Akon Net Worth

What is Akon's net worth?

Akon is a Senegalese-American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur who has a net worth of $50 million. Akon rose to fame in 2004 with his debut single "Locked Up," followed by his first album "Trouble." The album spawned several hits, including "Lonely," which topped numerous charts worldwide and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.

His second album, "Konvicted" (2006) was an even bigger success, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and eventually achieving triple Platinum status. The singles "Smack That" featuring Eminem, "I Wanna Love You" featuring Snoop Dogg, and "Don't Matter" all achieved enormous commercial success globally.

Akon made history as the first solo artist to concurrently hold the top two positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart twice. Throughout 2007-2008, he became a sought-after collaborator, featuring on numerous hit singles including Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape" and later David Guetta's "Sexy Bitch."

Beyond his success as an artist, Akon founded the record labels Konvict Muzik in 2004 and KonLive Distribution in 2007, signing successful acts including Lady Gaga, T-Pain, and French Montana. He's also been prolific in philanthropic endeavors, notably launching Akon Lighting Africa in 2014 and beginning development on his own city in Senegal.

Throughout his career, Akon has received numerous award nominations, including five Grammy Awards and three American Music Awards (winning one). Billboard ranked him number 6 on the list of Top Digital Songs Artists of the decade.

Early Life

Akon was born Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam on April 16, 1973, in St. Louis, Missouri. Although Akon was born in the United States, he also has strong roots in Senegal. He spent much of his youth flying between the United States and Senegal, and it wasn't until the age of seven that Akon settled permanently in Newark, New Jersey.

While Akon was still spending half of his time in Senegal, he learned a lot about music from his parents. His mother was a professional dancer, and his father was the famed percussionist Mor Thiam. Over the course of his youth, Akon learned how to play five instruments, including drums and guitar. Settling permanently in the States wasn't easy for Akon, and he had trouble adjusting as a young child. The situation wasn't helped when Akon's family relocated to Atlanta, leaving him and his older brother to finish high school on their own.

The next part of Akon's life is somewhat controversial. The official story is that Akon spent three years behind bars for his involvement in an auto theft organization. However, as later court documents and interviews would reveal, there is no record of Akon actually being incarcerated or even being convicted of a crime. That being said, there are apparently records of Akon being investigated by detectives. When confronted with these inconsistencies, Akon claimed that he was in and out of jail during this time and that if those sentences were added together, they would be equal to about three years.

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Music Career

Whether Akon was in jail or not, he approached the music industry in 2003 feeling determined to make his presence known. He first gained the attention of Devyne Stephens, a man who had been involved in the creation of artists like Usher. Eventually, Akon was signed to Stephens' label and recorded a number of tracks. These tracks were, in turn, brought to the attention of producer "Knobody," who encouraged Akon to produce a debut album and assisted him in the process.

Akon released his debut album, "Trouble," in 2004. It swiftly reached the number 8 spot in the Billboard Top 200 and became a launching pad for Akon's career. "Locked Up" and "Lonely" were two especially successful and popular tracks from this album. The next few years saw Akon collaborating with a number of other artists, most notably with Jeezy in his album "Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101."

With his reputation within the music industry established, Akon's second album, "Konvicted," was more successful than his first. This album debuted at the number two spot on the Billboard Top 200 and sold 286,000 units in its first week. This album would feature the legendary track "Smack That," which featured Eminem. Snoop Dogg also featured on the album and contributed to the track "I Wanna Love You." This track would be Akon's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2008, Akon released his third album, "Freedom." Once again, various artists contributed to the album, including Young Jeezy and Lil Wayne, who collaborated on the track "I'm So Paid" with Akon. During this time, Akon was also acting as an executive producer for various artists such as Flipsyde, helping them to release their albums. Akon also co-wrote Lady Gaga's hit "Just Dance" in 2008.

The next few years saw Akon collaborating with a variety of other artists, including Damien Marley, Gucci Mane, David Guetta, and many others. Although Akon featured on many artists' albums during this time, he did not produce more of his own, leading to a decline in productivity in many fans' eyes. He also announced an album called "Stadium" that never came to fruition. In 2019, Akon ventured into the Latino music world with the album "El Negreeto." He also released another album, "Konnect," that same year. "TT Freak" followed in 2022.

