''Konvicted'' is the second studio album by Senegalese-American singer-songwriter

Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...

. It was released on November 14, 2006. The album features collaborations with

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

Styles P David R. Styles (born November 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Styles P (also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Styles), is an American rapper, best known as a member of East Coast hip hop group the Lox. Formed with fellow rappe ...

and

T-Pain Faheem Rashad Najm (born September 30, 1984), known professionally as T-Pain, is an American singer and rapper. He is known for popularizing creative use of Auto-Tune pitch correction, often used with extreme parameter settings to create electro ...

. ''Konvicted'' debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 284,000 copies in its first week. It was later certified 6× Platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), also resulting Akon's best selling album worldwide. The album was nominated for three

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

in two categories, Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Background

The album's title refers to Akon supposedly spending three years in prison from 1999 to 2002 for being part of an auto-theft ring. Akon discussed the making of the album in a 2022 track-by-track video. Talking about its music he said: “When I first started in the music business I started as a producer. But as a producer I was also a ghost producer. ''Konvicted'' was a way of merging all of those sounds in one, because I grew up listening to everything and anybody, but also creating sounds for a lot of producers”.https://www.audiofrica.com/track/m1X8ztHvp1bGSRm%3Flang%3Dpersian&ved=2ahUKEwjc2LOZibGJAxWsyAIHHboGMeYQFnoECBgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw30rsAM6kjE9zMZV3mOGpLG The singer said that the album's lyrics were based on his personal life's experiences.

Music and lyrics

''Konvicted'' musically mixes R&B,

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

. According to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, its lyrical production mostly "offers more ultra-macho R&B", while still delivering introspective content. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' noted that Akon in the album portrays a more hip-hop persona unlike his R&B contemporaries, usually conformed in more romantic productions. Akon on ''Konvicted'' delivers for the most part his signature "warm, nasal" vocal performances.

Release and singles

The album was accompanied by several different bonus tracks depending on territory. In the UK, the track "Gringo" was issued. "Gringo" also became a bonus track for Target customers in the US. In Japan, the UK B-Side "Struggle Everyday" became the final track on the album. "Struggle Everyday" also became a bonus track for Circuit City customers in the US. All digital versions of the album come accompanied by a remix of "I Wanna Love You", featuring

and

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

customers in the US were treated to four exclusive bonus tracks, including unreleased tracks "Fair to You" and "Still Alone", plus Walmart Live Soundcheck versions of "Mama Africa" and "I Wanna Love You". The Platinum Edition of the album, issued in 2007, came complete with the new single "Sorry Blame It On Me", a new track entitled "Rush", and a remix of "Don't Matter". Some editions of the album also came packaged with a bonus DVD, containing a thirty-minute documentary and three music videos. "

Smack That "Smack That" is a song by Senegalese-American singer Akon featuring American rapper Eminem from the former's second studio album ''Konvicted'' (2006). Produced by Eminem, it was written by the artists alongside Mike Strange and Luis Resto (music ...

", " I Wanna Love You" and " Don't Matter" were certified 3× platinum by RIAA. Also "Never Took the Time" was released as promotional single on October 16, 2007.

Critical reception

'' praised Akon's vocal performances on ''Konvicted'': “His voice is wonderful, an instrument of silky versatility; it's arresting to hear tales of strippers, jail and drug dealing, interspersed with the occasional bout of chest-beating angst, sung in such a seductive style.” '' Spin'' commented that the album “works like a backpacker’s version of a tough-guy hip-hop album”.

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

wrote that it “answers the burning question of whether R. Kelly's priorities would be improved by hard time more ambiguously than one would hope”. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' talking about its lyrics, said that “while crooners like Usher and

Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Regarded as a leading figure of Contemporary R&B#2000s, 2000s R&B music, he is the recipient of numerous accolades, includi ...

sing to the ladies, Akon sings for the guys”.

Chart performance

''Konvicted'' debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling over 284,000 copies that week. The album was able to stay within the top twenty for 28 consecutive weeks, but eventually started to drop slowly. On November 19, 2007, the RIAA certified ''Konvicted'' 3× platinum status with 3 million units sold in the United States. In 2007, the album became the second best selling record of the year in the U.S., behind '' Daughtry'' by Daughtry.

Track listing

Personnel

– production, executive producer * Devyne Stephens – executive producer, creative direction * Rawle Stewart – co–executive producer * Eddy Schreyer – mastering * Joe Spix – art direction, art design *

Jonathan Mannion Jonathan Mannion is a photographer and film director. He has shot album covers for hip hop and R&B performers including Dr. Dre, Jay Z, Aaliyah, Outkast, Nas, Nicki Minaj, Brandy Norwood and Kendrick Lamar. Early life and education With English ...

– photography * Fiskani – wardrobe stylist * Cragg Brown – coordinator

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

''Note: All citations to magazine articles lead to a website where scans of these magazines can be viewed free of charge'' {{Authority control 2006 albums Akon albums Albums produced by Akon Albums produced by T-Pain Albums produced by Eminem Albums produced by Giorgio Tuinfort Universal Records albums