EW.com
With his sensitive-guy croon and ex-con vocabulary, Senegal-raised singer Akon is the R&B thug of the moment. Konvicted, the follow-up to his multiplatinum 2004 debut, continues to flaunt his real-life rap sheet with swaggering gangsta soul, though he alternates the grit with syrupy laments like ''The Rain'' and ''Never Took the Time.'' The wicked stuff is a lot more compelling. Hit single ''Smack That'' features the liveliest Eminem cameo in ages, and ''Shake Down'' is a drug dealer's anthem fit for an episode of The Wire.
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