16 years after its release, Akon is reflecting on his number one global smash hit “Smack That” featuring Eminem. The entrepreneur sat down with Bootleg Kev podcast about his chart-topping singles in the mid-to-late 2000s.
Eminem The Producer
In the interview, Akon said that Eminem produced “Smack That,” which was the first song Akon did not have his hands on. “It’s interesting because every record I ever put out, I actually produced, except ‘Smack That,’” he explained. “Eminem produced that record. Isn’t that crazy? He always had them small little sounds, it was something minute, but it felt like Eminem.”
Akon also revealed that he was shocked to know that Eminem was a top-tier producer. “He gave me a folder with, like, 30 tracks in there. And out of 30, I picked five. And I recorded all five, and the one that stood out was ‘Smack That.’ I was like, ‘Bro, this is it’.”
While “Smack That” was the only recording to see the light of day and became a massive hit, Akon still has some of the other records they recorded together.” And that’s the only one we ever had together, besides all those we did. But I still have them. I literally have those records today.” He then adds that the records may be released in the future.
Akon’s Konvicted
“Smack That” is featured on Akon’s 2006 record Konvicted. The song went on to chart at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance. The album also included the hits “I Wanna Love You” featuring Snoop Dogg, “I Can’t Wait” featuring T-Pain and “Don’t Matter.”
Since Konvicted, he went on to release three more albums, with his latest being Konnect in 2019. He is also featured on many hits including Lady Gaga’s breakout record “Just Dance,” “The Sweet Escape” with Gwen Stefani and “Sexy Chick” with David Guetta.
