While country music watched as newcomers like Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson took over the genre, it also opened its arms to stars from different genres. Just looking over the past year, both Beyonce and Post Malone entered the world of country music with their albums Cowboy Carter and F-1 Trillion. With both singers gaining praise for expanding their careers into other genres, the idea of going country appeared to catch the eye of rapper Akon, who recently teased his own entrance into country music.
Nurturing a promising career in R&B, hip-hop, and pop, Akon released several hit albums. His last, Akonda, was released back in 2019. But hoping to explore a different type of music, the singer announced he was redoing his entire catalog for country. Speaking with TMZ, he said, “I’m actually redoing my whole catalog in country. I’m not even joking… This has been an idea for years like forever. The project has been in motion for the last five years. But starting next month, y’all gonna start seeing all the releases.”
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Turning heads with his announcement, Akon won’t be alone as he hinted at some big names in country music helping bring his idea to life. “They’re country artists featuring me. They’re the ones performing them.” Not pointing to any particular song in his catalog that would be made over for country, Akon produced several hits like “I Wanna Love You”, “Smack That”, and “Blame It On Me.”
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Akon Continued Work On New City Deemed “Real Life Wakanda”
Outside of his work in the studio, Akon also offered an update about his dream of building what he called “Akon City.” Wanting to build a city that embraced the advancements in technology and clean energy, he considered the project a “real life Wakanda.”
While first announcing the ambitious project back in 2018, he insisted it was still a work in progress. “Of course, anything that exciting that would change a culture, people will naturally want to know what’s happening right now, assuming that it’s already happening. But it was in a process of creating.”
Not giving up on the idea, Akon continued to focus on his future city and his entrance into the rich legacy of country music.
(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)