Akon sports roughneck allure and silken, rhythmic vocals that land him just left of the R&B/rap split. That makes R. Kelly a father to his style, but the St. Louis singer gets his broad pop taste from master songwriters with inimitable voices (Phil Collins, Michael Jackson), as seen in his genre-agnostic ubiquity as a guest hooksmith. Meanwhile, multi-culti crossover king Wyclef Jean offers Akon a sonic roadmap for embracing his Senegalese roots.