During his November 18th appearance on The Real, Akon discussed being multilingual and his philanthropic work bringing electricity to rural communities in Africa with his project "Akon Lighting Project." The musical artist and entrepreneur also took the time to discuss a possible presidential run in 2024. The 46-year-old talked briefly about how his experiences could guide him in discovering answers for the nation that others would not see.

"I know what the issues are,” Akon told the hosts. “As a person, as an immigrant, as a Black man, as whatever you want to call it, I kinda know or feel like I know that I can take the country and move it forward. I really believe so."

Despite being most well-known for his Senegalese roots, Akon would be eligible for the position, as he was born in St. Louis. 

In response, co-host Loni Love mentioned his potential 2024 opponent, Kanye West, to whom Akon offered praise.

 

"Well, I don’t think it would be a competition,” Akon said in response to Love's inquiry. “I actually need him to run, I want him to run. Because it’s like this, Kanye’s not crazy. He just been awakened. My belief, from a spiritual state, I just feel like he’s awake now,” Akon continued. “He’s [the] most amazing marketer in the world. He understands his audience, but he’s definitely not crazy."

West previously mentioned the idea of launching a president campaign in an interview with The Associated Press.

"When I run for president in 2024, we would've created so many jobs that I'm not going to run, I'm going to walk," West said.

During the interview, Akon also pointed to his numerous humanitarian efforts and connections with multiple African presidents as his qualifications for the job.