Akon | |
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Born | Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam April 16, 1973 |
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Years active | 1996–present |
Organization | Akon Lighting Africa |
Agent | Johnny Wright |
Works | |
Children | 9 |
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Awards | Full list |
Musical career | |
Origin | Newark, New Jersey, USA |
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Website | akon |
Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (/ˈeɪkɒn/; 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.