Do we like them?Do we like Asake?
Our score: 7 out of 10. Nothing harmful turned up in his own words and he handled two tragedies at his shows decently, but the record of good deeds we could verify is thin.
Asake, born Ahmed Ololade, came out of Lagos with a sound that mashes Nigerian street-pop and fuji with amapiano. His 2022 debut Mr. Money With The Vibe, produced mostly by Magicsticks, reportedly had the biggest opening day for an African album in Apple Music history. That's a monster start by any measure.
The business side got messy in late 2024, when reports said he parted ways with Olamide's YBNL label and launched his own imprint. Olamide was reported to have said any artist who wants to leave is free to go and that he's proud of Asake. It's all based on unconfirmed reports and anonymous sources, so treat the 'feud' talk with a grain of salt.
Then came a very public family stoush in March 2025. A man who identified himself as Asake's father alleged in a viral video that the singer had cut off support. Asake answered through a Yoruba song rather than a statement, and reports a few days later said the pair had reconciled and that he'd arranged a house and medical costs. Details stayed murky and a lot of it was online speculation.
On the harm test, we came up empty in the best way. No anti-LGBTQ+ remarks, no culture-war grievance, no conspiracy rabbit holes and no dodgy collaborators turned up in our searches. That's partly a thin record: he's a musician who lets the songs talk, not a commentator. His 2024 video for Only Me did get accused online of mocking Christianity, though the BBC noted it could also be read as satire of charismatic preachers, and his management didn't comment.
The latest row is the album M$NEY (May 2026). Some Nigerian fans heard a pro-Tinubu undertone in the track Amen and threatened to boycott, while others argued it's a prayer-style song. We found no response from him, and a lyric people read a certain way isn't an endorsement in his own words, so we're not counting it against him either way.
The part that says most about him is how he's handled the worst nights of his career. After a crowd crush outside his 2022 Brixton show, he said he was devastated and urged anyone with information to contact police. After a 20-year-old fan died in a crush at his Nairobi show in December 2025, he said he was devastated and that those responsible should be held accountable. Nothing we read blames him for either; it's how he responded that counts.