and boasts a roster that includes T-Pain and former TLC member Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. Akon’s life story has also become one of the most inspirational music sagas in recent memory, turning his life around after a stint in prison by pursuing a career in music, notching millions in albums sales since his seminal debut album Trouble.
Akon's Albums
Konvicted
11/14/2006
Akon’s sophomore album Konvicted, double platinum. At the same time, the trailblazing Senegalese star is gracing the cover of Vibe Magazine’s April issue and is dubbed the ‘last hitmaker’ by the urban tome. Akon continues to live up to the moniker, propelling his third single from Konvicted, “Don’t Matter,” to a trio of #2’s- Billboard “Hot 100” chart, the Billboard Rhythmic “Top 40” chart and the Billboard “Hot Digital Songs” chart.
Konvicted has become the breakthrough album of the year around the globe, rocketing towards platinum in the UK, France, Canada, South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand. "Smack That" has already hit #1 in the UK, France, Australia and New Zealand.
Smack That
09/26/2006
Napster Live Sessions
09/09/2005
Trouble
06/29/2004
With the success of his debut release, Trouble and the #1 international smash "Lonely," Akon has been certified gold or platinum in more than a dozen countries.
Recent News
Akon is nominated for four awards at The Grammy’s this year set to be held at The Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb 10. The four Grammy nods follow his first American Music Award victory last month for Best Male Soul/R&B artist, where he beat out celebrated hit-makers Ne-Yo and T-Pain. The Senegalese star's first-ever Grammy nomination came last year for his rousing collaboration with Eminem, the record-breaking "Smack That," from the groundbreaking Konvicted. Akon also recently pulled down three big wins at the World Music Awards when he was awarded a trio of prestigious trophies including Best Selling R&B star in the world, topping superstar artists such as Beyonce, Timbaland, Rihanna and others. Akon was also recently hailed as Cingular’s top- selling ringtone artist ever. He is the only artist to have two double platinum ringtones, “Smack That” and “I Wanna Love You.”
Refrences
Akon Online
Rap News Network-Hip-Hop News: Akon's Hip-Hop Album Goes Double Platinum