Akon tells this riveting story of how he managed to build a lucrative multi-million dollar car theft ring.
Not many people in the world boast a background or business savvy quite like Akon. Born in Missouri and raised in Africa, the Konvict chief did considerably well in music throughout much of the 2000s before taking a break for more noble pursuits. The Senegalese-American artist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist recently sat down for a mini tell-all with VLADTV, detailing among other things Akoin, his self dubbed cryptocurrency, how he once coordinated an elaborate and lucrative car theft ring and shared lessons on overcoming the legacy of slavery.
In true irony, the ex-felon turned CEO shot to the top of the charts in 2001 with a track called “Locked Up” on his very own record label, Konvict Music. But back in 1997, the broke youngster was looking for a ‘sweet escape’ from a life of menial jobs. His hustler mentality kicked in, and though he always knew music was his calling, he got sidetracked and then led right back to his first love. The road to him earning a criminal record was a checkered path of dodging options that “don’t add up,” and drug dealing, with its hefty sentences, which he says was “definitely not it.”
“I got hip to the car theft stuff coz I was working at a barber shop and n*****s would be just kinda rolling around, everytime you see ‘em, they come in a new different car. One of my homies came, he’s like yo man, you know, you should get into this, there’s some good money in it. And I was like how much you makin’? He said man, s***, I’m makin’ like 40, 50 thousand dollars a week And at that time I was like what?! I said but what do you do, he says nothing, we just jack these cars, toss ‘em to my man, all we gotta do is get the cars and bring it in, that’s it. Pop and deliver, done. Ten thousand a joint, let’s do it.”
Admitting to his curiosity and intrigue while learning the ropes, he earned the trust of the Jamaican ring leader, who taught him everything from VIN numbers to the ins and outs of various models. By the time he moved to Atlanta, he was no novice, able to “put it all together” to continue his line of work. Actively involved in armed robberies, Akon was still looking for an easier route, however, saying his “heart wouldn’t take it every time he pulled a gun out on somebody to make them get out the car.”
Scouting for a “cleaner way,” Akon got a bright idea when he saw the valet box at a posh restaurant with hundreds of unsupervised car keys. “That became the thing, whenever he go off to get the car, I just find a key, just peel any one, it didn’t matter coz I just wanted to get rid of ‘em. Then I had so many cars parked up in like parking lots, malls, apartment complexes,” he said. Finding success with his new method, he grew his operations to include two of his friends, who would later play a role in his arrest. The team was so skilled they’d “go to dealerships, test drive a car, and never come back.”
He added valets who scoop him spare keys and DMV staff for car registration in his mastermind efforts, laundering his money through the three studios he built and allowed people to use for free. But all good things, even such advanced operations, come to an end, and Akon was eventually sold out by one of his partners. Due to his calculated moves, however, there was little evidence to put him away for very long, and he did 6 months despite being caught in a ‘registered stolen car with State Farm insurance and a clean VIN number.’ He served a total of three years in prison nonconsecutively on other related charges and received three years’ probation.
Not at all embarrassed or bound by his past, Akon went on to soar to fame cleverly invoking many justice system references. In an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Akon claims it was all deliberate, “but only to remind myself of where I’d come from, what I’ve been through, and what I don’t want to go back to. You know what’s funny? When I was in and out of jail and decided to go full-speed at this music business thing, I came up with this plan where the top goal was to work with Michael Jackson and retire in like 2018. Now I’ve already worked with Michael. And it’s looking like retirement might happen earlier,” he said.
Also, on the matter of the past, Akon spoke on the enduring wounds of slavery, saying Black Americans could “overcome” and better allocate their energy and efforts at improvement by simply “letting go.” In a statement that has unsurprisingly drawn much criticism on social media, the “Trouble” hitmaker said, “I think it’s the art of just letting the past go and moving towards the future, and I think, in the U.S., they have this stigma of just not letting go of the past and blaming the past on every mishap or, you know, disappointment.” “I think as long as you hold onto that past, there’s a lot of weight that you carry with you everywhere you go. It’s hard to move forward and move fast when you got a weight on your back. You just gotta let it go,” he said.
The LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division announced multiple arrests in the murder investigation.
