The CashFlow

KNOWN AS ONE OF THE savviest businessmen in hip-hop, Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam, better known as Akon, has a busy career as a performer, but that's just the beginning. The writer/singer/rap star makes most of his income performing live, but he's also a sought-after producer; his work includes having produced Lady Gaga's million-selling debut album, The Fame.

Last year, Akon performed in 100 concerts in 12 months, grossing $230,000 per concert, not counting merchandise sales. The son of a dancer and a famous drummer/percussionist, Mor Thiam, Akon plays five instruments, but he did not have the discipline in his younger years to pursue that career. Instead, he and friends worked a car-theft hustle. Or he might have stolen a car just once; the stories may be exaggerated. However, he did jail time in Dekalb County, Georgia, and turned the experience into his first album, Trouble (2004), featuring the song "Locked Up," a multiplatinum single.

Now he's got several businesses going, including TV production, music production, fashion and talent spotting — Akon had the good sense to sign Lady Gaga to his Konvict music imprint, and she has gone on to become the biggest pop act on the planet. Akon doesn't have to make another record again for the rest of his life if he doesn't want to. But something tells us he's not finished.