How is The Net Worth of Akon a Whopping $60m?

What is Akon’s net worth?

The Usual Intro

Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam, famously known as Akon, is an American singer, songwriter, and executive record producer of Senegalese descent. He is known as a pioneer of the R&B hip-hop genre and is one of the most influential personalities in the entertainment industry.

Numerous platinum-certified songs, chart-topping albums, and record-breaking statistics are a common trend in Akon’s musical career. He has also paved the careers of various huge artists through his record labels “Konvict Musik” and “Konlive Distribution.” The most prominent ones include Lady Gaga, T-Pain, and French Montana.

Before the Spotlight

Akon was born on April 16, 1973, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was born to Kine Gueye Thiam, a professional dancer, and Mor Thiam, a percussionist. He moved back and forth between the United States and Senegal in his childhood. He spent a significant portion of his childhood in Senegal and still considers it his hometown.

As a kid, he learned to play five different instruments, including guitar, drums, and djembe. When he was seven, his family moved and settled in Newark, New Jersey. Akon faced difficulty settling there due to the sudden difference in culture. His parents left him and his brother alone in Jersey City when they reached high school to make them more independent.

Akon was involved in illegal activities since high school. He has stated to have spent four years in prison from 1999 to 2002.

The Journey to Success

Akon’s talent was discovered by music mogul Devyne Stephens, with whom he recorded multiple tracks. The songs led to Akon signing under Universal’s imprint SRC Records. He released his debut album “Trouble” in 2004 with the help of producer Knobody. The album saw immense commercial success and included his breakthrough tracks “Lonely” and “Locked Up.”

In 2006, Akon launched his record label, KonLive Distribution, under Interscope Records and released his second album, “Konvicted.” The triple-platinum album had features from popular artists, such as Eminem in the legendary song “Smack That.” 

Following Akon’s third album “Freedom,” he took a hiatus from releasing music and focused on his role as an executive producer to help countless other artists. He helped Gwen Stefani with her album and co-wrote Lady Gaga’s iconic single “Just Dance.” In 2019, Akon returned to music with the Latin album “El Negreeto.”

Akon’s career consists of multiple other ventures. In 2018, he announced that he would build a tourist city in Senegal with a completely cryptocurrency-based economy on his own cryptocurrency, Akoin. Akon City’s construction started in 2020 with the assistance of Senegalese President Macky Sall.

Akon’s brief acting career began with him working on a few films and then making several guest appearances in Hollywood films. He debuted in the Nigerian film “Black November” in 2012. In 2014, he starred in the blockbuster movie “American Heist.” 

The Best Moments

• Released debut album “Trouble” (2004)
• Launched record label KonLive Distribution (2006)
• Released hit song “Smack That” (2006)
• Won Artist of the Year award at Billboard’s Music Awards (2007)
• Won Breakout Artist award at Teen Choice Awards (2007)
• Won Producer of the Year award at BET Hip Hop Awards (2008)

The Private Side

Akon prefers to keep his private life confidential. There is little information about his married life, but he claims to have six children from six exclusive women. As a Muslim, Akon believes in polygamy and is said to have four wives. His only known wife is Tomeka Thiam.

Akon is the owner of an African diamond mine. There was some controversy around the connection of blood diamonds to his mine. To prevent the existence of blood diamonds, he donated the profit from the diamonds to the local community. 

Akon is a devoted philanthropist whose services are widely recognized in Africa and America. His project, Akon’s Lighting Africa, has been providing electrical energy to 15 countries in Africa since 2014. Another one of his projects is a charity for underprivileged kids in Africa called Konfidence Foundation. The proceedings from his performance with Pitbull were donated to Feeding America and the Anthony Robbins Foundation to help those infected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through investigation of his criminal record, it was discovered that Akon never served a 3-year prison sentence. Akon responded by explaining that his total prison time exceeds three years after adding his smaller sentences over those years. Akon has faced public backlash for several controversial incidents such as degrading women, insulting religion, and endangering a minor.

Akon‘s Related YouTube Video

Why Akon’s Building His Own $6B Mega City

Famous Quotes of Akon

• “Whatever obstacle comes your way, you gotta be prepared to jump over it! And I think that’s what separates the legends from the regular artists. It’s all in how you manage that success, and how you deal with the controversy when it actually comes.”

• “I always want to set myself a challenge by doing something no one would expect me to do! But, having said that, I don’t feel as a musician you can steer too far away from what you normally do.”

• “Melody has a certain way that it projects back to you. It triggers certain nerves in your body and certain instincts that normally wouldn’t be triggered by a normal voice.”

The Social World

Here are the social media statistics of Akon:

• Instagram: 7.8 million followers
• Twitter: 6.1 million followers
• Facebook: 53 million followers

Lessons for Entrepreneurs

1. Winning isn’t easy. Akon explains that no matter what you pursue, there will be challenges you will need to overcome to succeed.

2. HIgh expectations. Akon preaches that the first step to success is having high expectations for yourself. Trying to live up to those expectations is what makes the future brighter.

3. Humility. Akon has always been the same person from when he had nothing to now when he has everything. Wealth should never impact your personality.

4. Secrecy. Akon reveals little to no information about his personal life to the public as he realizes the dangers of exposure. Not everything is meant to be shared.

The Unusual Stuff

• Akon claimed to be close to Michael Jackson and worked on his posthumous album.

• In 2011, Akon appeared on the soundtrack “Chammak Challo” of the Bollywood film “Ra One.”

• Akon holds the Guinness World Record for the best-selling artist of master ringtones in the world.

• Akon recorded the “Oh Africa” anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Answering Frequent Questions

Why did Akon go to Mecca?

Akon is a devout Muslim who went to perform the Islamic pilgrimage called ‘Umrah’ in the holy city of Mecca. He was filmed wearing the traditional white clothing called ‘ihram.’

Is Akon still performing?

Akon is currently on tour across two countries. As of this writing, there are two upcoming concerts in 2022.

Are Akon and Lady Gaga friends?

Akon considers Lady Gaga as “his little sister.” Lady Gaga’s career was kick-started by Akon when he signed her under his record label and produced many of her songs and albums. The duo remains close to this date.

The Closing Remarks

The entertainment industry is incomplete without Akon’s revolutionizing discography. Breaking records, topping charts, and earning accolades were not enough for Akon. He discovered talented artists and carried their careers to the pinnacle of success. When English got boring for him, Akon released music in Spanish and Hindi. Besides his nostalgic tracks, Akon continues to release new music while working on his crypto-utopia in Senegal.

Featured image credit: miguelca / Shutterstock.com