Ya Heard: Akon’s ‘criminal’ past called into question

Dennis Winn/Columnist
Published: April 24, 2008

"We are born princes and the civilizing process makes us frogs."

-- Eric Berne

The Smoking Gun has fired another shot sparking conversation in the music industry. A few weeks ago, the Web site disproving a Los Angeles Times story accusing Sean 'Diddy' Combs and Jimmy Roseman involvment in Tupac's 1994 non-fatal shooting. Smoking Gun said it found fictitious documents and sources cited in the story.

Now, Akon is in the Web site's crosshairs. Akon built a successful career on incredible music and a storied criminal background. In his music and numerous interviews, Akon alluded to being the leader of a "notorious" auto-theft ring that led to four years in the Bing. Each of his album titles

reflects his supposed history on the wrong side of the law, ("Konvict Music" and "Konvicted.")

The Web site reveals research of a slightly different story. Apparently, Akon stated his arrest for the auto-theft ring took place in 1998, leading to his four-year stint in a Georgia prison.

"There was no prison term between 1999 and 2002. And he was never 'facing 75 years,' as the singer claimed in one videotaped interview," says The Smoking Gun.

Its burden of proof seems airtight. The site discovered Akon was arrested in 1998 for stealing a BMW, however, he was only jailed for five months and the charges were later dropped.

The site also revealed six arrests in Akon's past—only one a felony, another a New Jersey gun possession charge, in which he received only a three-year probation.

The site even spoke to an arresting officer in the singer's auto-theft charge. Upon hearing Akon describe his auto theft ring as "notorious" the officer replied, "This guy is so phony," then erupted in laughter. Akon's reply: No comment!

His "no comment" leaves the field open for people such as myself to speak for him. First, the man was upfront with you from day one, his name is Akon—as in A-Kon-Artist. It's not his fault you took him for A-Kon-Vict.

Secondly, I'm sure that his criminal involvement may have been a little more extensive than the Smoking Gun is giving him credit for. I mean six arrests is six arrests. A person's crimi-nal record does not come close to revealing everything in which a person may have been in-volved.

And third, is he doing anything different from a lot of college-educated street thug rappers that are out there? I think not.

TALIB SHOWS HIS TEETH

Talib Kweli's fists almost met a soundman's face over the weekend. Apparently, the soundman was attempting to cut Kweli's set short, but in disrespectful manner.

Kweili told sohh.com, he was a few minutes into his set when he was signaled to cut it short.

"They're flashing lights and [stuff] like, 'You've got to cut the set.' So I was on the mic like, '[Forget] it, I'm not cutting [nothing].' Then I said, 'Nah, I'm just playing."

He said he signaled his deejay to skip to the last song and performed his show closing hit "Get By."

"As I'm doing 'Get By,' the sound man is on the mic talking to me while I'm performing like, 'You gotta end, you gotta end,'" Kweli recalls. "A clear level of disrespect; if I had been another type of artist he wouldn't have done that. He just did it cause I'm just some [black guy] rapping."

When the soundman made his way onto the stage during the performance, the usually mild-mannered Kweli reached a boiling point.

Kweli elaborated, "I got real heated because it just started dawning on me that he [doesn't care] at all about what I do for a living.

"I wanted to fight him but I had to calm down and say, 'OK, I have to be a more re-sponsible person.' I did allow myself to get more upset than I needed to get. I started walk-ing toward him but then I had to catch myself like, 'What am I gonna fight the sound man on stage?'"

See kids, it's always better to be the bigger person. Oh, but nevermind the fact that there was an obvious lack of communication on the part of both men involved. Watch video of the alter-cation at sohh.com.

MORE 50

MTV recently caught up with 50 Cent to discuss the latest on Young Buck's dismissal from the G-Unit clique. Last week 50 described Buck as "disgruntled" after the former Unit member claimed he had not received royalty payments since being signed to G-Unit Records. He also claimed he was kicked out because of 50 Cent's jealously. 50 dismissed Buck's claims and went on to accuse Buck of having a slight drug problem.

He stated, "[Buck] lives like a drug dealer. When the artist spends excessively to the point where he doesn't actually have that money anymore, out of desperation he says whatever he can say to try and fix situations."

So Buck has taken it to the wax with his "response record" titled "My Inter-view." Throughout the track, Buck takes shots at 50 and his old crew and addresses his alleged drug problem, spitting such lines as, "I heard the same things you heard like 50 kicked him out /or Buck sniffs coke and he flips out / it's too late, the whole world know what I be 'bout."

50 was candid when MTV caught up to pick his mind some.

"Well, Buck, he doesn't think very clear," 50 stated. "He has things to help him not think clear; not using a sober mind when you're doing things. I knew he would do that first, because he felt if he mentioned the things that people said he did in a song, it would defuse [perceptions of him]. He said, 'Yeah, I sip syrup. Yeah, I did this. I did things wrong.' If you say it in the music, [fans] can accept it, because they had stars prior to this use drugs. They don't have a problem with Amy Winehouse. There is a lot of other rock stars who use drugs and [stuff] like that. I don't see how they would feel that that's unacceptable. Some of their favorite rappers are sipping syrup. Me, personally, I don't do it. I'm getting high off the situation of accomplishing my goals."

This isn't a very good look for Banks and Yayo, who have remained loyal to 50 throughout the years. 50 seems to find a way to take little jabs, such as the "overpayed" com-ment, at his G-Unit crew all the time. Following the departure of The Game and now Young Buck from G-Unit, it makes you wonder what Banks and Yayo have to put up with. Buck and Game took a stand, but those other two are beginning to have their man-card tugged a little bit.

I don't know, someone might want to slide them a number for abused artists. I can only imagine what happens behind closed doors.

HIP HOP TRIVIA

The Firm group comprised of Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and Nature was originally supposed to include someone instead of Nature. Be the sixth person to e-mail me with the correct name of that person and receive two free AMC movie tickets courtesy of the Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger.  … Until next week, peace!

Dennis Winn can be reached at 703-400-8301 or .