Akon Video Showcase

Three 6 Mafia (formerly Triple Six Mafia) is an Academy Award-winning American rap group originating from Memphis, Tennessee. Formed in 1991 by DJ Paul, Lord Infamous, and Juicy J, they shortly thereafter recruited fellow Memphian rappers Koopsta Knicca, Gangsta Boo, and Crunchy Black. The group also frequently collaborates with Project Pat (the brother of Juicy J). Their 2005 song, "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp", won Best Original Song at the 78th Academy Awards.

The group released their horrorcore debut underground album Smoked Out, Loced Out in 1994 through Prophet Entertainment, a record label they created but have since relinquished control over. Their musical style?which initially featured dark, menacing beats with equally gritty lyrics?has since moved to a more mainstream sound. The group has also had numerous lineup changes, and now consists only of original members DJ Paul,and Juicy J. Nonetheless, they have cultivated a sizeable and diverse cult following that has only increased since their Oscar win. They most recently released their ninth studio album Last 2 Walk on June 24, 2008. DJ Paul's new solo album Scale-A-Ton was released May 5, 2009, Juicy J's Solo Album Hustle Till I Die was released June 16, 2009 and released Lord Infamous's newest album After Sics(January 27, 2009)& releasing his new album Blood Money (July 28, 2009).

Jason D. HarrowMTV (born 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (),Red Bull Music Academy is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.BillboardXXL Magazine

Aliaune Thiam better known by his middle and stage name Akon ()Ingolo.com: Pronunciation of Akon., is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist of Senegalese origin. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up? the first single from his debut album Trouble. His second album, Konvicted, earned him a Grammy Award nomination for the single "Smack That." He has since founded two record labels, Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution.

Akon often sings hooks for other artists and is currently accredited with over 180 guest appearances and 23 Billboard Hot 100 songs. He is the first solo artist to accomplish the feat of holding both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice.Bronson, Fred. "Chart Beat", Billboard Magazine, 2007-04-05.

Levell Crump, better known by the stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, occasional actor, record producer, record label executive, and philanthropist. His stage name is taken from the lead character of the 1970s and 1980s CBS television series The Incredible Hulk.VH1.com : David Banner - Rhapsody Music Downloads[http://orig.clarionledger.com/news/0306/16/o01.html The Clarion-Ledger: Mississippi's News Source]

Algernod Lanier Washington (born July 1, 1976), better known by his stage name Plies, is an American rapper signed to Slip-n-Slide Records. He debuted in 2007 with The Real Testament with the chart-topping singles "Shawty" and "Hypnotized". Plies also recorded two bestselling albums in 2008, Definition of Real and Da REAList and plans another album in 2009.

A ghetto is described as a "portion of a city in which members of a minority group live; especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure."ghetto - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² (11.7 million sq mi) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area.Sayre, April Pulley. (1999) Africa, Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN 0-7613-1367-2. With a billion people (as of 2009, see table) in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the World's human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Not counting the disputed territory of Western Sahara, there are 53 countries, including Madagascar and various island groups, associated with the continent.

Africa, particularly central eastern Africa, is widely regarded within the scientific community to be the origin of humans and the Hominidae tree (great apes), as evidenced by the discovery of the earliest hominids and their ancestors, as well as later ones that have been dated to around seven million years ago ? including Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Australopithecus africanus, A. afarensis, Homo erectus, H. habilis and H. ergaster ? with the earliest Homo sapiens (human) found in Ethiopia being dated to ca. 200,000 years ago.

Africa straddles the equator and encompasses numerous climate areas; it is the only continent to stretch from the northern temperate to southern temperate zones.

Faheem Rasheed Najm (born September 30, 1985), better known by his stage name T-Pain, is an American hip hop and R&B singer-songwriter, and producer. He began his career as a rapper in the group Nappy Headz. In 2005, his debut album Rappa Ternt Sanga was released and spawned the hits "I'm Sprung" and "I'm N Luv (Wit A Stripper)". Since the release of that album, T-Pain has produced numerous hits of his own and for other rappers and R&B singers. T-Pain has also had over 10 top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2008, he won a Grammy with rapper Kanye West for the single "Good Life". He was rated #34 of the most influential people in the world on the 2009 Time 100 list.