Asake

Ahmed Ololade ⓘ (born 13 January 1995), known professionally as Asake, is a Nigerian singer, rapper and songwriter. His debut album, Mr. Money with the Vibe (2022) broke the record for the biggest opening day for an African album on Apple Music at the time, and debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 chart. His second album Work of Art (2023), matched the chart position of its predecessor. 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.

Asake's accolades include an All Africa Music Award, two Headies awards, and one MOBO award. He has also been nominated for a BET Award, two Grammy Awards, and an NAACP Image Award.

Career

2017–2022: Beginnings

Asake studied Theatre and Dramatic Arts at Obafemi Awolowo University. His career took off in 2022 prior to releasing the single "Mr. Money", followed by a remix with Zlatan and Peruzzi. Asake was signed to the now-defunct TFT Records in 2018. During this early career phase, he released several singles, including "Kanipe" on February 26, 2019, under the label. This period was part of his initial efforts to break into the Nigerian music scene before his later massive success with YBNL. In February 2022, fellow Nigerian artist Olamide signed Asake to his YBNL Records imprint. 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. In July 2022, Asake signed a distribution deal with Empire.

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. The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200.

In September 2022, Asake announced the Mr. Money with the Vibe United Kingdom tour, selling out 3 dates at the O2 Academy Brixton in London. 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.

In December 2022, Asake was crowned "artiste of the year" by streaming service 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, after releasing the single “Yoga” in January 2023 which ventured into sega music. This was followed by the track "2:30" in April, and "Amapiano" with Olamide in May.

His second studio album Work of Art was announced shortly after the release of "Amapiano". In April 2023, Asake appeared on Good Morning America to discuss his music. Asake released his second studio album, Work of Art, on 16 June 2023. The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 with 13,000 units sold during its debut week. 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. 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.

2024–present: Lungu Boy and Real, Vol. 1

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. Lungu Boy logged 5 tracks in the top 10 of the TurnTable Top 100 upon release. 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.

The second track, "MMS" (with Wizkid) broke the record for the most first-day streams on a song in Spotify Nigeria at the time.

Asake's remarkable ascent in the music industry continued, but rumors of his departure from YBNL surfaced online after he unfollowed the label and removed all traces of it from his Instagram. On 12 February 2025 he released the single "Why Love" under his newly established independent label, Giran Republic, officially marking his departure from YBNL Nation. This move had been the subject of speculation, which Asake confirmed with the launch of his label.

On 5 December 2025 during an Apple Music Radio takeover, Asake and Wizkid announced a collaborative EP titled Real, Vol. 1. Initially slated for release that month, it instead came out on 22 January 2026. It debuted at number one on TurnTable's Album chart.

Notable performances

In September 2023, Asake became the first African artist to headline and sell out a concert at the New York City, Barclays Center. 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. 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.

Artistry

Asake's distinctive musical style exhibits Afrobeats, dynamic rap street pop (also street hop), fújì music (and other fújì-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, reflects Nigerian hip hop and fújì music influences.

Discography

Studio albums

• Mr. Money with the Vibe (2022)
• Work of Art (2023)
• Lungu Boy (2024)

Extended plays

• Ololade (2022)
• Real, Vol. 1 (2026)

Awards and nominations

See also

• List of artists who reached number one in Nigeria

Notes