Trouble (Akon album)

Trouble is the debut album by American hip hop and R&B singer Akon, released in 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.[2] 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,[3] and certified Platinum by the RIAA in the United States and has sold 1.6 million copies.[4]

Trouble
Studio album by Akon
Released	June 29, 2004
Recorded	October 2003 – April 2004 at White Room Studio in Detroit, Michigan
Genre	R&B hip hop soul world
Length	42:28
Label	UpFront, SRC, Universal
Producer	Akon, Benny-D, Knobody, Shakim Williams, Disco D
Akon chronology
Trouble (2004) Konvicted (2006)
Singles from Trouble
"Locked Up" Released: April 13, 2004 "Ghetto" Released: December 21, 2004 "Lonely" Released: February 21, 2005 "Belly Dancer (Bananza)" Released: June 21, 2005 "Pot of Gold" Released: November 15, 2005

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	link
musicOMH	(mixed) link
RapReviews	(6.5/10) link
Robert Christgau	[1]
Spin	A− link

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."[5] 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 thirteen tracks, whilst US versions of the album only contained twelve, 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 Give Up" replacing the original versions, issued in the US and UK. The European version also removes the track "I Wont" 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 eleven 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 Wont", and also includes the US digital bonus track "Kill The Dance", instead of the remix of "Locked Up".

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Locked Up"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam	Akon	3:56
2.	"Trouble Nobody"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Dwight Grant, Ricardo Thomas	Akon	3:23
3.	"Bananza (Belly Dancer)"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Lynval Golding, Terence Hall, Neville Staples	Akon	4:00
4.	"Gangsta" (featuring Daddy T, Picklehead and Devyne)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Torrey Pettigrew, Jonathan Mann, Darrick Stephens	Akon	4:15
5.	"Ghetto"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Benny Darius	Akon, Benny-D	3:55
6.	"Pot of Gold"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Shakim Williams	Akon, Shakim Williams	3:36
7.	"Show Out"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam	Akon	3:25
8.	"Lonely"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Bobby Vinton, Gene Allen	Akon, Disco D	3:57
9.	"When The Time's Right"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam	Akon	3:44
10.	"Journey"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Anthony Lawson[6]	Akon	4:18
11.	"Don't Let Up"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Bryan Boylai	Akon, Benny D	4:04
Total length:				49:57

Second European Edition Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"I Won't"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Shawn Williams	Akon	3:16
13.	"Locked Up" (Remix) (featuring Styles P)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, David Styles	Akon, Knobody	3:50

British and Japanese Edition Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"I Won't"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Shawn Williams	Akon	3:16
13.	"Locked Up" (Remix) (featuring Styles P)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, David Styles	Akon, Knobody	3:50
14.	"Gunshot"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Dave Kelly	Akon	2:56
15.	"Locked Up" (Remix) (featuring Styles P and Taz)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, David Styles	Akon, Knobody	3:48

AlbumHunt Special Edition Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"A.T.L. to L.A. to N.Y.C." (featuring G-Unit and The Game)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Curtis Jackson, Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, Jayceon Taylor	Akon	3:17
13.	"Pot of Gold" (Remix)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Shakim Allah	Akon, Shakim Williams	3:52
14.	"Show Out" (Remix) (featuring Dru Hill)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Mark Andrews, Larry Anthony, Tamir Ruffin, James Green	Akon	3:12
15.	"Ghetto" (Remix) (featuring Ali-B and Yes-R)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Benny Darius	Akon, Benny-D	3:57
16.	"Gunshot"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Dave Kelly	Akon	2:56
17.	"Locked Up" (Remix) (featuring Styles P)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, David Styles	Akon, Knobody	3:50
18.	"I Won't"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam	Akon	3:16

American and First European Edition Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"Easy Road"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Shakim Allah	Akon, Shakim Williams	3:22
13.	"Locked Up" (Remix) (featuring Styles P)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, David Styles	Akon, Knobody	3:50
Total length:				49:57

European Enhanced Edition Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"Easy Road"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Shakim Allah	Akon, Shakim WIlliams	3:22
13.	"Locked Up" (featuring Styles P)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, David Styles	Akon, Knobody	3:50
14.	"Locked Up" (Remix) (featuring Booba)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, David Styles, Elie "Booba" Yaffa	Akon, Knobody	3:42
15.	"Locked Up" (Music Video)
16.	"Ghetto" (Music Video)
17.	"Lonely" (Music Video)

iTunes Store Edition Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"I Won't"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam	Akon	3:16
13.	"Kill the Dance (Got Something for Ya)" (featuring Kardinal Offishall)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Jason Harrow, Dwayne Chin-Quee	Akon, Supa-Dups	2:58

