Akon's Imagination More "Konvicted" Than Akon

According to an investigation by website The Smoking Gun, R&B crooner Akon has exaggerated the criminal past that inspired singles like "Locked Up" and the album Konvicted. Among the singer's claims is that he was once the kingpin of a car theft operation and that he spent four-and-a-half years in the prison after being ratted out. Not true, says TSG. Akon did spend time in a Georgia prison, but it was only for a few months. And he wasn't arrested for being a ringleader of a car theft operation or because he was ratted out; rather, he was pulled over for driving a BMW that was previously stolen by someone else. It was also discovered that "Locked Up" was not written in prison (as Akon purported) and that the singer also sired a child with a college student while he was supposedly in jail. Neither Akon's publicist nor business manager have replied to the TSG report.

• 
  MUSIC The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments
• 
  MOVIES & TV 'Game of Thrones': The Show Vs. the Books
• 
  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Facebook IPO vs. Shareholders
• 
  VIDEOS Exclusive: Garbage Rip Through 'I Think I'm Paranoid'

Song Stories

“Weird”

Hanson | 1997

Accomplished tunesmith Desmond Child co-wrote "Weird" with the three brothers that make up Hanson. Credited for dozens of cuts, including songs by Kiss, Cher, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, Child told Rolling Stone that "Weird" holds a special place in his heart, "because it's about being different--and I grew up poor, I grew up being Latin, I grew up being gay, and now I'm fat!" The song was included on Hanson's 1997 album Middle of Nowhere, which sold more than ten million units.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter