S: Your record label is Konvict Music? A KON-victed criminal or with a strong sense of purpose.
AKON: Yeah, and not in the sense of being convicted by the law, but convicted by what people assumed me to be. Everybody had their own definition of who they thought Akon was. They always compared me with something. I was in a proverbial cage and fi- nally like, yo, this is how you see me, but this is how I do me. This name also motivates me to express myself and not just play into the forecasts of others.
S: Why did you go to jail and for how long?
AKON: Three years. I was charged with being a ring leader of a notorious car theft operation, a chop shop.
S: I’ve talked to many hip hop artists who went to jail. Just about all of them say it provides an opportunity to be introspective and highly focused on their inner self and artistry. It is a circumstance for reflection that the outside world doesn't get. Did you use that time to become more creative?
AKON: Ah, Scrappy, we wrote a lot of records while we was in there, buddy, yeah. A crazy amount of songs. If you don’t take that time to concentrate on the future, man, it’s really a waste. At first I was pissed off at myself for the past. I blamed other people, but then I told myself that I am bigger, better, badder, and stronger than this place, this world, that I am going to get mine. I can do this music thing.
S: Boldly walking out of the big house, you already knew that you were crazy talented. But the world didn’t. No one was checking for Akon, but slowly the cats in the hip hop game started blow- ing up your phone for hooks on their rap verses. Your talent is distinctive. A thousand fools can rap grimy on a track, but there's only one Akon nicing up the hook with a supa dupa, pop crossover, radio friendliness. You legitimized a lot of thugs. When you were coming up, were you worried about being successful because you were so different?
AKON: Nah, actually at that time it was just a matter of trying to get the music out there cause I knew it would catch once the people heard it. When you’re coming up as a new artist with a different sound, people don’t notice because it’s so outside of ev- erything that’s already been played. So you gotta take that into consideration and just try to get the music out there harder, bigger and make it as accessible as possible so it has a chance to breathe, get out and take its course.
S: They knew your hooks, but you had headliner in your veins. Snoop was a big part of your first single.
AKON: You know it! He happened to be in the studio, and I bumped into his brother at the mall. He was like, “Yeah, Snoop’s in the studio right now workin’ on his album.” So I crashed in on his session and played “I Wanna Love You”. Snoop fell in love off the top, got on it, and soon we had a number one hit record!
S: You got a lot more hits now, dawg! “I Just Had Sex” recently with the Saturday Night Live guys was hilarious. Only problem - you didn’t get Jessica Alba, man! The guys hooked up, but you didn't (laughing). What's up with that?
AKON: That was probably the funniest video that I’ve ever made in my whole life. We had so much fun with the SNL crew – man, it was incredible. Andy and those guys are just amazing!
AKON: That was probably the funniest video that I’ve ever made in my whole life. We had so much fun with the SNL crew – man, it was incredible. Andy and those guys are just amazing!
S: "Smack That” remains one of my all time favorite songs. How did you hook up with Eminem?
AKON: I’d been tryin’ to link up with him for years. It’s ironic
because he’d been tryin’ to get at me for a long time too. So after I did the record for Obie Trice, Em's boy, it finally bridged the two of us to get it goin’ and just hang out.
S: Your experiences in life are so diverse, how much has that shaped you?
AKON: When I travel all over the world, I meet with different peo- ple and engage in different cultures. Through that you gain a lot of knowledge. You learn more about the human race and how so- cieties interconnect throughout the world. It changes your whole perspective of life in general. You take less for granted because you start to see how people live without and how people live with. My travels bless me with new perspectives that fuel my art - and my compassion - and my curiosity. S: Speaking of trips, you’ve been all over the world, where’s the ponanny that you like best? Aside from your serious relationship, of course… just from a visual per- spective? (Laughs)
AKON: (Laughing) Well, I gotta tell you man, if you’re looking quality, go to Brazil. That country has all different types of wom- en, different body shapes, different hair colors, skin tones, mixed races, not to mention the different culture and languages. You will love Brazil!
S: So it’s like Snoop Dog and Ferrell’s’ “Beautiful” video?
AKON: One hundred percent. You’ve got it exactly. It don’t get no better. A lot of smackables! (Laughs)
S: So your brother was working on a new reality show called My Brother’s Keeper?
AKON: That concept has been cancelled because we promoted it a little too early. “Boo-Hoo” was the main character. He’s like my protégé, my little brother that I raised up into the business and made into an exec. If you saw him on the street though, you’d think that he was me. And he always had this way of using me to get girls, and to further his life and career so people will see him and be like “Akon here flow with it” as if it was me. It was the craziest thing - I’d run to certain cities and suddenly a girl will be lookin’ at me like “Hey, hi” and I didn’t really know who she was. She'd say, “It’s me, Sandy! Oh you don’t know me no more? Sleep with me, then don’t even call?” And I’d be like, “Whoa, whoa, hold up, I don’t even know who you are!” I come to find out, it was my brother posing to be me! So the show used a lot of those scenarios because it was really happening! - - CONT. ON PAGE 14
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