Alioune Badara Thiam (born April 30, 1973 ), better known by his stage name Akon ( ) is a Senegalese-American hip hop and R&B singer, songwriter, occasional rapper and record producer. Akon rose to fame in 2004 following the release of his single "Locked Up" from his debut album Trouble. His second album, Konvicted, earned him a Grammy Award nomination for the single "Smack That". He is the founder of Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution. He is well known for singing hooks and has over 130 guest appearances and 21 Billboard Hot 100 songs to his credit. He is the only artist to ever accomplish the feat of holding both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice.

Akon (born Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam on April 30, 1973), is a R&B singer. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States but grew up in Dakar, Senegal and at the age of seven he moved to the USA, settling in Jersey City, New Jersey. He is the son of jazz percussionist Mor Thiam and is fluent in his native language of Wolof as well as English. Akon grew up in Senegal as a Muslim, eventually settled in New Jersey. There he discovered hip hop for the first time, as well as crime. His firs