In interviews, Akon has consistently claimed that he was in prison for four and a half years for his role as the ringleader of a “notorious car theft operation.” He says he’s escaped cops in numerous high-speed pursuits and went down only because his underlings betrayed him. Inside the “joint,” 150-pound Akon “fought almost every day for two years,” defeating inmates of varying sizes to become a champion among inmates. According to him, “I knew where to hit you to knock you out, so I didn’t fear you.” Amazing, right?
Wrong. The Smoking Gun did some digging into Akon’s past and pretty much disputes all of his wild stories. He was never part of a notorious car theft operation and the only time he was connected to a car at all was when he was driving a stolen BMW. He spent several months in jail (far less than the four and a half years) for that until charges were dropped. The only felony he’s ever been convicted of is gun possession which earned him three years probation.
The Smoking Gun has more details. It’s a long, but interesting read. To sum it up, even I have more street cred than Akon. For instance, one time I held my penis sideways and shot a girl in the face with it. “Blamo, blamo, blamo!,” I shouted at her.