Asake, the King of making hits and breaking records!
Each year, we have artists–newcomers or industry veterans–who consistently deliver hit songs. Without a doubt, 2022 was the year of Ololade Ahmed, also known as Asake and Mr Money.
Asake enchanted us with hit songs and visually appealing music videos throughout 2022. So much so that people on the internet have constantly praised his work rate, and even gave him the “rhythm and melody machine” moniker. When one truly understands his line, “…dem never see me coming…” everything makes sense.
In February, Asake was signed by the one and only Baddo, Olamide. That same month, he released his debut single Omo Ope, which featured the YBNL mogul. The hits haven’t stopped ever since, and he has since proved that he’s no one-hit-wonder. Just a few months later, in July, he was signed by Empire, a significant American record company.
His 12-track debut EP was released in September and has over 1 billion streams. A remarkable work of art that earned him the titles of “Artiste of the Year” and “Most Streamed Album” in 2022 from Audiomack.
While it is not unusual for artistes to release two projects in a single year, Asake holds the record for having the most No. 1 songs (six) in Turntable Chart history. And the first to take up to eight spots on the same chart. He achieved this within eight months, breaking Davido‘s previous record.
Still, Asake did not relent. The Neo-Fuji star headlined and sold out two concerts in December, one at the famous O2 Academy and the other at the Eko Convention Center in Lagos.
As with Rema and Niniola, to name a couple, there have been debates about the musical genre that Asake creates. While people have coined terms such as Fujipiano and Afropiano for his musical style; the common denominator is that Asake’s music infuses sounds that remain consistent across all boards. His music is a fusion of Fuji, Afrobeats, and Amapiano.
Despite the fact that his music is largely in Yoruba, Asake’s rule was international too. At No. 66 globally, he achieved the highest debut position for a Nigerian artist on the Billboard album rankings. His album had the biggest opening day for an African album on Apple and reached the top spot on the global Apple Albums Chart in 31 different countries.
Even though 2022 was only his breakthrough year, Asake has already collaborated with industry heavyweights like Tiwa Savage, Burna Boy, Fireboy DML, and Spinall. Not to mention the one and only YBNL mogul, Olamide.
To top it all off, Asake received his first international award nomination at the MOBO Awards and was named Best Male Singer in the 2022 Readers Choice Awards, defeating Davido and Wizkid in the same category. In addition, AFRIMA’s Breakout Artist of the Year.
2022 only had one O and triple 2s. And that O surely was for Ololade Asake, the King of Sounds and Blues.