Five people have been arrested in connection with the murder of Pop Smoke, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division revealed on Friday (July 10). According to an LAPD news release, the suspects include two teenagers and three adults, the latter of whom were identified as Corey Walker, 19, Jaquan Murphy, 21, and Keandre D. Rodgers, 18.
The LAPD claims that the suspects are gang members who were involved in Jackson’s murder in February, and in the murder of an 18-year-old victim who was gunned down last year in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
No other details were released as both investigations are ongoing.
Pop Smoke, whose birth name was Bashar Jackson, was gunned down at a temporary rental home in the Hollywood Hills while visiting Los Angeles. The 20-year-old Brooklyn native was the victim of an armed robbery, per the LAPD.
Lil Uzi Vert and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie gathered the team for a parking lot party in “Flood My Wrist” video.
Lil Uzi Vert fans were excited to see the rapper deliver on his promise to keep the new music coming Wednesday when he showed up in the music video for “Flood My Wrist” along with A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Don Q. The production, which seems to have been filmed pre-quarantine, features the trio partying amongst strippers in their lavish homes, inside a strip club, and in the club’s parking lot. The song is credited primarily to Boogie and Don Q, both of whom are represented by Boogie’s label, Highbridge. Some fans speculate the label may be planning a Highbridge album featuring all the company’s artists.
The video, which was directed by Picture Perfect, features trippy imagery and plenty of beautiful women showering in cash. A Boogie takes care of the hook throughout the song while Uzi and Q take turns delivering braggadocious verses about their extravagant lifestyles and love for partying. The scenes are notably packed with crowds, a rare sight these days in the era of the coronavirus pandemic. The song and video offer a kind of escapism for fans who are unable to have fun outside their houses.
Lil Uzi Vert was conspicuously absent from the music scene for a long while before the release of his much-anticipated album, Eternal Atake, so fans are happy to see him continuing to put in work in the studio. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie on the other hand seems to be dedicating a great deal of his time and energy into building a successful label, and has spoken before about his desire to create superstars and earn a powerful reputation in the music industry. Only time will tell if Boogie is able to sustain his career and the careers of those he represents during this tumultuous time in history.
Eminem says he has no issues with Diddy’s Revolt and hopes to work with them following their “F**k You Too” slight in response to his disrespectful leaked verse.
Last weekend, the original verse that Eminem recorded for his 2019 song with Conway “Bang” leaked online. In the verse, Eminem, who was not a fan of Revolt at the time, said: “f**k Revolt,” which led to them returning the insult. “Yeah, shout to Puffy Combs, but f**k Revolt,” Em raps. “Y’all are like a f**ked up remote (Ha-ha)/Now I get it why our button’s broke/’Cause you press him but he don’t do nothing though (D**n it)/’ Specially when it comes to punches thrown.”
Revolt later responded with an Instagram post saying, “F**k You Too Eminem,” with their name signed to the closing salutation. While some fans thought it was petty seeing as it was in response to an old verse that the rapper never actually used, others thought that in any case, this is not the time for this beef. Revolt implied that as well, when they captioned their post, “Now back to our movement” with a black fist emoji. Apparently, among the slew of people who agree is Slim Shady himself.
Em took to social media to respond to the slight in a lengthy post acknowledging his wrongs. “I agree with Revolt,” he wrote. “This is an unnecessary distraction. I never meant for that verse to be heard, I was heated in the moment and thought better of it and decided to pull it back. Stuff that I never intended to release continues to leak from the huge WeTransfer hack. I don’t have any issues with Revolt. I’d actually welcome the opportunity to work with them on some positive things and turn this in a different direction.”
In the leaked verse, Eminem is also heard taking shots at Joe Budden, but surprisingly, the podcaster was not at all upset. He tweeted, “Joe loves everybody” after the verse went viral online. Also, while discussing it on The Joe Budden Podcast, he said that he does not get offended by old verses and implied that he has reason to be certain that no one is really feeding into that energy, including Eminem.
It looks like Joe was right. Eminem is definitely not on that right now, but we have to respect him for coming forward and showing accountability with his statement while urging us to refocus on the larger issues at hand today. If Em’s original verses continue to leak like this, he might be releasing these statements more frequently. Perhaps the rapper ought to save the template.
