Akon Axed by Verizon Over Simulated Rape

Posted May 4th 2007 3:44PM by TMZ Staff

Rapper Akon has been fired by Verizon -- and is being threatened with prosecution -- after he reportedly simulated a rape of a 15-year-old on stage during a concert in Trinidad a few weeks ago.

Verizon promoted Akon as one of the musicians on its mobile-phone music service, and said it would no longer sponsor the Gwen Stefani tour in which Akon, who recently performed on "American Idol," is the opening act.

The rapper invited 15-year-old Danah Alleyne onto the stage, and the girl obliged, thinking that she was entering a dance contest to win a "trip to Africa," as Akon promised. But when Alleyne "won" the contest, the "trip to Africa" turned out to be an on-stage encounter with Akon during which her "head was hitting the floor, said Alleyne to the Trinidad Express (via FOX News).

In its account of the incident, the Trinidad Express said that the "Smack That" rapper was "turning, twisting and even flipping [the girl's] body," while "mimicking sexual positions" and sandwiching the girl with the assistance of another performer. The Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said, in FOX News' report, that Akon should be prosecuted.

This isn't the first time Akon has done some sketchy work on stage. TMZ obtained exclusive footage of Tara Reid getting the Akon treatment during a party at the Sundance Film Festival.

A rep for Verizon told TMZ they were sponsoring Akon and made a decision this week to end the relationship for, as they called it, "reasons." Beyond that, the rep would not elaborate.

Filed under: Music

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(Page 6 of 12)Previous 15 Comments | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

76. #15 Jessica how dare you make such a generalization!!! it sounds like you could be jealous!

Posted at 9:09PM on May 4th 2007 by bam

77. He should be charged. But the bad thing is he will get away just like R. Kelly. These people need to be held accountable for being pedophiles

Posted at 9:21PM on May 4th 2007 by Rick

78. Its NASTY Ni--ers like this that give us a bad name.....DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 9:28PM on May 4th 2007 by AfroBro

79. jessica - so if someone has tattoos and wears a revealing shirt, they are "no stranger to sex?" and if someone is no stranger to sex, they deserve to get mauled by an a*hole? like stanz commented, 15 or 35, no one deserves to be publicly humiliated like that. start using your brain.

Posted at 9:49PM on May 4th 2007 by Coco

80. 97. He should be charged. But the bad thing is he will get away just like R. Kelly. These people need to be held accountable for being pedophiles


Posted at 9:21PM on May 4th 2007 by Rick

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Rick, you can't compare Akon to R. Kelly. R. Kelly knew he was with a youngster. Akon did not know her age. Does she look 14/15 to you??

Posted at 9:49PM on May 4th 2007 by Sasha

81. Another pedophiler somehow made famous.

Posted at 9:50PM on May 4th 2007 by dahoss

82. Where is Sharpton and Jackson... They need to put this guy away ...

Posted at 10:09PM on May 4th 2007 by Willy

83. How about this....How about all of you look at the pictures of this girl that she has on her website. How about you wonder how a 15 yr old got into a club thats meant for 18+. How about you think that Akon saw this girl and figured she was just as old as all the other women there. How about you start blaming parents for letting their little sluts go out of the house like this? I work in many clubs and I am terrified to even approach a girl because she may be a 15 yr old that looks like a 21 yr old. Dont blame a man who couldnt have any idea. What was he supposed to do, stop the show and ask for ID? Come on people use your damn heads

Posted at 10:42PM on May 4th 2007 by Brian

84. If people saw the pictures of the gilr, they would see that see was dressed like she was a grown ass woman. She looked like she was 20 something and how the hell was he supposed to know her age? Where the hell was her mother? So people need to stop judging him and check out the damn pictures. That girl didnt look anything like a 15 yr old.

Posted at 10:47PM on May 4th 2007 by Kells

85. I was in the Akon concert in Trinidad and saw everything live on stage. His "performance" was an insult to the intelligence of Trinidad people. I was outraged from the start and nobody knew then that the girl is only 15. This is not how Trinidadians dance and it is not customary in Trinidad for a 15 year old girl to go out into an adult club dressed in a extremely skimpy outfit - just wanted to make that clear. This incident caused a BIG controversy in Trinidad with newspaper and radio coverage for weeks! I am glad that Verizon took a stand against that sort of behavior! Congrats! Gunda

Posted at 11:50PM on May 4th 2007 by Gunda

86. What's a 15 year old doing there any way? what kind of parent would let their 15 year old go to this concert anyway? If you listen to his music they are all sexual in content nasty songs. He an embarrasment to his race.

Posted at 12:40AM on May 5th 2007 by carrie

87. Sick!

Posted at 1:38AM on May 5th 2007 by PrettyIrishWoman

88. I do not like Akon but I have to say that TMZ is wrong for saying it was simulated RAPE. People throw that word around to easily these days. She didn't look like she was resisting him when she was riding him (you know, in the pictures that hardly anyone shows because they are trying to paint their own one sided picture of the sitution!!!)

I also know that there is no way i'd fess up to my parents if they caught me somewhere I wasn't supposed to be, wearing something I wasn't supposed to be wearing and doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing... If I was a 14 year old girl of course. Wearing 4 inch heels, painted on jeans and a piece of thread for a blouse. And her father is a pastor? EMBARRASSING!!! I'd blame Akon too!!!

Also, has anyone ever seen Trinidad carnival? That Akon thing is nothing compared to what happens at Carnival!!! HYPOCRITES!!! That little girl is just crying foul because she got caught with her pants down. They are both wronn. Shame on them both!

Posted at 1:45AM on May 5th 2007 by Rachel

89. Calling this a "simulated rape" couldn't be more irresponsible. This was simulated sex and nothing more. it was part of a show meant for adults and performed in an adult night club.

If the pictures of the whole incident ever surface they will see a young woman wearing a shirt reavealing her breasts and navel piercing and wearing 4 inch heels. How in the world would he know this girl is 14?

She entered a club for adults 18+. According to an interview she gave, she lied to get in the club. She had a friend or someone who let her in at the door.

From the pictures that show the FULL account of the incident, she participated in the entire show at will, first by mounting him and performing a suggestive dance of her own.

The simulated sex is nothing different than what he does at all his concerts, as you can see from the Tara Reid video.

So if we're going to be about gossip and discrediting people (TMZ and FoxNews,) tell the WHOLE story. His performance may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it was far from "rape," and after seeing the pictures of the girl and the attire she had on that night in an adult 18+ and over night club, how in the world he was supposed to know her age is beyond me!

Posted at 3:17AM on May 5th 2007 by CeeCee

90. The girl did not look scared. Check out other pic of her dressed provocative and the sexal poses. If her parents were so concerned ; why did they allow her to get the tattoo and dress that way. She seemed to enjoy it and there was one pic where she was on top of him grinding.

There is no way he could have known she was under age. That seems to be a part of his show and if she is a big enough fan to attend the concert; I'm sure she knew his MO so why did she go on stage

Posted at 3:58AM on May 5th 2007 by Mandy

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