Ahmed Ololade (born 13 January 1995),[1] known professionally as Asake,[2] is a Nigerian singer, rapper and songwriter.[3][4][5] He was previously signed to YBNL Nation and Empire Distribution.[6][7] His stage name "Asake" is his mother's name.[8]
In September 2022, his debut album Mr. Money with the Vibe was released, breaking the record for the biggest opening day for an African album on Apple Music at the time. The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 chart and recorded the highest charting Nigerian debut album in the history of the chart at the time.[9][10] His sophomore album Work of Art was released in June 2023, becoming his second album to debut at number 66 on the Billboard 200.[11] Asake's third album Lungu Boy (2024) became his third consecutive number one album in Nigeria, and the longest running number one in Nigeria chart history.[12]
Asake studied Theatre and Dramatic Arts at Obafemi Awolowo University. His career took off in 2022 prior to releasing the single "Mr. Money",[20] followed by a remix with Zlatan and Peruzzi. In February 2022, fellow Nigerian artist Olamide signed Asake to his YBNL Records imprint.[21] That same month, he released his debut extended play, Ololade, which featured his breakthrough song "Omo Ope", featuring Olamide, and the single "Sungba" which was plugged by Olaitan Salaudeen.[22][23] In July 2022, Asake signed a distribution deal with Empire.[24][25]
2022–2023: Mr. Money with the Vibe and Work of Art
Asake released his debut studio album, Mr. Money with the Vibe, on 8 September 2022. It was supported by the singles "Terminator", "Peace Be Unto You", and a remix of "Sungba" with Burna Boy. The album was well received by fans in his home country of Nigeria, as well as across the world, and broke several records globally.[26][27] The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200.[28]
In September 2022, Asake announced the Mr. Money with the Vibe United Kingdom tour,[29] selling out 3 dates at the O2 Academy Brixton in London.[30] On the final date of the Brixton Academy shows, several people were critically injured during a crowd crush. Two people – 33-year-old Concertgoer Rebecca Ikumelo and 23-year-old security guard Gaby Hutchinson – later died of their injuries.[31][32]
In December 2022, Asake was crowned "artiste of the year" by "Audiomack" after his debut studio album Mr. Money with the Vibes amassed over 330 million streams, and was subsequently announced alongside Kizz Daniel, Snazzy the Optimist and 1ucid as one of the most streamed and top trending artists in February 2023 by the platform,[33][34] after releasing the single “Yoga” in January 2023 which ventured into sega music.[35] This was followed by the track "2:30" in April, and "Amapiano" with Olamide in May.[36]
His second studio album Work of Art was announced shortly after the release of "Amapiano".[37] In April 2023, Asake appeared on Good Morning America to discuss his music.[38] Asake released his second studio album, Work of Art, on 16 June 2023.[39] The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 with 13,000 units sold during its debut week.[11] The album also reached number 20 on the UK Albums Chart and number 59 on the Irish Albums Chart. The album was reported by Nigeria's TurnTable charts as the most streamed Nigerian album of 2023 so far.[40] Work of Art' became Asake's second album to receive a BRIT silver plaque after his debut album, 'Mr Money With The Vibes,' which also got a silver certification in the UK.[41]
2024–present: Lungu Boy
In June 2024, Asake announced a global tour titled, Lungu Boy World Tour in conjunction with the release of his third album Lungu Boy, which released in August.[42]Lungu Boy logged 5 tracks in the top 10 of the TurnTable Top 100 upon release.[43] The album also set a new record for the biggest opening day global streams for a Nigerian album on Spotify with 9.2 million streams. The album features Central Cee, Stormzy, Wizkid, Travis Scott, and Ludmilla. [44]
The second track, "MMS" (with Wizkid) broke the record for the most first-day streams on a song in Spotify Nigeria at the time.[43]
Artistry
Asake's distinctive musical style exhibits Afrobeats, dynamic rap street pop (also street hop),[45][46]fújì music (and other fuji-centered musical styles), Afro fusion and Nigerian pop. His music is often an amalgamation of traditional yoruba music and percussion spanning heterogeneous contemporary music. Asake's vocal style delivery, primarily in Yoruba merged with English, urban colloquial slang and Nigerian Pidgin(nigerian english), reflects Nigerian hip hop and fújì music influences.[47][48][46][49][39][50]
In September 2023, Asake became the first African artist to headline and sell out a concert at the New York City, Barclays Center.[56] In August 2023, he achieved a significant milestone by selling out the O2 Arena in London. He made a memorable entrance by arriving in a helicopter.[57] On February 1, 2024, Asake appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, performing during the episode that aired on that date, reaching a broader American audience.[58]
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