14 DAY TRIAL // During a 2007 concert, Akon grabbed a teenage male fan who had gotten up on stage presumably to meet his idol, raising him above his head and then threw him in the pit, where he was hurt. Akon is now serving 65 hours of court-ordered anti-violence campaign, and the tour has reached Poughkeepsie a couple of hours ago, where the singer addressed youngsters at a gun violence forum.
As we also reported a while back, a young rapper from Atlanta, Dolla, was shot in Los Angeles. Dolla was signed with Akon’s Konvict Muzik record label, and was one of Akon’s most promising protégées. Inevitably, the singer also talked about the senseless death of the 21-year-old rapper and upcoming star, saying there was a time when he too was irresponsible enough to carry a gun on him for what he believed was protection.
“I never smoked, never drank but I did carry a gun. That one moment still haunts me today. At the time I thought I was doing it for protection. Imagine if I would have used it – I might not even be talking to you today. I appreciate the fact that the mayor even allowed me to come here to speak to you today. Thanks to the city of Poughkeepsie for forgiving me for my faults. It’s been a great wake-up call for me. The beautiful part of it is that I’m in the position to be able to pass that knowledge to you so you don’t go through those same situations.” Akon told the audience about what it means to be able to speak now of his past mistakes and perhaps prevent others from making them as well.
Dolla, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. His shooter did not have anyone to warn him what might happen if he carried a gun with him, and Dolla is now dead because of it, Akon said. “The timing of this couldn’t have been better because I’m sure you all know that I had an artist named Dolla who just got shot last week. He didn’t make it. It was a very senseless crime. He was a great kid, he didn’t deserve it. He was only 19, supporting his whole family through his music and the reason he got shot was probably the most miscellaneous thing ever.” the “Smack That” singer said of his late protégé.
Akon, as most fans know, has a pretty colorful rap sheet, from which he even inspired his best-selling album “Konvict.” Back in April 2008 though, the Smoking Gun conducted an undercover investigation into his past and learned that the three years he allegedly spent in jail for running a car theft ring and chop shop were more like a couple of months for gun possession, and that the entire criminal past was fabricated to move albums and give him more street cred.