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.
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.