Akon Begins Paying Devyn Stephens

Last month music exec Devyne Stephens asked the courts to freeze his former business partner Akon's bank accounts,  claiming Akon owed him over $4 million [click here if you missed that]. 

Akon maintains his innocence, but has begun to pay down the debt...

From Page Six  

Akon has paid $850,000 to his ex-business partner to settle part of an ongoing lawsuit against the rapper.

The $850,000 payment resolves at least a portion of Stephens’ suit, Akon said in a statement through his rep.

“This week I fully resolved Devyne Stephens’ court application to freeze my New York assets,” Akon said in a statement. “Although I have several substantial claims that will be pursued against Stephens in the pending case, I paid him $850,000 – some of which I still challenge – to show the public that he was flat out wrong about any inability to pay the last installment of our prior settlement.”

“My work on Akon City in Africa and Akoin cryptocurrency is too important to be tarnished and harmed by Stephens,” the rapper added.

Stephens’ lawyers wrote in court papers Wednesday that Akon only coughed up the money because a judge had indicated that it would grant Stephens’ request to freeze his assets.

The estranged partners are still duking it out in court over Stephens’ claims that the musician owes him at least $3 million in royalties.