Akon: Influences

Akon: Influences

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 Missouri 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.

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