Akon is planning to file a defamation lawsuit against Suge Knight after he claimed the "Locked Up" singer sexually assaulted two teenage girls.
"I need to make it very clear that I absolutely deny these outrageous false and disgusting claims Suge Knight made on his podcast about me," Akon said in an exclusive statement shared with Complex. "I‘ve never called, received, or had any contact with Suge Knight since he has been incarcerated."
Suge Knight made the allegations against Akon on his Collect Call with Suge Knight podcast. The episode utilized a clip of an interview Akon did with DJ Vlad in 2020, where he addressed the time his former road manager knocked out the Death Row Records co-founder during a 2009 incident.
"My voice you heard on his podcast was a soundbite previously recorded from an interview I did with DJ Vlad 3 years ago regarding Suge Knight in 2009," Akon continued. "I’ve never been a guest on Suge Knight’s podcast. I always believe in building positivity into the world and my actions and legacy have spoken to that. It’s unfortunate that I have to defend myself from these lies and I will be involving my legal team in filing a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Knight, my prayers for him will still continue."
In the Collect Call episode, Suge Knight said one of his "home girls" told him that Akon and producer Detail sexually assaulted two teenagers, one aged 13 and one 12. He did not say when the alleged assault happened but did claim he told the woman not to go to the authorities because he wanted to handle it himself. Akon previously said that his issues with Suge Knight, a convicted felon ineligible for parole until October 2034, were financial.
Akon shared a comment responding to Suge Knight's claims earlier this week. "The world knows a lie when they hear it," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "It's unfortunate that this man is going out like this. It's sad and seriously embarrassing. Regardless of our history, I'm still going to be praying for him."