French Edition Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"I Won't"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam	Akon	3:16
13.	"Locked Up" (Remix) (featuring Booba)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, David Styles, Elie "Booba" Yaffa	Akon, Knobody	4:24
Total length:				54:21

German Edition Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"I Won't"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam	Akon	3:16
13.	"Locked Up" (Remix) (featuring Styles P)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, David Styles	Akon, Knobody	3:50
14.	"Locked Up" (Remix) (featuring Azad)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, David Styles, Azad Azadpour	Akon, Knobody	3:42
Total length:				54:21

Deluxe Edition

Trouble: Deluxe Edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Bananza (Belly Dancer)" (Remix) (featuring Kardinal Offishall)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Jason Harrow	Akon
2.	"Gunshot"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Dave Kelly	Akon	2:56
3.	"Senegal"	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Anthony Hamilton, Mark Batson	Akon	2:53
4.	"Keep on Callin'" (P-Money featuring Akon)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Peter Waddams	Akon, P-Money	3:34
5.	"Never Gonna Get It" (Sean Biggs featuring Akon)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Ron Feemster, Sean Biggs	Akon, Ron Feemster	3:37
6.	"Miss Melody" (Miri Ben-Ari featuring Akon)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Miri Ben-Ari	Akon, Miri Ben-Ari	3:50
7.	"Kill the Dance (Got Something for Ya)" (featuring Kardinal Offishall)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Jason Harrow, Dwayne Quin-Chee	Akon, Supa-Dups	2:58
8.	"Find Us (In the Back of the Club)" (The Beatnuts featuring Akon)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Jerry Tineo, Lester Fernandez	Akon, The Beatnuts	3:15
9.	"Baby, I'm Back" (Baby Bash featuring Akon)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Ron Bryant, Taylor Dow	Akon, Bryan Stanley	3:48
10.	"Yey" (Grady Babyz featuring Akon)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Torrey Pettigrew, Jonathan Mann	Akon	4:32

Netherlands Edition Bonus Track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
11.	"Ghetto" (Remix) (featuring Ali-B and Yes-R)	Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Benny Darius	Akon, Benny-D	3:57

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2004–05) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] 12 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[8] 32 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[9] 54 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[10] 34 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[11] 5 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 36 French Albums (SNEP)[13] 11 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 24 Irish Albums (IRMA)[15] 3 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] 2 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[17] 6 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 49 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 31 UK Albums (OCC)[20] 1 US Billboard 200[21] 18 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[22] 11

Year-end charts Chart (2004) Position US Billboard 200[23] 192 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[24] 67 Chart (2005) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[25] 90 French Albums (SNEP)[26] 64 UK Albums (OCC)[27] 33 US Billboard 200[28] 66 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[29] 41

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30]	Gold	35,000^^
Canada (Music Canada)[31]	Gold	50,000^^
France (SNEP)[32]	Gold	100,000^*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33]	2× Platinum	30,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[34]	Platinum	300,000^^
United States (RIAA)[35]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Akon". Robert Christgau.
2. "Gunshot (Fiesta Riddim) – Single by Akon". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
3. "The Game Wins No. 1 On The Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
4. Concepcion, Mariel (November 25, 2008). "Redemption Song: Akon". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
5. "Interview With Knobody". HitQuarters. Sep 27, 2005. Retrieved Jul 1, 2010.
6. registration information from "BMI" for song JOURNEY Lawson & Thiam JF8458 T- 071.400.351-6
7. "Australiancharts.com – Akon – Trouble". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
8. "Austriancharts.at – Akon – Trouble" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
9. "Ultratop.be – Akon – Trouble" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
10. "Ultratop.be – Akon – Trouble" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
11. "Danishcharts.dk – Akon – Trouble". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Akon – Trouble" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
13. "Lescharts.com – Akon – Trouble". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Akon – Trouble" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
15. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Akon". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
16. "Charts.nz – Akon – Trouble". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
17. "Norwegiancharts.com – Akon – Trouble". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
18. "Swedishcharts.com – Akon – Trouble". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
19. "Swisscharts.com – Akon – Trouble". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
20. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
21. "Akon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
22. "Akon Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
23. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
24. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
25. "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2005". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
26. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2005" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
27. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
28. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
29. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
30. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
31. "Canadian album certifications – Akon – Trouble". Music Canada. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
32. "French album certifications – Akon – Trouble" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
33. "Top 40 Albums Chart: Chart #1462 (Monday 30 May 2005)". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
34. "British album certifications – Akon – Trouble". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 2, 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Trouble in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
35. "American album certifications – Akon – Trouble". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 2, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.