Akon's made hit song after hit song by following a simple formula -- if strippers bounce to it, fully clothed people will too! In other words ... smack that ... till you get sore.

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Akon has no plans to pay a $51,000 construction bill on his Georgia mansion -- insisting the man behind the 5-figure tab not only butchered his home ... he actually tried to EXTORT Akon to get the cash.

Akon just filed a countersuit against a guy named Jay Poorak -- who runs a company called Southern Electric -- insisting Poorak performed construction work on Akon's house without ever hashing out an agreement about the services or price.

According to the lawsuit, Poorak attempted all kinds of construction on Akon's home -- including electrical work, framing, and cornice work -- without any permission ... and the work was a disaster.

But that's not it -- Akon claims Poorak completely ripped him off ... charging him over $150,000 for the job ... when it was only worth $33,660.

Akon claims he already paid Poorak $44,650 -- despite the hack job -- and now wants at least $10,990 back ... the amount Akon believes he overpaid.

Akon claims Poorak threatened him over the balance in question with legal action and "the besmirching of [his] reputation" if Akon didn't pay up.

Akon's also suing for unspecified damages -- claiming Poorak slandered him.

Akon's in the process of learning a very valuable lesson -- don't piss off your lawyers ... because they're experts in legal ass-beatings.

According to a new lawsuit, filed in Georgia, the "Smack That" singer hired a bunch of lawyers last year at a firm called Yoss -- then refused to pay them $39, 363.74 for legal services. Now, they've responded by doing what they do best ... suing his pants off for breach of contract.

It's not entirely clear what the legal work entailed -- but sources tell TMZ, it involved civil/business matters.

Akon filed his own response in the suit -- insisting their claims are BS ... and vowing to fight back.

Akon is now asking a judge to dismiss the case. Stay tuned!

Akon is up to his neck in $51,000 of construction bills on his Georgia mansion ... and he still hasn't paid up -- this according to a new lawsuit filed by a local contracting company.

Southern Electric filed the lawsuit against Akon in Georgia Superior Court, claiming it completed over $344,000 of work on Akon’s place -- electric work, framing, molding -- but he refused to pay $51,941 on their final invoice.

According to the suit, Southern Electric contacted Akon’s mommy last November ... not just to tattle, but because his mother was acting as his agent in the deal ... but still, S.E. has not received a dime.

They’re now suing for breach of contract for the amount allegedly owed, plus interest.
 
FYI -- Akon’s Georgia palace is a two-story four-bedroom, eight-bath model that he forked over 1.65-MILLION clams for.  Calls to his rep have not been returned.

Despite being some of the biggest -- and richest -- names in music, Kanye West, Akon's record exec look alike brother Bu Thiam, and Jay-Z kept it real and rolled unescorted through the streets of SoHo on Thursday.


The music moguls took a break from making hit records and attempted to blend in with the common folk.

How pedestrian of them.

Akon did his best Marky Mark impersonation and stripped down to his white skivvies while onstage opening for Usher in Florida last night.


Smack that!

Akon got ball deep at a concert in Africa over New Year's ... seriously -- dude actually climbed inside a giant inflatable ball and rode around in it like a hamster ... on top of a sea of 100,000 adoring fans.


It's pretty incredible ... and not just because of the crowd-surfing bubble of awesomeness -- we're told the whole spectacle was part of a free concert in Senegal on New Year's Eve ... which Akon headlined.

Baller status.

The new music video for "Hold My Hand" begins with hundreds of Michael Jackson fans yelling, "Love you, Michael" -- before showcasing classic MJ clips, MJ impersonations, and a giant shadow of Michael cast on the side of a hangar.



The music video also features a heavy dose of Akon -- MJ's duet partner on the song -- and around 2:44 ... a man with one hand. A casting call for the video had listed a role for "a disabled person with no hands."

This is the first video and single from the album "MICHAEL" -- which officially drops on Tuesday. Although, as we previously reported -- and any web geek will confirm -- it's already leaked on the Internet.

The kid busting out the insane moves in Michael Jackson's new music video "Hold My Hand" has rhythm in his blood -- because the boy is directly related to Billy Blanks -- the King of Tae Bo.


9-year-old Michael Isaac Blanks is Billy Blanks' nephew -- and the kid has been performing as an MJ wannabe for years.

In fact, just last year Michael's MJ impersonation even caught the eye of "This Is It" director Kenny Ortega -- who called Blanks "a real prodigy" at a dancing event for Nigel Lythgoe's Dizzy Feet Foundation.

Judging from the footage we got at the MJ video shoot this weekend -- Kenny knows what he's talking about. 

Michael Jackson's new music video for "Hold My Hand" will be to die for ... TMZ has learned.



Sources tell TMZ a shoot for the MJ/Akon music video took place yesterday at an airplane hanger in Tustin, CA -- and it involved a whole bunch of extras ... and a very heavenly theme.

We're told the group of extras -- which included a bunch of die-hard MJ fans -- were asked to gather outside the hanger ... and when the giant doors opened, the place was pitch black ... except for one bright light at the end.

Our spies say the extras were then asked to walk towards the light ... symbolizing their journey into heaven.

Should be one hell heck of a music video.

It's the most bizarre casting call we've ever seen -- the people behind Michael Jackson's new music video for "Hold My Hand" are in the market for some incredibly ironic talent ... a person with no hands.


The listing was posted yesterday on an LA casting network -- billed as a "low budget" project -- and among the available roles ... 10 dancers, several real-life couples, a mother and child for a baptism ... and "a disabled person with no hands."

The director Mark Pellington tells TMZ, "The video is a spiritual collage of MJ's legacy told through a visual mosaic exploring the themes of life" -- but based on the name of the song, we can only guess why they'd need someone without the requisite appendages.

We're told they shot Akon's part Monday night -- and according to sources close to the production, a green screen came in mighty handy.