Trouble (Akon album)

Trouble
Studio album by
Akon
ReleasedJune 29, 2004
RecordedSeptember 2003 – March 2004
StudioWhite Room Studio, Detroit, Michigan
Genre
Length42:28
Label
Producer
Akon chronology
Trouble
(2004) 		Konvicted
(2006)
Singles from Trouble
  1. "Locked Up"
    Released: April 5, 2004[2]
  2. "Ghetto"
    Released: December 21, 2004
  3. "Lonely"
    Released: February 22, 2005[3]
  4. "Belly Dancer (Bananza)"
    Released: June 27, 2005[4]
  5. "Pot of Gold"
    Released: November 15, 2005

Trouble is the debut studio album by Senegalese-American singer-songwriter Akon, released on June 29, 2004. The album contains Akon's worldwide hit single, "Lonely", which was his commercial breakthrough. However, the release of "Locked Up" propelled Akon to sign a record deal. "Gunshot (Fiesta Riddim)" was released as promotional single on May 11, 2004.[5] The album achieved significant success in the United Kingdom, topping the UK Albums Chart. Trouble sold 25,000 copies in its first week and was later certified double platinum by the RIAA in the United States, with overall sales reaching 1.6 million copies.

Background

Although "Lonely" offered the album's best option in terms of commercial breakthrough, SRC Records A&R Jerome Foster told HitQuarters that "Locked Up" was chosen because he wanted to break Akon in the streets first and work towards a cross-over. "Locked Up" is a street record. I thought that was the place for us to start to get a fan-base, knowing that we had a record like "Lonely", which was more commercial, to follow it."[6] The final appearance on the Billboard 200 was for the chart dated November 26, 2005. The album first appeared on the UK Album Chart on February 12, 2005. It slowly climbed up the chart before finally reaching the summit on April 30, 2005. It then spent two non-consecutive weeks at #1 on the UK Album Chart. Trouble is by far Akon's most successful album in the United Kingdom to date.

Release

When originally released in 2004, the UK version of the album contained 13 tracks, whilst US versions of the album only contained 12, omitting the song "Ghetto". The digital version of the US album includes the bonus track "Kill The Dance". In 2005, the UK version of the album was re-issued with additional bonus tracks "Gunshot" and a remix of "Locked Up". In Japan, the bonus tracks were the same; however, the track "Ghetto" was once again omitted. For its release across Europe in late 2004, the album was completely altered, with remixes of "Belly Dancer", "Lonely" and "Don't Let Up" replacing the original versions, issued in the US and UK. The European version also removes the track "I Won't" and replaces it with a brand new track, "Easy Road". In 2005, the album was reissued, this time with a bonus disc containing two brand new tracks, two remixes and six collaborations between Akon and other artists. In Europe, the bonus disc contained 11 tracks, adding another remix of "Ghetto" as track one. In 2006, all US versions of the album were removed from iTunes, replacing them with the European version. However, the European edition loses the track "Easy Road" and replaces it with the original track "I Won't", and also includes the US digital bonus track "Kill The Dance", instead of the remix of "Locked Up".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Christgau's Consumer Guide[8]
RapReviews6.5/10[9]
SpinA−[10]
Sputnikmusic3/5[11]

New York Times critic Kelefa Sanneh called Trouble a "surprisingly strong debut album. Working in the tradition pioneered by R. Kelly, Akon moves deftly from hard-knock stories to dance-floor sleaze to inspirational ballads; the verses are full of nimble sing-rapping and the choruses are often simple and incantatory, with Akon multitracking his voice to sing his own backing vocals."[12] Azeem Ahmad, writing for musicOMH, felt that Trouble stood out from typical "street-to-success" rap stories. He praised highlights such as like "Locked Up", "Trouble Nobody" and "When the Time's Right" for their emotion and strong beats and concluded that Akon's distinctive, "almost tribal" vocals made Trouble both intense and easy to listen to.[13]

AllMusic editor Andy Kellman wrote that on Trouble, "unfortunately, no other song" comes close to being as gripping as "Locked Up." He noted that the club-oriented tracks fall "flat, most of the soul-searching moments feel forced, and the harder and more sexual tracks tend to be more silly than alluring. At its best, Trouble places you in Akon's turbulent world. At its worst, which is often, the album is excessively tedious."[7] Hot Press editor Colm O'Hare felt thath Trouble sounded like many other hip-hop/R&B records. He admitted Akon "hadn't a bad voice," but argued that the themes and titles such as "Gangsta", "Ghetto", and "Gunshot" were "clichéd in the extreme."[14]

Commercial performance

The album performed well in the United Kingdom where it peaked at No. 1 on the UK Album Chart. Trouble sold 25,000 copies in the first week,[15] and certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA in the United States and has sold 1.6 million copies.[16][17]

