Akon recently came under fire for some comments he made where he claimed that rich people have more problems than poor people, and he's refusing to walk back his remarks because, as he states in a new interview with TMZ, he's speaking from personal experience.
Speaking about the passing of actor Michael K. Williams, Akon suggested that sometimes, rich people have even more problems than poor people. His comment was misunderstood by many, and it ended up offending some. Catching up with the media outlet again this weekend, Akon re-addressed his comments, explaining that his sentiment comes from personal experience as he has lived both worlds.
The 48-year-old artist doubled down on his controversial comments, saying, "Sometimes, when comments like that are made, like, me, I always speak according to what I'm personally going through myself. Nobody can sit there and tell me that I didn't go through poverty. I was the young African kid barefooted playing soccer in a village with no electricity, no running water, I know what that felt like. And believe me, I know what poverty looks like. But I also know what success looks like. And from my personal experience, I'm having more problems successfully dealing with all that comes with success than I had when I was poor. I was actually happier when I was poor."
Akon went on to say that he apologizes to those that were offended by his initial statements, claiming that he never meant to come off as arrogant, concluding with, "Money is not always the cure. There's rich people right now committing suicide, dying over overdoses. It's not the money, it's the mindset. The money creates and breeds so much jealousy and envy, money brings about a lot of evil."
Check out Akon's new comments below and let us know what you think.