Aww shit, y’all. The Smoking Gun, has pulled a James Frey on R&B crooner Akon, whose album Konvicted has gone triple-platinum, showing that he’s never been to prison. Akon’s Con Job:
While the performer’s rap sheet does include a half-dozen arrests, Akon has only been convicted of one felony, for gun possession. That 1998 New Jersey case ended with a guilty plea, for which the singer was sentenced to three years probation. Another 1998 bust, this one in suburban Atlanta, has been seized upon by Akon and transformed into the big case that purportedly sent him to prison (thanks to his snitching cohorts) for three fight-filled years. In reality, Akon was arrested for possession of a single stolen BMW and held in the DeKalb County jail for several months before prosecutors dropped all charges against him.
So there was no conviction. There was no prison term between 1999 and 2002. And he was never “facing 75 years,” as the singer claimed in one videotaped interview.
As Alicia Keys knows, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody that “Akon’s invented tales appear to be part of a cynical marketing plan, but one that has met with remarkable success.”
To quote my man Del the Funky Homosapien: “We hate r&b cuz that shit is sorry / That shit’s for saps / Just admit your raps / don’t cut the mustard…”
First Tupac, and now Akon. The Smoking Gun has become a major player in the Hip Hop Truth Patrol.
This guy’s a gangsta?
His real name’s Clarence
And Clarence lives at home with both parents
And Clarence’s parents have a real good marriage
Let the battles begin!
Is your name Michael Diamond?
I’ve always been very vocal in my hate for Akon. I think he’s a clown. From darn near raping 14 year old girls to picking up and throwing people off the stage at his shows, hes just a douche bag. I took a little bit of time out and wrote about Akon today over at Highbrid Nation and I hope that the uncovering of his true past is a message to artists and labels that “keeping it real” doesn’t mean making up some stuff.