When Asake burst onto the scene in 2022, it felt like someone had turned up the volume on Lagos itself. He was loud, unfiltered and impossible to ignore. Everything about him carried the energy of the streets. From the Fuji-inspired lyrics to his repetitive chants that somehow never got boring, Asake did more than just singing songs, he announced himself.
Under Olamide’s YBNL, Asake became a one-man hit factory. From Sungba to Peace Be Unto You, every track sounded like it had been soaked in Lagos noise and market energy. By the end of that year, Mr Money With The Vibe had cemented him as the face of a new sound that made street pop global.
But somewhere between the chaos and the chart records, Asake began to evolve. Slowly at first. Then all at once.
The foundation that built the sound
Born Ahmed Ololade, Asake carried Yoruba heritage into his music with pride. His theatre background from Obafemi Awolowo University gave him the confidence of a performer who understood rhythm beyond beats. His sound was deliberate. His grit, however, came from living through the struggle that defined his early Lagos years. So when his songs felt raw, it wasn’t a style choice. It was memory turned to melody.
By 2023, with Work of Art, there were already hints that Asake was searching for something more refined. The sound was still street, but the visuals were different. The videos looked cinematic. The outfits were cleaner. The chaos was still there, but it was controlled.
The YBNL chapter that made him
No one can tell Asake’s story without Olamide’s name appearing in bold. YBNL was the stage that gave him structure. It was the bridge between raw talent and global recognition. But like every artist who dreams beyond what a label can offer, there came a time when he had to step out and steer his own ship.
Early in 2025, Asake confirmed what had been rumoured for months. He had officially left YBNL and launched his own imprint, Giran Republic. It wasn’t a noisy breakup. He showed gratitude to Olamide both publicly and in his music. In Military, he gave a nod to the mentorship that shaped him.
The move was symbolic. It marked a new chapter where Asake was no longer just a signed artist. He had become a brand, a boss, and a curator of his own destiny.
Finding new rhythm in sound
Leaving YBNL didn’t mean leaving the sound that made him. It meant refining it. When Lungu Boy dropped in August 2024, it was clear Asake had been experimenting. The album stretched beyond amapiano and Fuji. There were jazz horns, Spanish guitars, and soft live instruments tucked into the beats. The tempo was slower, the lyrics more introspective, and the collaborations wider, featuring Stormzy, Central Cee, Wizkid, Ludmilla and Travis Scott.
Critics called Lungu Boy his most ambitious work yet. It didn’t chase virality. It chased craft. The Guardian described it as “tripping across the Black diaspora with help from Stormzy.” That line perfectly captured how Asake was using his Yoruba base as a passport to the world.
To put it simply, it seemed the Asake of 2022 wanted to be heard, while the Asake of 2024 wanted to be understood.
The man in the mirror
The rebrand wasn’t just musical. It was personal.
By early 2025, fans began to notice a new look. The signature dreadlocks were gone. The colourful outfits that once screamed Lagos street style had been replaced by clean, minimalist pieces. His portraits showed him in round necks, jackets, neutral tones and polished accessories. Even the lighting in his visuals shifted from chaotic brightness to calm control, dark even.
Then came the tattoos. He inked his face, neck, backs, legs and arms, calling it a reflection of how he felt inside, which was a mix of freedom and transformation. In interviews, Asake said the change wasn’t about pressure or image. It was about comfort. He wanted to look how he felt. He wanted to evolve in public, even if people didn’t fully understand it.
He called it his “military era” and not in the sense of discipline forced on him, but a quiet declaration of structure and purpose. The boy who once shouted through beats now stood still and let silence speak for him. Asake also stated that he might wake up one morning and his tattoos would be gone, adding that he loves to do things that are good for him.
Just this morning, Asake shared new photos that seal this transformation even further. In them, he wears a light blue shirt, black trousers, and dark shades, with no jewelry, no flamboyance, just clean lines and calm energy.
Behind him sit rows of synthesizers and keyboards, the tools of his new world. It seemed like he was making a visual statement that he has become a man who now builds his own sound with precision, not noise. The confidence is still there, but it has matured. Interestingly, his hair has been cut even lower and the tattoos that once drew so much attention aren’t visible here. Maybe it’s the lighting, maybe its intention, either way, the softer look adds another layer to his rebrand. He looks like someone who has finally settled into his rhythm and is not chasing the spotlight.
The business behind the art
With Giran Republic, Asake stepped into full ownership. The distribution partnership with Empire stayed intact, giving him reach while he gained creative control. That balance matters. It’s how global stars build longevity. Control means he decides when and how to drop, what image to push, and which collaborations align with his vision.
In many ways, Asake is doing what Burna Boy and Rema did before him, scaling local authenticity to fit global ambitions. But his route feels uniquely his own and within a short period of time. There’s a deliberate effort to keep Yoruba central to his identity even as his audience grows. That’s a tough balance to maintain in an industry that often trades culture for access.
Conclusion
Of course, not everyone loves change. Some fans miss the raw, unpredictable Asake from Mr Money With The Vibe. They say the new version feels too calculated. But others see growth. They see a man building a legacy instead of chasing the next viral hook.
What’s undeniable is that Asake has entered a new season. The boy who once ran through the soundscape of the streets is now walking steadily through boardrooms, photo studios, and global stages. Yet when he opens his mouth to sing, the same voice that echoed through Lagos still carries the weight of his beginnings.
His rebrand isn’t a rejection of his past. It’s a continuation of it, with proof that evolution doesn’t always mean erasure. Sometimes it just means growing into the person the music was preparing you to become all along.
And that is exactly what Asake is doing. Quietly, confidently, completely.
