October 10, 2006 @ 11:59 am

Akon: A Whole New Trouble

Coryn Brown

Aliaune Thiam wants his emancipation. When the singer brought Trouble to the streets in 2004, contained were the memoirs of a thug-life exited via lock-down’s metal womb. In went the seed, a “young” Senegal-borne, New Jersey transplant convicted of grand larceny for his involvement in a car theft ring. Out popped Akon, three years later, with a palette full of songs from the birth canal and a hook for misinformation. He’s no MC. Son of famed percussionist Mor Thiam, Akon signed a deal with SRC/Universal Records from a batch of home-made R&B demos. His first singles, “Locked Up” and “Ghetto,” preceded buzz that he rapped. Then came “Mr. Lonely”—the cross over hit that thrust Akon into international scrutiny. Now with his sophomore LP, Konvicted, in stores Nov. 21st and a newly revealed love of, um, matrimony, Akon’s throwing antiseptic in the rumor mill and coming clean. With that said, he’s not a politician. So what if he once ran over a mayor’s mailbox in a high-speed car chase… Vibe.com: What’s the impetus for an album title like Konvicted? Akon: Pretty much I always felt like I was being convicted in some way. It was the hip hop world that accepted me so I kept getting labeled as a rap artist. Then I got labeled a reggae artist. I have a lot of political ties with Africa, so some people thought I was a politician. People naturally assumed me to be a certain thing. It was never really let out who Akon really is. I assumed it had to do with the jail time you served. Akon: Yeah, that’s exactly what people think. But it’s not really about jail. That’s why I spell it with a K. It’s my personal convictions. What was the biggest thing you learned in lock-up? right Akon: Man, those three years opened me. Outside, anything could have happened. A lot of the cats I use to roll with before I got locked up, some of them are dead. Others are in jail doing life. Only one person survived out of my whole crew, so it’s like I don’t know where I could have been in between. There were a lot of old g’s that were never coming out who use to school me on their regrets. I didn’t want to one day be speaking to a young kid saying, “Look, I ain’t never getting out of here. You can change your life.” How old were you when you went in? Akon: I was young. In your teens? Akon: I was pretty young. High school young? Akon: It was definitely after high school. Right before I went to college. So you’re not going to give me an age, basically? Akon: [Laughing] In the game, once people know exactly how old you are the count down begins on how long you going to be here. I promise you if people didn’t know how old Janet was, she’d be selling records ‘til the day. She looks like she’s 25, but people think, “Man, that girl’s 40 years old still trying to sing and dance.” Was Jersey City a rough spot to grow up in? Akon: I was there when it was really pretty. I moved to Atlanta after I got kicked out of my high school. I was wilding out. I got kicked out for carrying guns in the locker and all this crazy stuff. What was the craziest thing you think you ever did? Akon: Ooo…if I discuss that they probably try to lock me up again. How about the craziest least incriminating thing? Akon: I was in a high-speed pursuit with the cops and I literally ran over the mayor’s mailbox into his living room. What? Akon: Yup. It made the news and everything. That was in Atlanta. You couldn’t pick a different mailbox, though? Akon: [Laughs] Right? This is the mayor! Out of all the mailboxes on that road, how did I even--and what was I doing in that area? I hit the mayor’s mailbox into his living room. That’s when you know it was time to stop. What’s this I hear about you having multiple wives in your home in Atlanta. You said your dad had four wives then implied you’re a polygamist on the Angie Martinez Show. Akon: Mmm hmm, implied. I really don’t bite my tongue for anybody and I always felt like if you’re going to be real, you got to be truthful all the way around the board. Lies only make things worse. But it got to a point where my coming out like that ended up being a mistake. I started getting calls from higher powers; people who were actually above me, practicing it. They were like, “We can’t control what you say out in the road, but it’s bringing a lot of negativity towards our homes.” So out of respect for them, I said ok, I won’t have those kinds of conversations. What higher powers? Label execs? Akon: I can’t suggest that but it got to the point where they were literally trying to send authorities out. People were about to get locked up over stuff like this. In the [music] business, it’s not just Muslims doing it. You got Jews that practice it and all that kind of stuff. I think the average guy is doing right now. He’s just not married. Everybody that I hang with got multiple girlfriends. So we felt like we could use that opportunity to discuss issues with boyfriends, girlfriends, why guys do what they do and have open conversations on relationships. Most girls, when they have an issue with their man, it’s because there’s another girl in the picture. Are you living with multiple wives? Akon: Come on, you can’t live with the women if you’re going to do it. It would ruin a situation like that. [On Angie’s show], I didn’t think the conversation all the way through because I didn’t think it was that serious. I just thought it was a way to open up the channels of communication so people could honestly talk. Then it just went to a whole ‘nother level. People started putting a spin to it. “Oh, he got all of these wives that actually live with him.” By the time it got to Atlanta, it was crazy! So they shut us down for a minute on it. But we’re working on a show that we could probably attack those situations on in the future. How’d the topic of polygamy even come up? Akon: It started off with me and Angie thinking, lets grab a subject that everybody’s going to call in for and make this the biggest show ever. It became worldwide in less than three days. Like, I had people from Africa calling me. That’s crazy! I was just speaking from my personal views but it got to a point where people were like, “Akon’s speaking on the behalf of all Africans.” All Africans don’t do that. Not even all Africans are Muslim. But you did say all African men did it. Akon: Yeah, I know but when I did say it, it was just me talking. Actually someone with common sense would know that’s not so. Hearing about this closeted side of you makes me wonder what in the world is this album going to be like. Should we prepare for another surprise? Akon: It’s definitely a more upscale version of Trouble and it’s definitely versatile so you might want to get that album and find out. Read more vibe.com online exclusives.

Article tags: Akon, Angie Martinez, Eminem, Snoop Dogg 

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