Alioune Badara Akon Thiam, Born April 16, 1977 in Saint Louis, Missouri, United States, known simply as Akon, is a Senegalese-American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of the singles "
Locked Up" and "
Lonely", from his debut album "
Trouble". His second album, "
Konvicted", earned him a Grammy Award nomination for the single Smack That featuring
Eminem. His latest album, "
Freedom", was released in 2008.