Akon Backstage: 9 Kids, 50 Adopted, and Why "Wife ≠ Girlfriend"

0:00Yeah, I got nine all together. Seven boys and two girls. Nine, but then you have all the kids that you had. Oh yeah, my adoptations are 50. I adopted 50 kids. No, they're in Africa. Atlanta was nuts. It was a thunderstorm. It still was jam-packed. Mind your apathy, it is indoor and outdoor. Outdoor was raining cats and dogs. And then inside, where the seats were, it was flooded. So people were in like two inches of flood, and it didn't even stop the show. Nothing, they were just sitting there. It didn't stop the show. Everyone thinks I'm short until they meet me. I didn't know you were so tall.

0:30You're very tall. I swear to God. That is so crazy. I don't know. This is probably the biggest thing. It's called how to be a wife and not a girlfriend. How to be a wife and not a girlfriend? That's the thing right now. Women, they all want to be wise, but they don't know quite how to be one.

0:47How's it going? Hey, how's it going? Good. Good to meet you, sir. Hey, how's it going? Hi. Hey, what's up? Hey there, what's up? It's you, sir. Why she got a better greeting than I got? Wait, what was that? Because I wasn't expecting her. I wasn't expecting her. No, look at you. Hi, baby, how are you? Oh, my God. Yes, how are you? Unbelievable. You look really good. You've been working out on this, too. You've been working out on Big Ten, huh? This is the bodyguard. He's the godfather. No kidding, I didn't know you had that. Straight from Israel right here. He loves Israel. It's true. No, Idan loves Israel.

1:26Titekio and the Truel over there. Huh? Yeah, we try and put it together now. We actually had one set up before the conference started. Are you excited for tonight? Well, you know, to me, it's just another day in office. I know. It's like asking you, are you excited for the interviews? Shabaya, so you made it out. Let me find out. She's going to school next month. Oh, really? Yeah, in New York. Sheesh. Can you believe that? That's crazy. I was just there last week. Are you ready to do this? Yeah, let's get it. But you already got this, because we've done this before. Yeah, this is easy. I know.

1:55I already know what I can do. You're a pro. I can't ask. All right. I got this. All right. Welcome back to the Build Pod where authenticity trumps authority. I am here on location like promised. I told you I was showing up. Can I tell you I was showing up? You sure did. You showed up though. My game is so hot here in Tampa. Super hot. So I'm dying right now. But I am here with the one, the only, the iconic Akon. Oh, thank you. I'm just excited to see you. Absolutely. We could just do a whole podcast on how excited we are right now. No, 100%. All right, so I got to ask follow-up questions. So when I saw you, your album hadn't released yet.

2:28Right. Album released. How'd you feel about that? No, I feel good about it. I feel really, really good about this release. It's doing really well. Don't forget the credit for the next to the Rebirth. That's my shit. Bimp. Yeah, it feels amazing. So you're on tour right now. You're in your, you're seasoned. Yeah. A lot different than where you were at many years ago. How does it feel being on tour seasoned versus last time? It actually feels the same, to be honest. You know, last time obviously I did more touring internationally than I did here. But for the most part, man, it's been unbelievable.

3:02That's because you look the same. It's been unbelievable. You have an age. That's what it is. You have an age, so it feels like we look the same. It feels like we just, you know, it's nostalgic for you. No, it's been amazing. So what was like the biggest thing that surprised you doing this? Nothing surprises me on the road. What about the love from the fans? Still big? that I mean I kind of expect that um maybe I'm just being naive or entitled to love for my fans right but I love them and I hope they still love me right so I don't think that they will come on spend money to see if they didn't love me right so but I think the one thing that I can say that um that actually made me feel so good and changed the perspective is the generations that come out It's like three generations, right?

3:48I got Lili out here. She knows every single one of your songs. It's so crazy. So you got the daughter, the mom, and the grandma. Like, they all come out, and it's the best. What is, like, the mix of the crowd? Is it, like, is it predominantly white people, black people, all kinds of people? What is it? Yeah, it's mainly a well-versed audience. I can imagine. Yeah, very, very versed. Everybody knows your songs. Yeah, it's United Nations out there. What are you doing right now as far as your repertoire? Are you doing a little bit from the old school, a little bit of new school? What are you doing?

