Although he was born in St. Louis, MO, Akon grew up in Senegal before he and his family returned to the UU and settled in New Jersey when he was seven. There, he discovered hip-hop for the first time, as well as crime. He was eventually jailed but he used the time — three years — to work on his musical ideas. Upon release, Akon began writing and recording tracks in a home studio. The tapes found their way to SRC/Universal, which eventually released Trouble, Akon’s debut LP, in June 2004. The success of the song “Locked Up,” a Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 hit, made Akon a star and desired collaborator. Akon has sold over 35 million albums worldwide, five Grammy Award nominations, and 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs. He has been recognized on Forbes Magazine’s Celebrity 100 list, and was chosen by Pepsi to produce and record “Oh Africa” for the 2010 World Cup. He holds the Guinness Book of World Records as the #1 selling artist for master ringtones in the world and became the first solo artist in history to lock down both the number one and number two spots on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2014 he started Akon Lighting Africa, an initiative to provide solar energy to African cities and electricity to one million households in Africa. He has collaborated with artists such as Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Lil Wayne, R. Kelly and Eminem and continues to rap everywhere.