Akon to Re-record His Full Catalog With a Honky-Tonk Twist

The country music world has attracted artists from nearly every genre over the years, and hip-hop artist Akon has announced that he, too, will be countrifying his sound. In a video TMZ shared in April 2025, a reporter asked Akon if he would join other rappers who have recently stepped into the country genre. Akon’s surprising response: “I’m actually redoing my whole catalog in country.”

As Akon further explained, he began this monumental task about five years ago, and it has been in the works ever since. He also shared that fans can expect to see country iterations of his songs starting in May 2025. When asked who he’s planning to feature, Akon shared an interesting twist on how The project will look: “They’re country artists, featuring me.”

Akon has a Long List of Hit Songs to Choose From

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Five years is certainly a long time to work on a project, but the sheer volume of songs in Akon’s catalog makes this timeline make sense. The rapper has released five studio albums, but he’s also put out multiple mixtapes and EPs. As Billboard shared, Akon released his debut album, “Trouble,” back in 2004, giving him a little over two decades’ worth of music to turn into country songs.

Akon’s catalog is large, but so is his list of hits. As RIAA reported, the rapper has been racking up platinum hits since the early 2000s, with about a dozen to his name as of this publication. Two of his studio albums have also gone platinum over the years.

Canadian Country Singer Josh Ross Said He Wants to Collaborate With Akon

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Although Akon didn’t share any specifics about who might be joining forces with him on this country project, one artist informally threw his hat into the ring back in 2024. Canadian country singer Josh Ross performed a cover of Akon’s hit, “Right Now (Na Na Na)” in a pre-concert soundcheck video posted in May 2024.

A few months later, E Dose Daily shared a TikTok video in which Ross said that Akon is on the list of artists he’d love to make music with. “I’ve always been an Akon fan since I was a little kid,” the singer told interviewers.