Who is Akon?

Akon, a popular rapper and singer who was one of Michael Jackson‘s closest friends, has revealed that his friend’s death could have been prevented. His remarks come ahead of the release of a documentary about Jackson’s death on June 25, 2009, from heart failure.

In a recent interview with The Sun, Akon stated that Jackson’s death was inevitable. “If it happened, it was a purpose of whatever God assigned for that purpose to impact us the way it did for it to happen the way it did,” he explained.

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He also maintained that in reality, anything can be avoided. “Now, if you look at it from a reality standpoint, I think anything can be prevented in reality,” he said. Akon also addressed the rumours surrounding Michael Jackson’s death, saying that if they were true, the late singer should have been surrounded by people who advised him against it.

Who is Akon?

Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973) is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 with the release of the first single from his debut album Trouble (2004), “Locked Up”, followed by the second single “Lonely.”

Konvicted (2006) received three Grammy Award nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Smack That” (featuring Eminem) and “I Wanna Love You” (featuring Snoop Dogg). Both singles charted in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, and were followed by “Don’t Matter” and “Sorry, Blame It on Me.” The single “Right Now” was the lead single from his third studio album Freedom (2008). 

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Akon frequently contributes vocals as a featured artist and is currently recognised for more than 300 guest spots, more than 35 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, and five Grammy Award nominations. He is the only solo artist to occupy the top two positions on the Billboard Hot 100 charts at the same time twice.

The RIAA has given Akon four songs with a 3 platinum certification, three songs with a 2 platinum certification, more than ten songs with a 1 platinum certification, and more than ten songs with a gold certification. He was recognised by Guinness World Records as the top-selling master ringtone artist worldwide.

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In 2010, Forbes ranked Akon 80th (Power Rank) in the Forbes Celebrity 100 and 5th in the 40 Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa list.  Akon was ranked No. 6 on Billboard’s list of the Top Digital Song Artists of the Decade.

Akon has admitted to being a member of an auto-theft ring and serving four years in prison from 1999 to 2002. However, The Smoking Gun website challenged his claim in April 2008 with court records and interviews with detectives involved in Akon’s case, concluding that he was not convicted of any crime and did not serve time in prison. In response to the report, Akon stated that he had never spent three years in prison, but rather had many shorter sentences that added up to three years.