Lady Gaga Connection

In 2004, an NYU sophomore named Stefani Germanotta decided to drop out of school to pursue a music career full-time. She signed a record deal but lost it. By 2007, she was working as a backing singer and songwriter for Streamline Records, an imprint of Jimmy Iovine's Interscope Records. One day, when Akon was in a studio struggling to lay down the vocals on some tracks for his second album, Stefani was called in to help by performing a reference vocal. Akon was so impressed that he stopped recording, went straight to Iovine's office, and demanded he be allowed to sign the then-unknown singer to his own new record label, Kon Live. Stefani eventually changed her stage name to Lady Gaga. Akon provided vocals on several songs on her debut album and co-wrote her smash hit "Just Dance."

Despite having sold tens of millions of albums of his own, in a 2011 interview, Akon confirmed that he has made ten times more money off Lady Gaga than from any of his own endeavors in the last decade.

(Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

Earnings and Business Ventures

Akon grossed an impressive $13 million during 2011. Prior to this, he earned $21 million in 2010 – a period that many consider to be his peak as a solo artist. He also earned $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008.

Akon has been involved in many entrepreneurial ventures since his success. Akon started a clothing line called Konvict Clothing in 2008. Around the same time, he also launched Aliaune, a brand that offers more high-end clothing.

Philanthropy

In addition to his music career, Akon has launched one of the most ambitious philanthropic initiatives in modern African history: a plan to bring electricity—and by extension, economic opportunity—to 600 million people across the continent. Through his company Akon Lighting Africa, founded in 2014 with partners Samba Battily and Thione Niang, Akon aims to electrify rural communities using clean, affordable solar power. Backed by a $1 billion credit line from a Chinese solar manufacturer, the initiative has already reached over a dozen countries, including Senegal, Niger, and Benin, and created thousands of jobs for local residents. Akon also opened a Solar Academy in Mali to train young African engineers in installing and maintaining solar microgrids, with a focus on sustainable job creation for the continent's rapidly growing youth population. For Akon, the mission goes far beyond energy access—it's about empowering Africans to build self-sufficient communities and futures. "We invest our own money to get things started," he explained. "We're there to provide jobs for the locals and to enable them to feed their families."

Akon City

"Akon City," the highly publicized $6 billion smart city envisioned by singer and entrepreneur Akon, was announced in 2020 as a futuristic, eco-friendly metropolis to be built in Senegal. The proposed city would span 2,000 acres near Mbodiène, south of Dakar, on land gifted by the Senegalese government. Inspired by the aesthetics and technology of Wakanda from Marvel's Black Panther, the project promised cutting-edge infrastructure powered by renewable energy, a local cryptocurrency called "Akoin," and facilities including schools, hospitals, offices, resorts, and a tech hub.

Despite early fanfare and a groundbreaking ceremony in 2020, progress on Akon City has been minimal. As of 2025, only a partial structure of the planned Welcome Center has been built. The first phase of construction, initially scheduled for completion in 2023, has been repeatedly delayed, with the timeline now pushed to at least 2030. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with financing challenges and a lack of clear investment follow-through, has significantly slowed development.

In 2024, the Senegalese tourism development agency issued a warning, threatening to reclaim portions of the land if construction did not resume. Critics have increasingly questioned the project's feasibility, citing a lack of transparency, minimal physical progress, and growing concerns that the development may never materialize as promised. Akon has since admitted the project may have been announced prematurely, but insists it is still in motion.

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Personal Life

Akon has six children with three different women.

Real Estate

In March 2007, Akon paid $2.685 million for an insane mansion in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The 15,000-square-foot mansion sits on a little more than 13 acres. Akon gave a tour of this mansion on a 2009 episode of "MTV Cribs."In May 2016, Akon listed this home for sale for $2.6 million. In December 2016, Akon sold the home for $1.7 million.

In January 2008, Akon paid $1.65 million for a palatial mansion set on 4.6 acres in Milton, Georgia. In 2014, he completed construction on a 9,000 square foot mansion. The sprawling six-bedroom mansion comes with a nine-car garage, a bowling alley, an outdoor pool, an elevator, an in-home movie theater, and its own recording studio. Akon listed this estate for sale in January 2017 for $7 million, but ultimately pulled the listing and continues to own this property today.

In September 2013, Akon paid $1.95 million for a home in Woodland Hills, California. He performed a major renovation before attempting to flip it about a year later for $3.5 million. The flip was not successful, and Akon ultimately accepted $1.95 million in November 2015, resulting in a loss when factoring in the renovation costs.

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