In what is increasingly becoming a storied route, Asake has becomes the latest artiste to walk the path from OAU undergraduate to YBNL signed artiste. He follows in the footsteps of Chinko Ekun and Fireboy DML, and would surely be hoping for a story more similar to the latter artiste. He has certainly not started badly, as the lead single to his debut EP and the whole project itself are currently making all the right noises. Life is good for Asake but he probably wouldn’t have pictured all of this happening for him some 6 to 7 years ago. And here’s why.
He was born Ahmed Ololade Asake and he was born to be an entertainer. He was so dedicated to the career path that he even studied Theatre and Performing Arts at the Obafemi Awolowo University, where he eventually graduated from. He has been in love with music all his life, but he expressed that love in a different way from how he does now; he was a dancer. He would often grace different occasions on campus with his smooth as buttered silk dance steps, and he was well recognized for his abilities in that microcosm. But somewhere along the line, as he approached his final days as an undergraduate, it dawned on him that he needed more than dancing to be able to live the lifestyle he dreamt about. His attachmemt to music remained unbreakable so the only logical option was to transition into being a singer. He made a record and released it, and the reception from the OAU students was overwhelmingly positive. And like that, his pivot was vindicated and a new career path was born.
He started making inroads on the street music scene and despite the obvious constraints of a limited budget, he was able to score a number of hits. 2020’s “Mr Money” was the biggest of the lot, scoring millions of streams across the various digital platforms. It rapidly rose to anthem status and even inspired a remix with Peruzzi and Zlatan. He also recorded successes with “Lady” and “Body” and was steadily building his profile. But of course, it’s a different ball game entirely when YBNL CEO and veteran musician Olamide takes an interest in you. Legend has it that Yhemolee convinced Olamide to hop on “Omo Ope” and following the success of track, he was formally invited to be an official member of the YBNL Mafia.
YBNL wasted no time in unveiling him and in a matter of days, his debut EP “Ololade Asake” was released. It consisted of 4 other tracks including the megahit “Omo Ope”. The other songs on the project have are rapidly rising in popularity too, and it seems we can expect a music video for “Sungba” in the coming days. “Trabaye” and “Baba God” completed what was a near perfect debut project. With the considerable resources of YBNL now at his disposal, Asake is in prime position to make his mark on the continental and world stage. He has shown impressive work ethic and talent to get to where he is, so if he maintains the energy he had on the come up, he will find himself enjoying the very lifestyle that provoked his switch from dancing to singing in next to no time.