“America was nēver built for blãck people. I can’t count the number of times I was bēaten, arrêstēd, and jūdged unfaîrly in America for being blãck.” __ Akon
“Growing up as a blãck in America was very different because I was an African and at the time having blãck skin was a cr!me. I was always being pîcked on in school and in the strēēts. The fact that I was blãck got me in trouble all the time. Like if there was a rõbbēry and I was seen around the area, I’d be arrêstēd for being blãck and being at a rõbbēry scène. I was mîstreated and unfaîrly jūdged because I was an African. I was always in fîghts trying to stand up to those who pîcked on me. I spent a lots of time in jaîl too, collectively about 3 years. Most of the time I was arrêstēd for being blãck. But my longest time in jaîl was for about 6 months for stealîng cars and hustling. I was stealîng cars because I was tired of trying so much to live a normal life but always getting arrêstēd for being blãck so I decided to actually do something that was worth going to jaîl.
But after all that, I realized that the only way to make them see us blãcks differently was to create impact and that’s when I started singing. And that was when I started experiencing love from whîte people in America.” ~ Akon