Akon ushers in "new phase" with "Freedom"

By Mariel Concepcion

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Holding a red velvet cupcake with white frosting and colored sprinkles, Akon stands atop an extended conference room table at Universal Records' New York headquarters. He's ecstatic.

The hip-hop and R&B singer/songwriter/producer is clad in a crisp, white button-up shirt, a black tie, vest and jeans, and sports perfectly rippled waves in his hair -- "Your hair looks good, baby," Universal Records vice president Sylvia Rhone would later compliment him. There's a reason Akon, born Aliaune Thiam in Senegal, is wound up. The 34-year-old musician just completed his third album, "Freedom," slated for release Tuesday (December 2) on Konvict/Upfront/SRC/Universal Records.

"I'm so excited about this album. It's a new phase for Konvict Music, and I couldn't have done it without all of you," he tells the 30 staff members in the room.

Akon's trying to move on from his somewhat tarnished past -- and on "Freedom" he proclaims he's adopted a new sound, setting the album apart from his debut, 2004's "Trouble," and 2006's "Konvicted."

"Everyone knows the Konvict sound already, so we had to switch it up -- a lot," he says. "Now we're bringing the whole Euro-club sound."

To help introduce the fresh style while still catering to his established fan base, Akon followed his usual format of releasing two singles -- the "double whammy," he calls it -- just days apart. First, the fast-paced pop song "Right Now (Na Na Na)," with keyboards and synthetic sounds for the crossover market, went on sale October 7. For his urban fans, the hand-clap-laden "I'm So Paid," featuring Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, followed two weeks later.

Supporting the techno-driven club sound are songs like "Keep You Much Longer," a dance track about missing a past lover; the T-Pain-assisted, guitar-heavy "Holla Holla"; and "Beautiful," in which Akon sings over double-speed drums.

LEGAL WOES

Although Akon is celebrating the album's completion, life wasn't all cupcakes a few months ago. In April 2007, during a performance in Trinidad as the supporting artist on Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape tour, he invited an audience member onstage. The rapper started dirty dancing with the willing participant to the point of simulating sex; after the incident was caught on videotape and circulated on the Internet, it was discovered that the girl was only 14 years old. Verizon ended its sponsorship of the tour.

In a statement released to the Associated Press, Akon apologized for the incident but also said that he didn't know the girl was underage. "It was never my intention to embarrass or take advantage of my fans in any way, especially those under the age of 18," he said. "That is why we tried to make sure that the club did not admit anyone under 18 in the audience. Somehow, that standard was not met."

Akon released the song "Sorry, Blame It on Me" online as an expression of remorse. The episode prompted Trinidad's prime minister to order a formal investigation into the incident, but no charges were filed.

A few months later, during a show in Fishkill, New York, Akon lifted and tossed to the ground a teenage heckler who allegedly threw a bottle at the singer. Claiming to have injured his arm, the teen pressed a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment charges against the artist. Akon will go to court regarding those charges Monday (December 1).

"Right now I can't speak on the incident from upstate because I'm still on trial," Akon says. "But as far as everything else goes, one thing I did learn is, with success a lot of that comes and you have to be prepared to manage it. Good thing is I had ample time to get with good people and say my side of the story. Sometimes when things like that happen, you don't get a chance to tell your side."

FOR THE RECORD

And as if all this weren't enough, earlier this year thesmokinggun.com accused Akon of fabricating parts of his personal history -- including that he was a leader of a notorious car-theft ring and spent four years in jail for it. The Web site said it attained police, court and corrections records refuting Akon's claims. Considering that Akon's previous run-ins with the law inspired his musical career -- including his first single, "Locked Up," which he wrote while in the pen, his audio trademark (the clanging sound of a cell door closing) and the name of his label -- the allegations put his credibility on the line.