Rap Sensation Akon Chats About Life Prison And Success

19-05-2005 23:00

New US rap sensation Akon is currently riding high in the charts with his hit single 'Lonely'.

The track, which contains a Bobby Vinton sample transformed into a high-pitched cartoon voice, has propelled the relatively little known hip-hop star from the fringes of success to superstardom.

However, the road to success has not been smooth for Akon - real name Aliaune Thiam.

Born in Senegal, Africa, the singer moved to New Jersey, in the US when he was just seven with his family. His father was renowned percussionist and jazz musician, Mor Thiam - who performed with a number of world famous artists, including James Brown and Michael Jackson, throughout his career - who instilled a passion and love of music in his son from a young age.

The young Akon admits growing up in such a music orientated household was amazing, and he was even lucky enough to meet Michael Jackson. He explained: "I met him right before 'Thriller' came out. He wasn't so unapproachable then.

"But every artist out there right now was real good friends with my dad. My dad was all over the place. I met James Brown, The Jackson 5; I met a lot of celebrities." During his teens, he developed a love of hip-hop and rap but also a disposal for criminal activities. After quickly progressing from petty street crime and thuggery, the rap star began overseeing a car theft operation across the US before eventually being caught and jailed in the late '90s for three years.

Akon accepts he became blinded by the money he was earning from his life of crime and allowed it to change his character for the worse much to the horror of his parents.

During the time he spent incarcerated, the rapper claims he got involved in fights almost every day for the first two years of his sentence to try and gain status among the other inmates and not allow himself to be bullied.

He revealed: "I fought almost every day for two years. I didn't fear anybody. I took out one dude in prison and from that point on it was OK for me."

Akon admits it is an experience he never wants to repeat and realised he had to turn his life around after becoming comfortable with his prison surroundings.

The incarcerated artist recognised he was facing a life of offending, jail, release and re-offending and vowed to himself that he would change his ways and not be trapped in the vicious cycle. He explained: "It's so crazy because in the beginning you feel like your life is over. But then after a while it starts to feel like home. When I became comfortable that's when I got scared. I knew straight away I had to try and straighten my life out."

It was during his time in prison that he began writing and working on his musical ideas. In his top five hit 'Locked Up', Akon recounts the despair he felt during his time in prison and bravely bares his soul about the experience, tackling difficult feelings of how he disappointed his family.

The lyrics, 'Visitation no longer comes by, seems like they forgot about me, commissary is getting empty, my cell mates getting food without me, can't wait to get out and move forward with my life, got a family that loves me and wants me to do right', offer a brief insight into the mind of a inmate serving time in high-security US prison.

Upon his release, Akon continued writing and recording tracks in a home studio. Luckily for the rapper, a close relative had started up a production company and after recognising his talent took his music to all the major record labels.

After sending out hundreds of demos, he was eventually signed by SRC/Universal in 2004 and released his debut album 'Trouble' in June of the same year.

The album crashed into the top-ten of the US Billboard charts and entered the UK charts at number 1.

And Akon believes his criminal background gave him an edge when starting out in the music business, saying: "It's the same rules and the same tactics in music and in the ganglands."

However, despite enjoying his current chart success, the rapper, who refuses to reveal his age, insists he is ambitious to branch out into films and fashion and plans to retire when, or if, he makes $200million.

He said: "After music hopefully there will be a chance to break into movies. Then you've got clothing lines and shoe lines to come. But once I've got enough money that's it for me." With 'Lonely' looking set to top the charts for a third week - if it can hold off the challenge from Oasis' mighty comeback single 'Lyla' and the unbelievably annoying Crazy Frog song, based on an equally annoying mobile phone ringtone - Akon is fast cementing his reputation as the most exciting new American hip-hop star since 50 Cent.

With a blend of hard edged gangsta rap and pop hooks Akon could become the surprise hit of 2005 eclipsing 50's own protege The Game, if he does it will be a remarkable turn-around of events and he is sure not to be 'Lonely' anymore.