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Senegalese American artist, record producer, and entrepreneur Aliaune Thiam popularly known as Akon has revealed when first starting out he didn't know he was a big deal in African nations till he started performing at concerts.
The 50-year-old also touched on the criticism he receives with some people misconstruing his intentions of working with African artists and towards Africa in general to be self-serving.
Akon has received some backlash for some of his music videos shot in the impoverished parts of Africa among a few other things. To the critics he says their words don't bother him he considers it the price he has to pay to bring the changes he desires just as anyone in history who attempted to make notable social changes.
"I kind of knew I was big in Africa and Nigeria has always been supportive of my music, but I didn't properly understand just how big until I started performing in some countries," the 'Locked Up' hitmaker candidly said.
On why he has always been so keen to work with African artists especially when they break through, Akon maintains that it was all for the motherland tooting his horn a little bit by adding, "Everything I touched was going number 1,"
He went on to emphasize he felt the need to push African artists to international waves as through him they'd get mega recognition.
It baffles me how he keeps on talking about African artists and putting the continent on the map and what not but he is always in one country, hyping only one time of African tune and has only collaborated with artists from one region... I digress people are allowed to have favourites and the veteran artist has started exploring Amapiano and collaborating with South African artists... okay only one but it is a step.
"My goal was to expose the talent in Africa. I collaborated with African artists so people can use me to discover the talents in Nigeria," the artist said.
Adding that seeing his dream coming to fruition is the best thing ever;
"To see African artists selling out stadiums across the world is so huge. To see that makes tears come down my eyes just knowing we worked so hard to get to that point,"
On advice he'd give artists who feel that they are mega stars now and have no time for home shows or their people he simply said;
"You can never be too big for the hometown,"
Some of the artists Akon has collaborated with his career include; Nigerian superstar duo P-Square, Wizkid, and Davido while also signing the former to his Konvict Music Label.
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