Richardine Bartee
As Afrobeats steadily makes its presence felt in New York City and the rest of the country, AKON, a singer born to Senegalese parents in the Midwest of America, is ready to bring forth his contributions to the “new” sound seeping through American radio airwaves, national stadiums, and music venues alike. Wednesday, via an invitation from his AKONIK label staff, GRUNGECAKE was invited to AKON’s listening session-turned-party in the lower part of Manhattan. During our time in the overheated room, the multifaceted artist-entrepreneur-philanthropist previewed new music for members of the media. The artist will release four albums before the year ends, which span an array of genres including Afrobeats, Hip-Hop, Latin, and Pop. AKON and co have their work cut out for them, but a large part of what helps an entity like him continue to thrive is his product. Based on what we’ve heard so far, his records with features from stars like Nicki Minaj, Olamide, Ozuna, Tory Lanez, and Ty Dolla $ign are indicators of what’s to come. Personally, his unreleased records ‘Scammers’ and the one with the fly ass Fugees flip are dangerous.
