By Silvaa King
Akon was born in the US but however spent most of his childhood in Senegal. Akon has countless hits on the billboard charts and has had a very successful career, working with some of the biggest artists you can think of including the late great Michael Jackson.
Though Akon has had a successful music career you can clearly see his heart is set where he belongs, AFRICA. Since 2014 Akon has helped bring solar powered electricity to over 600 million people in Africa in a project called Akon Lighting Africa.
Not only that he has also opened up a Solar Academy in Mali, training African engineers and entrepreneurs with the skills needed to develop solar-powered electricity systems and micro grids.
Akon has been travelling around Africa and recently made claims that the likes of Davido, PSquare, Wizkid have more money than US HipHop artists.
He went on to say: “Hip-hop in America, every rapper is rich with Gold chains, girls by the pool in big mansion but when the video is over they get on a phone and call a uber.
“But if you go to Nigeria you have Wizkid, Davido, P-Square driving Bentley, Mercedes Benz they actually own those cars. That’s the difference but if we don’t translate that, they would never know.
“The images they show about Africa are so negative. It’s conditioning what we believe. Africa has a rich story too. More people died in Chicago, more school shootings in America.”
For someone like Akon to be able to come out and be honest and wanting to help the man deserves recognition. Akon is currently a hero that Africa may need to teach Africans about self-worth and self-belief. For so many years Africa has also been portrayed in a negative way.
It’s very refreshing to see Akon motivating Africans to believe in themselves, our beautiful continent and its potential. It’s also refreshing to see now US rappers like French Montana, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Wale now working closely with African acts.
In other news..
Nigerian artist Tiwa Savage has signed an International deal with Universal Records in the US. This makes her the first African artist to be signed to Universal. Congrats to you Tiwa Savage.
Qoute of the day: “The only time you fail is when you fall down and stay down.”
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