African Celebrities: Akon

Aliaune Damala Akon Thiam popularly known as Akon is a Senegalese American R & B and hip hop recording artist, songwriter and record producer.

He was born on 16th April 1973 in St. Louis, Senegal. His mother was a dancer and his father was a percussionist. At age 7, he moved with his family to Union City, New Jersey, United States.

Akon has worked with numerous performers such as Michael Jackson, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Whitney Houston, Bone Thugs -N-Harmony, Gwen Stefani and many more artists. He has produced many hits for artists such as Lady Gaga, Colby O' Donis, Kardinal Offishall, Leona Lewis and T-Pain.

In February 2007, Akon launched his clothing line, Konvict Clothing. It features urban streetwear including denim jeans, hoodies, t-shirts and hats. Aliaune is the upscale version, or high-end line, for males and females, which includes blazers, denim jeans and other items. He also has his own charity for underprivileged children in Africa called Konfidence Foundation. Akon owns a diamond mine in South Africa.

Akon has six children with three different women.