Maps of Music

Konvicted (2006)

Where the lyrics of Konvicted take you, and where it was really made.

The title suggests a prison term, but Akon's criminal history was later acknowledged to be fictionalized.

Key places

Doppler Studios, recording location (2006)

Recording site Doppler Studios — Doppler Studios is listed as a recording location for Konvicted. The point marks the studio's listed coordinates, not an exact position inside a building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Silent Sound Studios, recording location (2006)

Recording site Silent Sound Studios — Silent Sound Studios is listed as a recording location for Konvicted. The point marks the studio's listed coordinates, not an exact position inside a building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

54 Sound, recording and mixing location (2006)

Recording site 54 Sound — 54 Sound is listed as a recording location for Konvicted and is also credited for mixing. The point marks the studio's listed coordinates, not an exact position inside a building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Patchwerk Recording Studios, Atlanta (2006)

Recording site PatchWerk Recording Studios — Patchwerk Recording Studios in Atlanta is listed as a recording location for Konvicted. The point marks the listed location of the studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

White Room Studios, Detroit (2006)

Recording site Hitsville USA — White Room Studios is named in the source as a studio in Detroit, Michigan. The point is placed at the city centre, so it does not mark the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Konvicted: second studio album by Senegalese-American singer-songwriter Akon
• Released November 14, 2006
• Features Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Styles P and T-Pain
• Mixes R&B, hip hop and reggae
• Debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, selling 284,000 copies in its first week

Background

• Title refers to Akon supposedly spending three years in prison from 1999 to 2002 for being part of an auto-theft ring
• Akon began as a producer and also worked as a ghost producer for other artists
• He said the album merges the sounds he made for many producers with the wide range of music he grew up listening to
• Lyrics are said to be based on his personal life experiences
• Akon discussed the making of the album in a 2022 track-by-track video

Recording

• Recording locations listed: Doppler Studios, Silent Sound Studios and Patchwerk Recording Studios
• 54 Sound is credited for both recording and mixing
• White Room Studios in Detroit is also listed as a recording studio

Cover

• Photography credited to Jonathan Mannion

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Akon, born Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam on April 16, 1973 in St. Louis, Missouri, is a Senegalese-American singer, songwriter, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist.
• He spent a significant part of his childhood in Senegal and later moved to Union City, New Jersey at age seven.
• In 1996 he recorded the single "Operations of Nature", which earned him a deal with Elektra Records, but the deal fell through when the song failed to catch on in the United States.
• He came to the attention of SRC Records through producer Jerome "Knobody" Foster after Upfront Megatainment president Devyne Stephens developed him.

Career

• His debut album Trouble (2004) became his commercial breakthrough, led by "Locked Up".
• The follow-up single "Lonely" (2005) reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts in Australia, the UK and Germany.
• His second album Konvicted (2006) debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.
• "I Wanna Love You" and "Don't Matter" each gave him a Hot 100 number one, and his guest role on Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape" reached number two.
• The album Freedom (2008) spawned the top ten single "Right Now (Na Na Na)".
• Akon founded Konvict Muzik in 2004 and KonLive Distribution in 2007, signing acts including Lady Gaga, T-Pain and Kardinal Offishall.
• He launched the non-profit Akon Lighting Africa in 2014, which provides electricity in 15 African countries.
• His later albums El Negreeto (2019) and Akonda (2019) explored Latin and Afrobeats styles but did not chart.

Reception

At release

• The Guardian praised Akon's vocal performances on Konvicted as wonderful and seductive
• Spin likened the album to a backpacker's version of a tough-guy hip-hop album
• Robert Christgau said the album answered whether R. Kelly's priorities would be improved by hard time, more ambiguously than hoped
• Rolling Stone said that while Usher and Ne-Yo sing to ladies, Akon sings for the guys
• AllMusic said the lyrics mostly offer more ultra-macho R&B while still delivering introspective content
• The Guardian noted that Akon portrays a more hip-hop persona than his R&B contemporaries

Records

• Debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, with over 284,000 copies sold that week
• Stayed within the top twenty for 28 consecutive weeks
• Certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA, and became Akon's best-selling album worldwide
• On November 19, 2007, certified 3× platinum with 3 million units sold in the United States
• Nominated for three Grammy Awards in two categories: Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
• Became the second best-selling record of 2007 in the US, behind Daughtry by Daughtry

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's sales and certification were later questioned: Akon's criminal history was acknowledged as fictionalized, and his only conviction by then was a 1998 gun charge with three years' probation and no prison time
• Track 07 interpolates "Dem Gone" by Gentleman
• Some editions came with a bonus DVD containing a thirty-minute documentary and three music videos
• The 2007 Platinum Edition added the new single "Sorry Blame It On Me", a new track "Rush" and a remix of "Don't Matter"
• Akon discussed the making of the album in a 2022 track-by-track video

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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