Twenty-eight-year-old Ahmed Ololade, widely known as Asake on the music scene, broke out in February 2022 after he got signed on Olamide’s YBNL record – and by extension U.S-based Empire Distribution. Asake had a lovely run in his first year of grabbing fame and stardom. He released his first album on YBNL, ‘Mr. Money With The Vibe’ in September 2022 and created several street anthems that include ‘Sungba,’ ‘Peace Be Unto You,’ ‘Terminator’ and ‘Organise.’
With the album, Asake cemented his position as an emerging Afrobeats’ global ambassador, captivating audiences across Nigeria, Ghana, and Togo and even earning him the coveted title of most streamed artist in each country.
The singer’s continued international success after the release of his second album in 2023 further underscores the enduring appeal of Afrobeats as the most exported genre of the year.
His dominance continued in the Top 10 most streamed tracks, with three of his hits from his second album on the imprint, ‘Work of Art’ – ‘Lonely At The Top,’ ‘2:30’ and ‘Amapiano’ – making the cut.
Asake stands firmly as runner up to the Entertainer of the Year, surpassing his record label boss’ achievements in 2023. His reign extended to the Gen Z demographic, with the star becoming the most streamed artist among Nigerian and Ghanaian Gen Z listeners.
His song ‘Lonely At The Top’ further cemented his popularity among Nigerian Gen Zs, topping the charts for their age group.
This infectious and monstrous hit single from his second album, ‘Lonely at the Top,’ emerged Nigeria’s longest-running number one song on the TurnTable Top 100, the country’s sole chart system that takes data from radio, TV and streaming platforms.
The superstar, whose love for his mother got him his stage moniker, Asake, began releasing music in 2017, but had his big break in 2022. He has continued to enjoy an unprecedented run between 2022 and 2023.
Making history as Afrobeats’ newest act to perform at London’s iconic 02 Arena with sold-out tickets to the entire 20,000 capacity, Asake ended 2023 on a big note after nabbing a Grammy nomination ahead of the 66th edition in February 2024.
Barely a few weeks into 2023, he was crowned ‘Artiste of the Year’ by Audiomack after his debut studio album, ‘Mr. Money with the Vibes,’ amassed over 330 million streams.
His collaborations with Davido for the song, ‘No Competition,’ on ‘Timeless’ further shot Asake’s fame higher than many had imagined when he made his first outing in 2022.
At the 2023 Headies, Asake earned himself the highest nominations. At the 16th edition of the music awards, the YBNL signee created history by becoming the first musician to receive nominations for both ‘Best Male Artiste of The Year’ and ‘Next Rated’ at the same time.
Other nominations include Best Collaboration (‘Bandana’ with Fireboy DML), Digital Artiste of the Year, Album of the Year (‘Mr Money With The Vibe’), Best Street-Hop Artiste (‘Joha’), and Headies Viewer’s Choice (‘Sungba’ Remix ft. Burna Boy).
He won the highly coveted Next Rated category and was rewarded with a brand new car for the win. His debut album, ‘Mr. Money with the Vibes’ also won the Best Album of the Year.
