Akon Preps New Album

Fresh off the success of his third set, 2008's Freedom, singer, producer, and songwriter Akon is giving credence to his reputation as one of popular music's hardest working acts. The Senegalese-American born talent, who has written for everyone from pop-rock superstar Gwen Stefani ("The Sweet Escape") to West Coast rap icon Snoop Dogg ("I Wanna Love You"), is currently in the studio working on his own follow-up album.

"Right now my focus is on the Konvict movement," he says. "My new album is called Stadium Music. We are trying to drop it the first quarter next year. I always produce the majority of my own albums. So this one won't be any different."

Akon is also busy collaborating with Konvict Muzik artists T-Pain and Kardinal Offishall. To date, his albums, including the platinum plus debut Trouble (2004) and the three-million-selling Konvicted (2006) have sold more than more than five million copies. --Keith Murphy