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One of the more prevalent songs from the Broadway musical 'Dreamgirls' is a rousing thumper sang by the James 'Thunder' Early character called 'Fake Your Way to the Top.' The title of the song is pretty self explanatory.
And although the glitzy theatrical tour-de-force deals with all things Black Music Industry of decades before, most of the themes translate to today's day and time.
Take Akon for instance.
The Senegalese Singing Sensation has been a chart-topping mainstay on the hip-hop soul scene; thanks – in large part – to his break-out debut single 'Locked Up,' (video below) which told an autobiographical tale of how his sale of narcotics led to him being incarcerated.
In subsequent interviews, the crooner has claimed he served a total of 4 1/2 years in prison for various felonies, including running "a notorious car theft operation."
That's hard time.
Not so fast – said TheSmokingGun.com.
The investigative celebrity website is labeling Akon (real name: Aliuane Badara Thiam) a complete and total fraud when it comes to his so-called criminal past After digging through his legal records, SmokingGun found that the New Jersey-bred balladeer was convicted of only one felony - for gun possession - and that case ended in a guilty plea with three years probation.
It also is revealed that the Grammy Award winner was arrested for stealing just one BMW.
In that case, he was detained in Atlanta for several months before prosecutors dropped all charges against him.
In the story, titled "Akon's Con Job," SmokingGun stated: "Akon's ad nauseum claims about his criminal career and resulting prison time have been, to an overwhelming extent, exaggerated, embellished, or wholly fabricated.
"Police, court, and corrections records reveal that the entertainer has created a fictionalized backstory that serves as the narrative anchor for his recorded tales of isolation, violence, woe, and regret. Akon has overdubbed his biography with the kind of grit and menace that he apparently believes music consumers desire from their hip-hop stars."
Whoa wee.
A spokesperson for the Universal Motown Records recording artist was not available for comment at deadline.
Comments: (149)
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By: Holly M on 4/18/2008 3:41PM
They are all "Actors" in the end....trying whatever it takes to make their money....this is nothing new and I totally agree with "Heidi"
It is a job and if you liked the music and purchased it then he is doing his job.
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By: dean on 4/18/2008 3:41PM
who can blame him? if he wasnt a thug and was smart enough to balance a checkbook,the "hip-hop" people would call him white!
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By: Jacki on 4/18/2008 4:00PM
I am a white middle aged female. I like most of Akon's music, at least the versions of it that I hear (mostly on the radio). I had no idea that he reported having a criminal background. I thought he was just singing a song. I did hear about some incidents at his concerts which bothered me somewhat, but that did not stop me from liking his music. Just like thinking that Tom Cruise is nuts, does not stop me from going to his movies. It is sad that he thought he had to embellish his past to sell his music.
To jam - why should geo have to clean up his community when the "paint" was put there by other people. Do you do anything to clean up "white trash" or prejudice people.
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By: Kuawna Buwana on 4/18/2008 4:01PM
he be a chump azz punk you no whut im sayin.he aints no gangsa like i is you no whut im sayin.you has to be smarts to be a O.G you no whut im sayin.sheeeet jive azz wana be sucka you no what im sayin.
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By: kenneth whitmore on 4/22/2008 11:59AM
The real examples of redmtion is not recoinized about past actions ,but what we do now to make a difference in the world true story of many convictions and now giving back to the community in which is served throgh Humility compassion and forgiveness in todays society is what makes us most human that is where the miracle lies not in telling lies hey what about our pollitions that we continue to put in high office Hey Spitzer,clinton,Akon who? character builds the man not creating one. Ben HILL GFC saint nick place NYC
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By: Bret on 4/18/2008 3:46PM
I'm a criminal, you're a criminal, he's a criminal, she's a criminal, wouldn't you like a be a criminal too? Yeah, that's cool. I'm hard, I'm a criminal, being an a-hole to society and being unproductive is cool. It just makes brand new thugletts to populate the city so I have to watch my back at the ATM, getting out of my car and going home at night. How cool is that? Whatever happened to rock stars that only hurt themselves doing stupid s*h*i*t. NOW you have these A*holes, like AKON, FAKING being in jail just to be cool, and unfortunately, a GREAT rolemodel for their younger fans. You MUST be proud. (sorry Dr. Pepper)
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By: cb on 4/18/2008 3:52PM
man i love hank williams sr's music. none of this killin people and selling drugs garbage
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By: tee g on 4/21/2008 9:40AM
by the way nique more of our white kids buy rap music but your heads so far up your you know what that you didn't know that.Oh well continue with you bitter and discriminatory ways and what for the day when you to will be judged
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By: Kalifani on 4/18/2008 4:24PM
To Nique[line 6.],
>in reference to the line about "shootin' hoops and lying to your girlfriend about job hunting":
Chompin' at the bit to express a lil' bitterness towards some failed relationship with a general loser is no excuse to lump the whole black, male population together with that industry fraud Akon.
Fact is most of this over the top ,heavily fabricated jargon is purchased by white America.Yet hip-hop has so many other facets to it that go unacknowledged due to the fact that it's message of positivity and socio-political awareness is not the wave that gets all the press>>>regardless of the success of the many trailblazers whose voices of upward mobility resonated to all the world.
...instead, worry about keeping your own integrity in check.
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By: Stephen W. Page on 4/18/2008 4:08PM
there is something seriously wrong with a society that applaudes a crimimal past that has been "reborn" without decrying that person in the first place for those despicable acts, and then calls that same person a fraud when they find out he wasn't so bad after all.
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