Tekashi 6ix9ine outed Snoop Dogg as an undercover snitch, claiming he’s a known police informant, and now Snoop is forced to respond to the claims.
Tekashi 6ix9ine has not taken lightly to Snoop Dogg’s recent criticism, and he is now threatening to take down the Godfather of Rap, but Snoop is not going down easily. It has been a week that 6ix9ine has officially been back in the hip hop game after spending the last few months behind bars. But not everyone is pleased. Snoop Dogg is among the notable names who have labeled Tekashi as a snitch as he agreed to a deal with prosecutors that saw him testify against his Nine Trey Gangsta Blood members to receive a reduced sentence.
“They gotta stop pushing this [rat],” Snoop wrote on IG in response to hip hop journalist, Elliott Wilson, who featured the convicted rapper after he released his new single, “GOOBA.” “All these media outlets making snitching cool. I’m old school. F*** 69 and everybody pushing his line right now all New York GZ feel me on this and if you don’t f*** u2.”
Tekashi 6ix9ine is now taking shots of his own by alleging that Snoop is not as innocent as he seems and that those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Insinuating that the “Qué Maldición” rapper has also been an informant in the past, the 24-year-old posted a poll to his Instagram Story asking his followers to vote on “Should I just tell you guys what rappers snitched… Because they told me everything when I started.”
He also tagged Snoop with the ominous line, “hey sir let’s chat.” When The Shade Room posted a screenshot to their own IG, the “BEBE” rapper wrote in the comments, “If your in denial the paper work is online and suge knight speaks on it from prison but we choose to ignore who we want to call rats.”
Snoop has now responded by reposting a video from rapper Omar Ray in which he states, “It’s two things silky ain’t never seen: A turtle with speed, and a monkey-mouthed, knock-kneed, trout-mouthed, b**** I need.”
Snoop deemed the clip to be a mere public service announcement. “Posting this is not gonna distract everyone that you are trying to play it off. Explain yourself,” 6ix9ine declared in the comments.
Snoop Dogg didn’t take too kindly being called a snitch by Tekashi 6ix9ine, who is the self-proclaim rat of hip hop.
Fans are gearing up for John Legend’s impending album “Bigger Love,” which is set to be released on June 19th. According to John, who made the announcement on the popular singing talent show The Voice, the album which was produced by Raphael Saadiq is available for pre-order now on Apple Music.
John previously admitted that he wasn’t sure if it was the right time to be releasing music due to the pandemic and the subsequent peculiarities that are affecting the globe. He was understandably worried that he wouldn’t be able to support the album with touring, performances, events, etc. but it is clear that he found a pocket even in the global crisis. He premiered a new video for the album’s title track “Bigger Love” on The Voice this week, and it featured videos submitted by fans just showing off their quarantine vibe.
John’s wife, Chrissy Teigen, and two children Luna and Miles also made appearances in the video that made for a small but heartwarming gesture by the Grammy-winning singer in this unprecedented time. Some would even say it was necessary to remind people to keep their heads up. It sounds like John Legend’s new album will be perfect for the homebodies.
Speaking on the visuals for his song “Bigger Love,” the singer said, “This video was made to celebrate our shared love, hope, and resilience.” He continued, “We’re all using technology to stay in touch and finding creative ways to cope and we wanted the video to be a big musical hug for people around the world who are finding ways to stay connected to family, help their neighbors, and make time for a needed dance break despite the crazy circumstances we find ourselves in.”
The follow up to 2018’s A Legendary Christmas, which was also produced by Raphael Saadiq, is Legend’s first full studio album since Darkness and Light in 2016. It featured hits like “All of Me,” “Everybody Knows,” and “Love Me Now.” In addition to the title track, the singer’s new 16-track album will also include Legend’s recent singles “Conversations in the Dark” and “Actions,” which he released in February and March, respectively.
Most recently, the singer appeared on a new collaboration with Jamaican reggae music icon Buju Banton. Though the song was for Banton’s album, John is making sure to keep his voice fresh in our quarantine ears while we wait for his new arrival in a month or so. What do you think about all this new music from John Legend?
