Setting the Stage for a Musical Conversation

The Power of Contracts in Music

Shifting Focus to Social Media and Streaming

The African Opportunity: Challenges and

Building a Musical Catalog and Selling Rights

The State of Music and Social Media

The Importance of Timeless Music

Selling Music Catalogs and Master Rights

The Role of Record Labels and Contracts

Investing in Artists as a Venture

The Future of African Music and Its

The Potential of African Infrastructure and

The Impact of Language Barriers in Africa

The Role of Technology in Unifying Africa

The Future of Energy in Africa

The Power of Social Media Impressions in

The 57 City World Tour and Fan Engagement

Wrapping Up and Future Plans

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Contracts Feel Great
01:16 Welcome and Catch Up
03:02 Timeless Music Strategy
04:39 Building and Selling Catalog
07:03 Deal Equity and Renegotiation
08:05 Why Contracts Turn Bad
09:45 Thinking Like the Fund
12:08 Africa Projects and Politics
13:36 Outside Influence and Sacrifice
15:35 Coastal City Opportunities
17:34 Trade Drives Growth
17:50 Afrobeats Goes Mainstream
18:30 Beyond Sports And Fame
19:34 AI Disrupts Music
19:59 Building Khan GPT
20:53 Language Divides Africa
23:33 Tech Bridges Dialects
24:30 Powering An AI Future
26:00 Impressions Versus Sales
28:53 Tour Data And Superfans
31:43 Akon And Ne Yo Tour
32:31 Album Tour Wrap Up

Akon sits down with Earn Your Leisure and breaks down WHY your record deal isn't the problem, how he thinks about investing like NO ONE else in the music industry, the REAL reason Africa hasn't reached its full potential, and why billions of social media impressions matter more than first-week sales. Plus — his new album Beautiful Day, a 60-city world tour with Ne-Yo, and why he's building an AI company in Dubai targeting ALL African dialects.

Topics Covered:

Why bad contracts only feel bad when you're making money
"I'm not thinking like a hedge fund — I AM the fund"
Selling pieces of his catalog to fund an entire city in Africa
Africa's REAL enemy (hint: it's not just colonialism)
TikTok vs Billboard — which one actually matters
Khan GPT: Akon's AI built for Africa's 1,200+ languages
Beautiful Day album + 60-city tour w/ Ne-Yo


Subscribe and watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@EarnYourLeisure

Join the EYL community for deeper training and a more detailed approach:
https://www.eyluniversity.com

Join the number one stock club in the world:
https://www.ianinvest.com

Invest Fest | August 7-9, 2026
Grab early bird tickets now: https://www.investfest.com

TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Contracts Feel Great 01:16 Welcome and Catch Up 03:02 Timeless Music Strategy 04:39 Building and Selling Catalog 07:03 Deal Equity and Renegotiation 08:05 Why Contracts Turn Bad 09:45 Thinking Like the Fund 12:08 Africa Projects and Politics 13:36 Outside Influence and Sacrifice 15:35 Coastal City Opportunities 17:34 Trade Drives Growth 17:50 Afrobeats Goes Mainstream 18:30 Beyond Sports And Fame 19:34 AI Disrupts Music 19:59 Building Khan GPT 20:53 Language Divides Africa 23:33 Tech Bridges Dialects 24:30 Powering An AI Future 26:00 Impressions Versus Sales 28:53 Tour Data And Superfans 31:43 Akon And Ne Yo Tour 32:31 Album Tour Wrap Up
Akon sits down with Earn Your Leisure and breaks down WHY your record deal isn't the problem, how he thinks about investing like NO ONE else in the music industry, the REAL reason Africa hasn't reached its full potential, and why billions of social media impressions matter more than first-week sales. Plus &mdash; his new album Beautiful Day, a 60-city world tour with Ne-Yo, and why he's building an AI company in Dubai targeting ALL African dialects.
Topics Covered:
Why bad contracts only feel bad when you're making money "I'm not thinking like a hedge fund &mdash; I AM the fund" Selling pieces of his catalog to fund an entire city in Africa Africa's REAL enemy (hint: it's not just colonialism) TikTok vs Billboard &mdash; which one actually matters Khan GPT: Akon's AI built for Africa's 1,200+ languages Beautiful Day album + 60-city tour w/ Ne-Yo
 Subscribe and watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/@EarnYourLeisure
Join the EYL community for deeper training and a more detailed approach: https://www.eyluniversity.com
Join the number one stock club in the world: https://www.ianinvest.com
Invest Fest | August 7-9, 2026 Grab early bird tickets now: https://www.investfest.com

Welcome to The Earn Your Leisure Podcast. Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings will be your host. Earn Your Leisure will be giving you behind the scenes financial views into the entertainment and sports industries as well as highlighting back stories of entrepreneurs. We will also be breaking down business models and examining the latest trends in finance. Earn Your Leisure is a college business class mixed with pop culture. We blend the two together for a unique and exciting look into the world of business. Let’s go!! #earnyourleisurepodcast

Earn Your Leisure

Akon: Building an Empire, Funding Africa, and Why 'I Am the Fund' Changes Everything | EYL

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1d524c74-f5e6-4361-a543-b46700c39228/transcript