4:18I'm just, I'm doing all the hits. I love that. Like we prioritize the hits. Don't tell me, I'm about to, I'm staying to watch it. Yeah, no, yo, listen. I'm staying to watch it. You're going to have an amazing time. I'm so excited. Yeah, you're going to have an amazing time. I came here to watch. I told you I was coming, I'm coming. I'm coming out, so don't be disappointed me today. Don't be disappointing me today. I'm going to make it well worth your trip. How does it feel being on tour with Neo? Did you know him prior? Yeah, yeah, me and Neo go back 20 years. Oh, so you know him? It's like being on tour with your homie.

4:46Yeah, seriously. No problems, no issues, no egos. It's like, yo, what you need? What you got? You got it? You good? It's been just nothing but love the whole time and back and forth, vice versa as well. What do you think is the biggest difference between now and then? The biggest difference? Probably just our age. That's it. Does that make you less able? Do you feel like you can't do something like you're just wanting? No, it makes me more experienced. I mean, I feel more comfortable. I've been there done that this ain't the first rodeo so and then it gives me a better perspective of how the younger generation is grabbing gravitating so it seems like it's brand new for me because even the audience feels brand new because it's like their first experience seeing it you know I mean I could definitely yeah so yeah it's almost like a rebirth like as if I just dropped my record for the first time rebirth there again with the rebirth icon but you know it's because I'm telling you look so young that's why it hasn't changed for you so what was your favorite city so far so far I would probably say well we just started in the US but man Raleigh was crazy Raleigh that was the first night Raleigh Raleigh was credit Atlanta rowdy Atlanta was whoo Atlanta was in crazy nuts and it was listen Atlanta was so crazy it was a thunderstorm it still was jam-packed my your applete is indoor and out yeah yeah I'll go is raining cats and dogs and And then inside where the seats were, it was flooded because the rain was coming downhill.

6:15So people were like two inches of flood and it didn't even stop the show. Nothing. They were just sitting there. It didn't stop the show. And you didn't stop either, I'm sure. Absolutely not. No, you didn't. No, Atlanta was a zoo. That is so crazy. Did you bring the kids? Because last time when I saw you in L.A., you had all the kids coming. Yeah, they were all here. They were all here. Stop. They were all of them? All of them except whether my two daughters are not here because one is at a acapella academy in L.A. So she's going to make the West Coast run. and my other daughter's getting ready for college so she went to uh alabama to go visit her dorms and all that stuff but she's gonna meet me in new york though that isn't how many kids yeah i got nine all together seven boys nine but then you have all the kids that you didn't oh yeah my adoptations they're 50 i got i adopted 50 kids and no they're they're in africa because that was incredible too but they came out to the european shows though amazing did you um so now being on tour what would you say is like something new that you brought in this time that you probably weren't doing before but maybe something new to change it up a little bit um I got my twins Les twins yeah so they out here with me they kept choreographed everything that you saw and they gave me a few dance steps too so you'll see me and then she's teaching me stuff I'm like wait hold up Les twins got me dancing on stage for the first time are the kids so proud of you no they love it they are loving it man are they like dad you're really this is a dad you're amazing well they're old enough now they don't they keep their own ego they think they yeah they think they they better they're trying to get their own class they should yeah i get it and i mean i want them to feel that they're better yeah no i don't want i don't want the lady to feel herself no where she came from she need to know where i think she i think she knows she's willing to let you know that yeah she definitely now you have a daughter going to college yep what's that feel like oh it's a little scary though it's a little scary yes she's my oldest yeah where's she going she's going to Alabama so yeah so I mean we'll see you know how it is you give me she's out there dormant first time own spot you know you know how that gets oh I know I know I'm going through everything I know I am a little nervous I don't love the idea I got spies out there so they don't think she don't like I think Lily's going to New York yeah the first year and a half two years gotta have the spies out what do you mean just she can't come home are you letting your daughter if she doesn't like it if she doesn't like it are you gonna let her come back no no she can't i mean it's up but she she has no choice she chose to go out there so she got to stay out there lily you heard that just yeah i mean you can you can stay home in atlanta then you come home every day every weekend but yeah when you want to go outside the premises it's real life how um how many cities have you done so far uh so far we've done

8:5235 cities 35 cities but what does that look like day to day are you doing like one every other day Are you doing five? Yes, it's pretty much one every day and then in between those one every days is one every other day Depending on the distance how far we got to travel on the bus. So real question. How are you keeping your peace? It's a lot. Oh, no, this is this the most peaceful thing ever No one can get a hold of you because you're always on the bus stop So what do you do to decompress after you're done with oh the performance and then the tour bus? I'm sorry most Well the stage now becomes to work out every day.

