BIOGRAPHY OF OLOLADE ASAKE

Background information
Birth name : Ahmed Ololade popularly known as Mr. Money

Date Of Birth: 13 January 1995 (age 29)
Place of Birth: Lagos State, Nigeria
Origin Lagos State, Nigeria
Genres
Afrobeats, Fuji fusion, Afropiano/Afro-fusion, afropop, amapiano
Occupation(s)
Singer
songwriter
Instrument(s)
Vocals
Years active
2018–present
Labels
YBNL, Empire

In September 2022, Asake’s debut album named Mr. Money with the Vibe was released, the debut break the record for it resulted to the biggest opening day for an album belonging to an African on Apple Music at that time.

The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 chart and recorded the highest charting Nigerian debut album in the history of the chart. His sophomore album Work of Art was released in June 2023, becoming his second album to debut at number 66 on the Billboard 200.

Asake had his first international award nomination in 2020 when he was nominated for Best African Music Act at the 2022 MOBO Awards, after winning Break Out Artist of the Year at the 2022 All Africa Music Awards.

In addition, he was ranked number five on Rolling Stone Music’s Future 25, and in 2023 he was nominated for Best New International Act at the BET Awards.

On September 4, 2023, Asake won the highly coveted Next Rated category at the 2023 Headies award, and he drove home in a brand-new automobile.

In November 2023, Asake received his first nomination at the 66th Annual Grammy Award for “Amapiano” featuring Olamide.

2017-2022: Career beginnings

Asake studied Theatre and Dramatic Arts at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. He began releasing music in 2017, and his career took off in 2022 with the single “Mr. Money”, followed by a remix with Zlatan and Peruzzi.

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”. In July 2022, Asake signed a distribution deal with Empire.

2017-present:

On September 8, 2022, Asake released Mr. Money with the Vibe, his debut studio album. It was backed by the hits “Terminator,” “Peace Be Unto You,” and a remix of “Sungba” featuring Burna Boy. Fans in his native Nigeria and around the world responded favorably to the album, which shattered multiple records.The album made its Billboard 200 debut at position 66.

Asake announced the Mr. Money with the Vibe United Kingdom tour in September 2022, and the three dates at the O2 Academy Brixton in London were completely sold out. A crush of fans during the final evening of the Brixton Academy shows left several badly injured. Later, injuries claimed the lives of two people: 23-year-old security guard Gaby Hutchinson and 33-year-old concertgoer Rebecca Ikumelo.

Asake was named “artiste of the year” by “Audiomack” in December 2022 after his debut studio album Mr. Money with the Vibes garnered over 330 million streams. After releasing the single “Yoga” in January 2023, which deviated into sega music, Asake was then listed alongside Kizz Daniel, Snazzy the Optimist, and 1ucid as one of the most streamed and top trending artists in February 2023 by the platform. The song “2:30” in April and “Amapiano” with Olamide in May came after this.

Not long after “Amapiano” came out, he announced the release of his second studio album, Work of Art. Asake talked about his music on Good Morning America in April 2023. On June 16, 2023, Asake released his second studio album, titled Work of Art.

With 13,000 copies sold in its first week of release, the album peaked at number 66 on the Billboard 200. The album also peaked at number 59 on the Irish Recorded Music Associate chart and number 20 on the UK Albums Chart. Nigeria’s Turntable charts said that the album had received the most streams.

Uptempo Afro and Amapiano-style production are frequently used by Asake. His use of language in his songs and his Yoruba voice have led some listeners to compare his approach to fuji. Asake is well-known for incorporating backing vocals into his songs.

Asake earned the Male MVP title at the Soundcity MVP Awards in February 2023, which took place at the Lagos Eko Convention Center. In May of 2023, he went on to win the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards’ Best African Artist of the Year. His album “Mr. Money With The Vibe” won both the 2023 Headies Next rated award and the Album of the Year category.

Asake, together with Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy, became the sole Nigerian artists to sell out London’s O2 Arena in August 2023. During the event, Asake made a spectacular helicopter arrival.