Akon was born Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam on April 16, 1973, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, to Mor Thiam, a traditional jazz musician, and Kine Thiam, a dancer. His parents moved to their hometown Dakar, Senegal, West Africa soon after Akon was born and lived there for 7 years.

Akon was born into a Muslim family. He’s of Senegalese descent and spent most of his childhood in the African country. When he turned seven, he moved with his family to Union City, New Jersey. He attended William L. Dickinson High School and learned to play multiple instruments.

His mother is dancer Kine Gueye Thiam (née Gueye), and his father is percussionist Mor Thiam. Mor Thiam was born to a Toucouleur family of Quranic scholars in Kaolack, Senegal. Akon spent a significant part of his childhood in Senegal, which he described as his "hometown".

His family returned to Dakar, Senegal, in West Africa, when Akon was young and lived there until he was 7 years old, when they moved back to the United States. Akon’s mother, Kine Thiam, is a dancer; his father, Mor Thiam, is a well-known jazz percussionist. Due to their influence, Akon heard and loved music from an early age.

His mother was a dancer; his father, Mor Thiam, a jazz percussionist. He caught the music bug early on and learned how to play the drums, guitar and djembe. His family moved back to the United States when he was seven, settling in Union City, N.J., where he discovered hip-hop.