9:21I'm hitting that cardio. That is in yeah Yeah. Yeah. So what are tell me some rituals you do before you get on stage? Anything? Well, this this on this one, it was mainly World Cup season. So I've been watching all the games, keeping track of all of that. That's been my ritual, just watching the games before I go on stage. Who are you rooting for today? I'm rooting for France. France? Yeah. Have you been to any of the World Cup? I've been four of them so far. I went to both Senegalese games and then I went to the last France and who's that they beat? Well, whoever that was. do you um i know you want to go watch the game so i'm gonna wrap it up but oh no you're good do you foresee yourself going on another tour after this yeah this is just going to be the beginning of more tours started again yeah yeah it's like it's like i just dropped a new record for the first time for you 100 so what are you doing what are you working on right now a new album a new album yeah you have the new album then you're going to do one right after no i'm already working on the new album you're always ahead of steam i'm already working on the Because you're an overachiever.

10:20We're already working on it. Aconic. You are Acon, of course. We already know who you are. I can not with you. Wait, are you going to Disney World? Hell no. No, we ain't got time. Did you want to go there? No, no. You know, I was raised. I know. My earlier life there. Don't you remember I told you I hate Disney? I know, and I loved it. I know, I hate it. But it was your experience. No, I just don't like it. It's so hot and there's lots of kids screaming everywhere. No. Exactly, your experience. Yeah, I guess. You're right and I live right over there that name. I'm not definitely not um Akron you are for real legendary But what is when you're on stage?

10:57What is like your favorite song to do when you're up there? Favorite song to do you can do it from the new album and the old album I mean not but I like all of them. I mean like literally every song I mean you're gonna see tonight from top to bottom. It's gonna be non-stop Who goes on do you on first or Neil goes on first? and then I come on right behind him. And then we go back and forth. Of course, and then of course you steal the show, of course. I wouldn't say that. Nir got an amazing show. Yeah, I have never seen him just now. He has an amazing show. I'm excited for tonight. If there's one thing you want to let the audience know about you and what you're doing and the way that you feel, give them something.

11:34You gotta, I can't, it's hard to explain. Like, you gotta come out. There's no other way, like. Are you just like, when you go out there, are you just in awe? Sometimes like, holy shit, like this is, I'm doing this. But the funniest thing is like you're doing this 20 years later. Right. That's what's the all. That's the all. Because it's literally like as if it's literally like I just dropped again for the first time as a brand new artist. And that says so much. It don't even feel like I'm seasoned. It feels like this is my first ever opportunity again. Amazing. You are amazing. Which is dope.

12:06I love that. What's the biggest misconception people think about you right now? That I'm short. That you're short? Yeah. I get that everywhere I go. Then you're short? Yes, everyone thinks I'm short until they meet me like I didn't know he was so tall. Yeah, you're very sorry. God that is so crazy. I don't know like every fan From the moment they'd be like I thought you were short and you're amazing and super sweet and humble. I appreciate it So crazy. Thank you. What are you about to do right now? I'm about to go. I got some couple phoners to knock out then I got the meet and greet and then we get ready for the show All right, well, we'll do your thing.

12:38You got it. I appreciate you. Yes are you doing any more reality tv are you gonna do any reality tv or no no i don't think i'm gonna do any reality tvs personally but i'm i'm most producing for you you are yeah what are you doing i got one that's that's about to come in with about lunch so you think it's probably gonna be the biggest thing it's called how to be a wife and not a girlfriend sorry how to be a wife and not a girlfriend yeah okay tell me that's the thing right now women want they all want to be wise but i don't know quite how to be one and they think being a good girlfriend is being a life it's two different up with responsibilities oh okay so you're gonna educate us they treat the girlfriend aspect as if they're already married so you have all these marriage rules in a regular relationship and expecting you to be yeah it just doesn't work i think it's this generation you're married you use the same rules in your marriage and then you're like listen i'm not gonna keep you anymore i just want to say thank you i came out because i said i would i'm a woman of my world i appreciate that I love seeing you.

13:31You're buying something. And now you can document it. Yes. What? That was amazing. Yeah. I appreciate you. No, thank you.