Akon Is Secretly Recruiting Country Artists for New Project

Go ahead and add Akon to the ever-growing list of artists outside of country music who are clamoring to be a part of the genre.

The hip-hop artist has shared his master plan to move into the country club, and it’s the most unique approach we’ve seen yet. It involves re-imagining all of his songs.

“I’m actually redoing my whole catalog in country,” Akon tells TMZ. “I’m not even joking.”

He’s not operating on a whim, either. Akon admits that this has been a process that’s been in the making for quite sometime.

“This has been an idea for years like forever,” he adds. “The project has been in motion for the last five years. But starting next month, y’all gonna start seeing all the releases.”

Part of that five-year process has been recruiting country artists to be a part of his catalog’s remakes. In fact, he’s letting these singers take the lead.

“They’re country artists featuring me,” he explains. “They’re the ones performing them.”

Although he did not name names, it’s hard not to let your imagination run wild as to who could be involved in the project. And how fun for some of these artists who might have grown up hearing Akon’s music on the radio.

Country Music’s Relationship With Hip-Hop

There has been a trend in recent years for non-country artists to take a swing at making country music. For some, like Post Malone, it comes from a love for the genre. For others, it’s about challenging themselves as songwriters, which is the heartbeat behind the format.

Related: Will Post Malone’s New Album Be Country? Here’s What We Know

Then there are those who just love a good musical collision!

The country curiosity has been there for years, with Nelly famously working with Tim McGraw and Florida Georgia Line in the early 2000s. More recently, BigXthaPlug collaborated with Bailey Zimmerman on a new song called “All the Way”, while Snoop Dogg jumped on a track titled “Gettin’ Gone” with Ernest.