Day in the Life of Akon

The only things I really knew about Akon before we shot him was that he and Young Jeezy take it easy and he likes to Smack That --- (til you get sore). We also learned–after a 6am trip to Chicago that turned into a weekend of free time when his manager took us aside at the airport to tell us maybe it wasn't a good day to be shooting him after all, how about tomorrow in LA?–is that he travels with an entourage and can be hard to pin down. No biggie. We're flex. We had gelato with friends in Wicker Park and hooked back up with him when he was shooting his Vh1 Rags to Riches in New Jersey the next week. He was real. He took us to White Castle in his Escalade and signed his fans' boobs in the parking lot. At the concert that night, maybe it was the sparkly jacket (or the thick cloud of ganja in the concert hall) but he turned into a different person. It was suddenly extra clear what it is that makes him star. (Here are some photos from the Day in The Life of Akon, for VMAN9)