Senegalese-American music producer and songster Akon was arrested and detained last Friday, following his failure to show up in court, and a subsequent incident involving driving his car without a valid licence.

The hip-hop artist, whose real name is Aliaune Thiam, was detained for nearly six hours by Chamblee police operatives, northeast of Atlanta.

Disclosing the cause of his arrest, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office told news outlets that the artist was arrested due to a bench warrant issued for his failure to appear in a case involving his invalid driver’s licence.

The police revealed that the artist’s arrest originated from Roswell, New Mexico, where police authorities stated that the artist’s licence had been suspended since January 2023. 

Earlier, in September, police officers reportedly caught Akon’s white Tesla Cybertruck stranded midway on a Georgia road, with the artist explaining that the car’s battery died.

Further routine checks on the vehicle’s licence plate uncovered that Akon lacked valid auto insurance, and his driving licence was already suspended, linked to an earlier court appearance that he failed to attend.

An officer at the scene, Joshua Rosa, stated that the music producer “complied by remaining calm”, as he did not deny the earlier court warrant issued against him.

Mr Rosa added that “An illegal vape in the center console was seized during the inventory and submitted for destruction”.

The police noted that the incident occurred following a traffic camera alert, which identified the Cybertruck as being present on the road and having previously defaulted on an outstanding warrant.

In an update, a news agency, TMZ, confirmed that Akon was subsequently arrested on November 7 and was booked into DeKalb County jail, before being released on bail later in the afternoon. 

A police mugshot, widely shared online, tied to the artist’s hours-long detention, showed the rapper wearing a black hoodie.

There have been no official comments from the artist or his representatives providing details about the incident.

Meanwhile, Akon resumed his musical tour in New Delhi, India, on November 10, two days after his arrest, raising concern over the legal situation in Georgia.