Akon puts up a fight in the gritty video for “Hurt Somebody,” the street single off his oft-delayed album Stadium, due September 11. To vent his frustrations, a buff Akon enters a boxing match and leaves victorious. He explained the message he was trying to convey during an interview on “106 & Park.”

“It’s really to promote non-gun violence. If you got a problem with somebody, ya’ll should just take it in the ring,” said Akon, who gained weight for the role. “We men, let’s handle it. If we can’t talk about it, then let’s fight about it.”

The video also stars Bad Boy rapper French Montana, who was previously signed to Akon’s Konvict Muzik label. “At the time where I had him, I was just too focused on the pop stuff,” admitted his former boss, who helped discover Lady Gaga.

Read the rest of this entry »

Following Game and T-Pain, Akon was the latest artist to be profiled on VH1’s “Behind the Music.” The superstar singer and music mogul, born Aliaune Thiam, shared his inspiring journey from a village in Senegal to conquering the world charts. He opened up about his highs and lows, including the time he was caught humping an underage girl onstage, working with the late Michael Jackson, and helping launch Lady Gaga’s career.

“Gaga became the biggest success story in my history of music,” said Akon, who has a new album named Stadium on the way. “More than anything I was happy that I stuck with it and we believed in it together.”

The special also featured commentary from Wyclef Jean, T-Pain, and his family members. Follow Akon’s path to stardom in the full episode below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Akon shares his inspiring journey to the American Dream on VH1’s “Behind the Music.” Born in Senegal, Africa, the platinum hitmaker opens up about his home life and troubled past including a stint in prison for stealing cars. He also talks about the infamous time he tossed a fan offstage, discovering Lady Gaga, and being the last artist to record with Michael Jackson.

The one-hour special features commentary from his longtime friend Wyclef Jean and footage from his new video shoot for “Hurt Somebody,” a single off his upcoming album Stadium.

“Behind the Music: Akon” airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. Catch a sneak peek below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Akon almost turns violent on “Hurt Somebody,” which he calls his “single for the streets.” “Let me get up outta here before I have to hurt somebody,” he sings on the gritty record, which features a verse from French Montana.

Read the rest of this entry »

Akon added some raunchy humor to primetime when he joined The Lonely Island at the 63rd Annual Emmy Awards. The comedy trio performed a medley of their hilarious hits, opening with “Jack Sparrow,” accompanied by Michael Bolton dressed as a pirate. John Stamos, Ed Helms, and Maya Rudolph partook in “3-Way,” fulfilling the roles of Andy Samberg, Justin Timberlake, and Lady Gaga. And Akon kept the laughs coming by singing “I Just Had Sex” during the all-star finale. Watch the hijinks unfold.

Read the rest of this entry »

Asher Roth fights the good fight and has the scars to prove it. The blond rapper leaps into action in the dark comic book-inspired video for “Last Man Standing,” the first single from his upcoming sophomore album Is This Too Orange?

The live action clip, directed by Luke Tedaldi, features animation by comic book artist Chris Hunt. An animated and real-life Asher thwarts off his enemies in a haunted mansion while Akon appears via the digital screens. After defeating the villains with his sharp words and swift moves, the bloodied MC faces one final battle with himself. Will he become the “Last Man Standing”?

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not quite Halloween yet, but Asher Roth creeps from the shadows in the spooky video for “Last Man Standing,” his collaboration with Akon off his upcoming sophomore album. The live action clip, directed by Luke Tedaldi, features animation by comic book artist Chris Hunt. The Pennsylvania rapper is trapped in a haunted house as he tries to escape. Find out just what he’s running from when the full video premieres next week.

Read the rest of this entry »

While she was in town for the ESPY Awards, Estelle chatted with Rap-Up TV about her third album All of Me. The disc, due later this year, features contributions from Common (“Victorious”), Ne-Yo, Janelle Monáe, No I.D., and Jerry “Wonder” Duplessis, among others.

The first single, “Break My Heart” featuring Rick Ross, is off to a great start. When it came to shooting the video, the British songbird said the Miami rapper was the perfect gentleman. “He was so sweet. He was such a gentleman and a really nice guy,” she revealed. “We had to stand behind the infinity pool and the first thing he said was, ‘Baby I got you.’ He was so nice and such a sweetheart about everything.”

Before her album arrives, Estelle plans to release another song called “Thank You,” produced by Jerry Wonder and written by Akon. While she prefers to sing her own songs, she fell in love with the track the moment she heard it. “By the time it got to the chorus I was damn near crying,” shared Estelle. “It just resonated so much with me. I play it to my guy friends and they cry.”

The next time she saw Akon at Kardinal Offishall’s birthday she told him just how impressed she was. “I hugged him. I said, ‘You sir are incredible.’ For a guy to write from a woman’s perspective and it be that real… You made my life right this second, thank you.”