“I Built My Career By Helping Others” Clash Meets Akon
No introductions are needed when it comes to mentioning Akon. A true legend in the game, his global influence in the music scene has been monumental now for decades. There are countless tracks that would remind anyone of fond memories. When he’s not heard on the track, he’s been pivotal in the success of countless other music artists.
Akon last month brought out the album ‘TT Freak’, a record that takes heavy influence from Amapiano and Afro Beat, two genres that have been catapulted into the mainstream in recent years. Akon has been pushing these genres, and the record includes features from artists signed to his label, Konvict Music. A refreshing take, and he’s been enjoying creating music with whoever he wants.
Clash spoke with Akon to see what’s still keeping him motivated 20 years later.
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Congrats on your new album from last month, ‘TT Freak’. It just feels like you’re having fun with this record.
We had an amazing time with it, man. It’s such a fun record.
Was it an enjoyable process of making the music? You worked with some new artists that can bring some fresh sounds.
It was super fun making it. I spent so many years developing the afrobeats scene in Africa and trying to get local acts known globally that I got so engulfed in the Amapiano vibe that they’re introducing today.
So I wanted to incorporate all that into it. Just have really fun with it. No major crazy campaign around it, but just something really fun and let the core audience find itself.
Touching on, the Amapiano side more, you’ve got a huge producer in Nektunez multiple times on the album.
Yeah, he’s the focus for us right now as a producer. He’s known for the big ‘Ameno Amapiano’ remix. One of the biggest TikTok streaming records of all time. He was one of the first producer DJs that I’ve ever signed coming out of Africa. We also had an influence on helping Black Coffee when he first came out. We saw the potential of what he’s done today. So, Nektunez is the younger version of that. He’s an amazing guy and super talented.
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You’ve mentioned Black Coffee, he has a weekly spot headlining HI Ibiza every week right now, the top-ranked club in the world. That’s the influence that the Afro House scene is having right now. Do you see that potential with Amapaino?
Right, that’s how I see Amapiano. It’s more of the African version, house techno, digital type of sound, but we have so much culture and rhythm that comes with that. It actually blends so well with all the current, EDM stuff that you’re listening to with the same tempo. This definitely could be what we could break out as Africa’s version of house-music in EDM.
With Amapiano, one of the biggest tunes from this year was ‘Big Flexa’ by Costa Titch. He was signed to your label, right?
God bless his soul. I mean, this kid, we had such high hopes. Because I just knew globally he was gonna be one of the biggest sensations. Because no one ever really seen, you know, a white African. They thought that all Africans were just Black, but this kid had so much soul, so much rhythm.
I mean, the swag that came with him. And he was just so, so talented. I was so excited as we were pushing him out. Unfortunately, he had an untimely death that occurred within him. And it just crushed everybody’s anticipations.
On the album, you also worked a lot with the singer AMIRROR.
Yeah, AMIRROR, she’s like my next rising star. She’s actually the first female rapper to singer that I’ve signed. She’s now doing more international music, but she has versatile abilities to do pretty much every genre. But now that we’re heavily moving into afrobeats and international music, I felt like there’s no woman out there that looks like her, feels like her, performs like her in that market.
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It’s good that it just in general, you can like release an album and you can just work with all the artists that you’re trying to build up as well.
I built my career by helping others build theirs. I always like the idea of bringing something new to the business. It’s very easy for me to work with all the major artists, like the Beyonces of the world. But I like to bring new talent, and fresh, sustainable music to the scene.
I think it’s always good to be in a position where you can offer opportunities to other aspiring artists that can take it to the next level. So not only did you keep the legacy moving, but also to create new superstars and be a part of that. I think that’s super exciting.
We’ve spoken about South Africa, but obviously, West Africa has already had a huge influence with the likes of afrobeats that have taken over the radio stations.
Right. that’s the thing. Because, in the beginning, it was so hard to break through. I remember going through every single building trying to get major-label deals for these guys and everyone turned it down.
They thought it was reggae, maybe I started in the wrong place ’cause I was in America. But then it’s interesting, the UK gets the credit for actually exposing afrobeats to the world. They embraced it a lot faster. Since then, everyone’s kind of grabbed on. So once something is actually working, it, it almost spreads like wildfire to almost, to a place where you can’t even control it anymore.
Moving back to your music, ‘Enjoy That’ is the track out next Friday. It seems that you’re on a roll with releases at the moment.
It’s actually the remix single to the remix album of ‘TT Freak’. Now I’ve kind of taken it a little bit further into the Afro-Amapiano vibe. The first album was like a hint of it, a touch of it. But the remix goes a bit deeper. The first one was more like an introduction to see if the water was warm enough to put your feet in.
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You’ve worked with the biggest artists in the world, even MJ. But is there anyone that you really connected with in the studio to write music?
Working with so many artists, there’s always gonna be a few artists that you just connect with immediately, you know, just vibes, right? MJ was definitely one of ’em. From the moment we literally went in the studio together was always electrifying, just chemistry. I would definitely say it was more the old-school artists like Lionel Richie, me and him connected immediately. Whitney Houston, we connected instantly.
The younger artists, they’re more like introverts it seems. They’re not as communicative as the older artists. I’ve noticed they’re really shy, they kind of look to you to see, oh, how did that sound? Is that okay? Do you like it? Whereas the older artists, just go with it and with however they’re feeling, and then we decide that later. So the confidence is not always quite there yet because this is something they’re passionate about, but yet this is something they actually chose to go into, rather than something that was chosen for them. My goal is oftentimes in the beginning before we even go in, to build confidence all the way up.
They’re really trying to impress you at the same time too. But at the same time, they’re still fans. Sometimes you gotta break through that part, just get to the human side of ’em, you know? So that’s always been a slight, minor challenge dealing with the younger generation artists. For the most part, I’ve honestly had great sessions with every single person.
You’ve written some of the biggest hits in the world over the past couple of decades. Is there a process to your writing? Do you have any tips for aspiring music writers?
For every artist it is different. My process is more, experience really. I write about things I’m actually going through or something I might’ve witnessed someone else going through.
At this stage, I do more about other people’s experiences because I’ve had so many experiences that I’ve kind of written about all of them, to the point where now it’s just all fun, successful experiences. After a while start can sound the same because it’s the same experience just in a different city or different country.
But other people are still going through day-to-day situations, you know, challenges, you know, and, and celebrations that they may want to speak about or even find ways to express. So that’s how I kind of come up with my concept as ideas. But from a recording process standpoint, I literally travel with a small briefcase with a full-blown studio.
So, for every hotel that I go into, the first thing I do is set up my studio. In the corner, in the office, and then I have it ready. So when an idea pops up, boom, I just go in and lay it down really quick. Sometimes it happened in the middle of the night, I may dream and a dope concept or a chorus come to me, I go really quick, lay it down and go back to sleep and then finish it in the morning type of thing. So yeah, my process is 24 hours.
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‘TT Freak’ is out now.
Words: Joe Hale // @joesquestions
