Akon has been arrested in the US and has spent hours behind bars, according to officials.
The “Locked Up” singer, whose real name is Aliaune Thiam, was apprehended by Chamblee Police in Georgia on November 7.
The warrant for his arrest came from out of county, Roswell, New Mexico, and it remains unclear what the warrant was for.
Jail records indicate Mr Thiam was taken into custody at DeKalb County Jail and released around six hours later.
According to TMZ, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said Akon “got locked up in Georgia after being arrested on a warrant… but he’s already been let out of jail.”
Local news outlet Channel 2 Action News said it’s investigating what led to the warrant in Roswell.
Akon’s representatives have not commented on the arrest.
Akon is a five-time Grammy nominee who became a household name in the early 2000s thanks to smash hits “Locked Up”, “Lonely”, “I Wanna Love You”, and “Smack That”.
The singer’s music blends R&B with hip-hop and pop, and his accolade-studded record makes him one of the most iconic voices of the decade.
Akon has collaborated with music royalty, from Eminem to Snoop Dogg and Lady Gaga.
Over recent years, Akon has focused his attention on charitable ventures, including “Akon Lightning Africa,” which provides solar power to communities across the continent of Africa.
The Senegalese-American singer has even dabbled in tech and development, including planning a visionary city in Senegal called “Akon City”.
The project, which was announced in 2018, was reportedly inspired by the high-tech African nation of Wakanda from the Black Panther franchise.
The proposed site for the town is located near the coastal town of Mbodiène, which is planned to be run on Akon’s own cryptocurrency, Akoin.
Construction was billed to begin in 2021 and be completed by 2023, but progress has slowed and the site currently sits empty.
