Aadesh raps and sings bhangra with American sensation Akon 
By Subhash K. Jha, February 20, 2008 - 11:30 IST
On the night of January 9 in Hollywood Los Angeles, history was created as Bollywood's composer Aadesh Shrivastava spent a good two hours jamming on stage with American hip-hop and rap sensation Akon.
Akon, known for his controversial image and provocative songs like 'Konvicted' is currently the undisputed pop-rap king in the US. Aadesh and Akon along with rapper Wyclef Jean played Bhangra and Hip- hop together on stage, bringing the audiences to their collective feet with their rousing performance.
Exhausted but triumphant, Aadesh could barely contain his excitement hours after the triumphant performance. "It's been the most exhilarating experience of my life. Akon is more than an icon. He's currently the slogan-mongerer the anthem-man, so to speak. When he got on stage with me and Wyclef at the House Of Blues, I didn't know what was in store. Akon and I played Bhangra together for a couple of hours. He loved what I was doing with the rhythms and acoustics. And I loved his hip-hop sounds. We played each other's music. The audience went wild."
And now Akon wants to do an album with Aadesh! Says the jubilant desi composer, "Yes, after the show last night we've discussed an album together. But I've made it clear that I'll be playing only my brand of music. Bhangra and ragas….I'm very clear about this. I don't want to go out West and ape the singers there…When my 10-year old son back home heard that I played live with Akon, he was clean bowled. 'Papa, Akon is THE HOTTEST.' I think my boy suddenly respects me a bit more," laughs Aadesh.
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