Quote:
Originally Posted by James
One of them is the voice of his generation
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Exactly. Akon speaks for millions. He represents the notion of "keepin' it real" more than anybody else in urban music and, more to the point, more than anyone in modern music period. Akon came from the slums, spent time in the slammer, and managed to totally turn his life around. He is the embodiment of the American dream - one of the few culturally significant artists in modern times who came over to the States from dire circumstances and, through immense talent and perseverance, made it big. Unlike T-Pain and countless others he requires no auto-tuning to make his voice sound basically perfect, and above all in spite of his wealth he keeps it real, prefering to live in the projects rather than in some show-off mansion. His Gallardo is one of his few excesses. He is a voice for austerity in tough times, yet resonates as a voice for the masses who have ever had a dream. It is this duality that makes him stand out as THE voice of his generation, both in terms of social significance and singing prowess. Add to that the point that he writes his own words and melodies without having to rely on a team of 400 professional song writers, and you have one of the most talented people around.