Ahmed Ololade (born 13 January 1995), known professionally as Asake, is a Nigerian

Afrobeats Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...

singer and songwriter. He is signed to

YBNL Nation Yahoo Boy No Laptop Nation, popularly known as YBNL Nation or simply YBNL, is an independent record label founded by Olamide in 2012. History On 19 February 2020, YBNL Nation signed a distribution, and publishing deal with Empire Distribution ...

and

Empire Distribution EMPIRE Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. (marketed as EMPIRE) is an American distribution company and record label founded in by Ghazi Shami with offices in New York City, London, Nashville, and Atlanta. It has released albums in vario ...

. His stage name pays homage to his mother, whose first name is Asake. To pronounce his name is "A-SHA-KE"

Career

Asake studied Dramatic Arts at

Obafemi Awolowo University Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...

in Nigeria. Although he had been releasing music since 2018, his musical career progressed further in 2020 when he released the single "Mr. Money". A remix with

Zlatan Zlatan ( sr-Cyrl, Златан) is a male given name of Slavic origin meaning ''Golden''. The name is common amongst all South Slavic countries, namely in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia and Serbia. The name is found i ...

and

Peruzzi The Peruzzi were bankers of Florence, among the leading families of the city in the 14th century, before the rise to prominence of the Medici. Their modest antecedents stretched back to the mid 11th century, according to the family's genealogist ...

followed. He broke out in the industry when he released the 2020 single "Lady".

Olamide Olamide Gbenga Adedeji (born 15 March 1989) is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. Widely regarded as one of the biggest and most influential artists in Africa, he has been instrumental to the launching of the careers ...

signed Asake to YBNL Records in February 2022. That same month he released his debut extended play, ''Ololade'', which featured his breakthrough song "Omo Ope" featuring Olamide. A second single from the EP, "Sungba", was remixed a month later with a verse from Nigerian artist

Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, '' L.I ...

. In July 2022, Asake signed a

distribution deal A distribution deal (also known as distribution contract or distribution agreement) is a legal agreement between one party and another, to handle distribution of a product. There are various forms of distribution deals. There are exclusive and no ...

with

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

. Asake released his debut studio album '' Mr. Money with the Vibe'' on 8 September 8, 2022, seven months after the release of his debut EP. The album was supported by the hit singles, "Terminator", "Peace Be Unto You" and the "Sungba" remix with Burna Boy. The album received high praise from fans in his home country of Nigeria, as well as across the world and went on to break several records globally. In 2022 Asake began his world tour, selling out the

O2 Academy Brixton Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

in London. Several people were critically injured during a

crowd crush Crowd collapses and crushes are catastrophic incidents that can occur when a body of people becomes dangerously overcrowded. When a body of people reaches or exceeds the density of , the pressure on each individual can cause the crowd to collapse ...

on the final date of the tour at

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

, London. Two people – 33-year-old concertgoer Rebecca Ikumelo and 23-year old security guard Gaby Hutchinson – later died of their injuries.

Musical style

Asake often uses uptempo

Afro The afro is a hair type created by natural growth of kinky hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" ''Ebony'', February 1973. ...

and

Amapiano Amapiano ( Zulu for "the pianos") is a style of house music that emerged in South Africa in the mid 2010s. It is a hybrid of deep house, jazz and lounge music characterized by synths and wide percussive basslines. It is distinguished by high-pit ...

-styled production. Some listeners have also described his style as close to

Fuji Fuji may refer to: Places China * Fuji, Xiangcheng City (付集镇), town in Xiangcheng City, Henan Japan * Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan * Fuji River * Fuji, Saga, town in Saga Prefecture * Fuji, Shizuoka, city in Shizuoka Prefectur ...

due to his singing in

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

and the use of slang in his songs.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Mr. Money with the Vibe'' (2022) – No. 66 US ''Billboard'' 200, No. 96

Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...

Extended plays

* ''Ololade'' (2022)

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Music videos

Tours

* Mr. Money with the Vibe (2022)

References

{{Reflist Obafemi Awolowo University alumni Nigerian musicians Living people 21st-century Nigerian singers Musicians from Lagos State YBNL Nation artists Yoruba-language singers Afrobeat musicians People from Lagos State 1995 births