{"id":652,"date":"2019-11-29T11:27:09","date_gmt":"2019-11-29T11:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?post_type=articles&p=652"},"modified":"2021-04-03T11:30:11","modified_gmt":"2021-04-03T11:30:11","slug":"akon-reveals-that-his-muslim-faith-is-the-secret-to-his-success","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/akon-reveals-that-his-muslim-faith-is-the-secret-to-his-success\/","title":{"rendered":"AKON REVEALS THAT HIS MUSLIM FAITH IS THE SECRET TO HIS SUCCESS"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Akon is an unlikely superstar, according to Akon himself. He bets there’s a good chance no other\u00a0Billboard<\/em>\u00a0Hot 100 chart-topper has been a St. Louis-born Senegalese with a given name like Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam.<\/p>\n

The early years of his career were spent in semi-obscurity, writing and producing records for other rappers. But here we are in 2019, and Akon has become a household name. Even if you don\u2019t regularly sing his nostalgic 00s bops into your hairbrush, chances are you\u2019d still be familiar with his humanitarian missions in Africa.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, fans were let in on the secret to Akon\u2019s success.<\/p>\n

Ditching the dance floor, Akon took to the stage at the Sharjah Entrepreneurial Festival, tracing his journey from “car thief to pop star and entrepreneur” to the 2,000 people in attendance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways perfect your craft,” he explained. He added, however, that “sometimes things happen when you don\u2019t want them to happen, and when God wants it to happen. And I think that\u2019s a side that entrepreneurs dismiss \u2013 the spiritual side of your goal, or the spiritual side of your success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes you ask the question: what is success? Is it fame or fortune? Does that measure what success means to you? Or is it faith?\u201d he questioned. \u201cFor me, real success is faith. If God is not smiling upon me, I am not successful. I don\u2019t care even if I have a billion dollars in the bank. And what good am I if have a billion dollars sitting in the bank in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n

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A post shared by AKON (@akon)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n