Track listing

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Locked Up"Aliaune ThiamAkon3:56
2."Trouble Nobody"
Akon3:23
3."Bananza (Belly Dancer)"
Akon4:00
4."Gangsta" (featuring Daddy T, Picklehead and Devyne)
  • Thiam
  • Torrey Pettigrew
  • Jonathan Mann
  • Darrick Stephens
Akon4:15
5."Ghetto"
  • Thiam
  • Benny Darius
  • Akon
  • Benny-D
3:55
6."Pot of Gold"
  • Thiam
  • Shakim Williams
  • Akon
  • Shakim Williams
3:36
7."Show Out"ThiamAkon3:25
8."Lonely"
3:57
9."When the Time's Right"ThiamAkon3:44
10."Journey"ThiamAkon4:18
11."Don't Let Up"
  • Thiam
  • Bryan Boylai
  • Akon
  • Benny D
4:04
Total length:42:33
European edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."I Won't"
  • Thiam
  • Shawn Williams
Akon3:16
13."Locked Up" (Remix) (featuring Styles P)
  • Thiam
  • David Styles
3:50
German edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Locked Up" (remix; featuring Azad)
  • Thiam
  • Styles
  • Azad Azadpour
  • Akon
  • Knobody
3:42
Total length:54:21
British/Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Gunshot"
  • Thiam
  • Dave Kelly
Akon2:56
15."Locked Up" (remix; featuring Styles P and Taz)
  • Thiam
  • Styles
  • Akon
  • Knobody
3:48
French edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Locked Up" (remix; featuring Booba)
  • Thiam
  • David Styles
  • Elie Yaffa
  • Akon
  • Knobody
4:24
Total length:54:21
iTunes Store edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
13."Kill the Dance (Got Something for Ya)" (featuring Kardinal Offishall)
  • Thiam
  • Jason Harrow
  • Dwayne Chin-Quee
  • Akon
  • Supa-Dups
2:58
AlbumHunt special edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."A.T.L. to L.A. to N.Y.C." (featuring G-Unit and The Game)
  • Thiam
  • Curtis Jackson
  • Tony Yayo
  • Lloyd Banks
  • Jayceon Taylor
Akon3:17
13."Pot of Gold" (remix)
  • Thiam
  • Shakim Allah
  • Akon
  • Shakim Williams
3:52
14."Show Out" (remix; featuring Dru Hill)
  • Thiam
  • Mark Andrews
  • Larry Anthony
  • Tamir Ruffin
  • James Green
Akon3:12
15."Ghetto" (remix; featuring Ali-B and Yes-R)
  • Thiam
  • Darius
  • Akon
  • Benny-D
3:57
16."Gunshot"
  • Thiam
  • Dave Kelly
Akon2:56
17."Locked Up" (remix; featuring Styles P)
  • Thiam
  • David Styles
  • Akon
  • Knobody
3:50
18."I Won't"ThiamAkon3:16
American edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Easy Road"
  • Thiam
  • Shakim Allah
  • Akon
  • Shakim Williams
3:22
13."Locked Up" (remix; featuring Styles P)
  • Thiam
  • David Styles
  • Akon
  • Knobody
3:50
Total length:49:57
European enhanced edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Easy Road"
  • Thiam
  • Shakim Allah
  • Akon
  • Shakim Williams
3:22
13."Locked Up" (featuring Styles P)
  • Thiam
  • David Styles
  • Akon
  • Knobody
3:50
14."Locked Up" (remix; featuring Booba)
  • Thiam
  • Styles
  • Elie Yaffa
  • Akon
  • Knobody
3:42
15."Locked Up" (music video)   
16."Ghetto" (music video)   
17."Lonely" (music video)   
Deluxe edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Bananza (Belly Dancer)" (remix; featuring Kardinal Offishall)
Akon3:28
2."Gunshot"
  • Thiam
  • Dave Kelly
Akon2:56
3."Senegal"
  • Thiam
  • Anthony Hamilton
  • Mark Batson
Akon2:53
4."Keep on Callin'" (P-Money featuring Akon)
  • Thiam
  • Peter Waddams
  • Akon
  • P-Money
3:34
5."Never Gonna Get It" (Sean Biggs featuring Akon)
  • Thiam
  • Ron Feemster
  • Sean Biggs
  • Akon
  • Feemster
3:37
6."Miss Melody" (Miri Ben-Ari featuring Akon)
  • Akon
  • Ben-Ari
3:50
7."Kill the Dance (Got Something for Ya)" (featuring Kardinal Offishall)
  • Thiam
  • Harrow
  • Dwayne Quin-Chee
  • Akon
  • Supa-Dups
2:58
8."Find Us (In the Back of the Club)" (The Beatnuts featuring Akon)
  • Thiam
  • Jerry Tineo
  • Lester Fernandez
  • Akon
  • The Beatnuts
3:15
9."Baby, I'm Back" (Baby Bash featuring Akon)
  • Thiam
  • Ron Bryant
  • Taylor Dow
  • Akon
  • Bryan Stanley
3:48
10."Yey" (Grady Babyz featuring Akon)
  • Thiam
  • Torrey Pettigrew
  • Jonathan Mann
Akon4:32
Netherlands edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
11."Ghetto" (remix; featuring Ali-B and Yes-R)
  • Thiam
  • Benny Darius
  • Akon
  • Benny-D
3:57

Sample credits

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Trouble
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[48] Gold 35,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[49]
(20th Anniversary Edition) 		Platinum 40,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[50] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[51] Platinum 20,000‡
France (SNEP)[52] Gold 100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[53] 4× Platinum 60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[54] 2× Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[16] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  2. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1549. April 2, 2004. p. 22.
  3. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1594. February 18, 2005. p. 23.
  4. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1612. June 24, 2005. p. 33.
  5. ^ "Gunshot (Fiesta Riddim) – Single by Akon". iTunes Store. Apple. January 2004. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  6. ^ "Interview With Knobody". HitQuarters. September 27, 2005. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  7. ^ a b https://www.allmusic.com/album/r663003
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Akon". Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  9. ^ "Akon :: Trouble :: Universal Records". Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  10. ^ "Breakdown". Spin. September 2004. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  11. ^ Jack, Benjamin (May 10, 2021). "Akon - Trouble". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
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  13. ^ Ahmad, Azeem (January 31, 2005). "Album Reviews: Akon – Trouble". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  14. ^ O'Hare, Colm (March 2, 2005). "Trouble". Hot Press. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  15. ^ "The Game Wins No. 1 On The Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  16. ^ a b "American album certifications – Akon – Trouble". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  17. ^ Concepcion, Mariel (November 25, 2008). "Redemption Song: Akon". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
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