Ex-con Akon has seen enough bars, so he's at CentralWorld on Friday

Top American rhythm and blues entertainer Akon pays his first visit to Bangkok on Friday, and his patient Thai fans can thank O&P Worldwide, who previously imported Tiesto.

Akon's 90 minutes are expected to draw 5,000 fans, and that adds up to massive fun.

"What's special is the stage," says a staffer at O&P. "It's built so he can interact more closely with the crowd. Akon will be bringing his full official band and DJ. Hopefully this will be one great show."

With Thaitanium and DJ Buddha as the opening acts, he's not likely to be wrong.

Homemade mix

Known for his club-tune favourites, the Senegalese-American singer born Aliaune Thiam broke through with a homemade mix of his own productions that Universal snagged.

His 2004 debut "Trouble", featuring his breakthrough track "Lonely", was greeted with awe, partly because of the way he laid out his criminal past with brutal honesty.

Between 2005 and last year Akon had 11 songs in the Billboard Hot 100.

His second and latest album, "Konvicted", has Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Styles P contributing and includes the hits "Smack That", "I Wanna Love You" and "Don't Matter".

He joined Gwen Stefani's "Sweet Escape" tour and is opening the Canadian leg of Rihanna's "Good Girl Gone Bad" excursion.

In 2006 he founded his own record label, Kon Live Distribution, and last year launched a line of streetwear called Konvict.

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Smack this

>> Akon is in concert at 7pm on Friday at CentralWorld, with Thaitanium and DJ Buddha as the opening acts.

>> Tickets are Bt2,000 and Bt3,500, available at Thaiticketmajor. Call (02) 262 3456.

>> UBRadio.net is offering tickets to the Akon concert as part of a discounted package with two other shows: Doc Martin at Q Bar on Friday and Grandmaster Flash at 808 on Saturday.