An influential figure in world music , he rose to prominence in following the release of his single " Locked Up " featuring Styles P. The songs simultaneously peaked at numbers one and two on the Billboard Hot , respectively, along with two of his singles released the following year: " Don't Matter " and his guest performance on Gwen Stefani 's " The Sweet Escape "; this made Akon the first solo artist to concurrently hold the top two positions on the chart twice. His fourth album, El Negreeto , explored reggaeton and Latin music , while his fifth album, Akonda also , explored Afrobeats ; both of which failed to chart.
Along with his solo career, Akon has guest performed on 23 Billboard Hot entries for other artistsβsuch activity earned him two additional Grammy Award nominations. In addition, he holds a separate career in production and songwriting predominantly for artists on the labels, but also for other artists such as Michael Jackson , Snoop Dogg , Lionel Richie , Leona Lewis , Sean Paul , Whitney Houston , Mario , and Estelle , among others.
Akon has since been prolific in charitable and philanthropic endeavors. He launched the non-profit Akon Lighting Africa in and has begun development on his own city in Senegal, which is scheduled for completion in Louis , Missouri , to a Muslim family. Akon learned to play five instruments, including drums, guitar and djembe. Dickinson High School in Jersey City. When still in high school, he became part of the Refugee Camp, the extended musical family of the Fugees.
In , he recorded a single, "Operations of Nature", that earned him a deal with Elektra Records -- but when the song failed to catch on in the United States, the record deal went by the wayside as well. That's when I lost all hope, and I was like, 'It's not really for me. Music mogul Devyne Stephens, the president of Upfront Megatainment, first heard about Akon when rapper Lil Zane brought him along to Stephens' rehearsal hall, a place that at the time saw talents such as Usher and TLC being developed.
The relationship between Stephens and Akon began as a friendship and mentorship , with the young artist regularly stopping by to ask for advice, with Stephens eventually signing him to his production company and began grooming him professionally.
