Still on the topic of the Big 4, we’ve covered Rema and why his claim for the fourth spot is valid. There are many more prospects vying for inclusion in the elite ranks of the industry, and we’ll start with Asake. Just as we did with Rema in proving his claim, we’ll now examine Asake’s case as a worthy contender.
To establish his case, we’ll use the same parameters as we did for Rema to measure his suitability for the fourth spot among the top four in the Nigerian music industry.
Asake is part of the new school revolution under the YBNL banner, making waves in the afrobeats industry with his music. He popularized the Nigerian version of Amapiano and has showcased versatility on multiple occasions, effortlessly transitioning between various genres and excelling in each. For the criterias, five parameters to be used to determine the extent of Asake’s fit into the top 4
- Longevity
- Consistency
- Multiple quality projects
- Commercial Performance
- Starpower (local and international)
LONGEVITY
For Asake, it is relatively too early to wear him a crown of longevity. He gained major recognition after his single, “Omo Ope,” in 2022 and has been very consistent since, amassing hits and even having one of the best peaks we have ever seen in 2022. Although we can make a projection of how his trajectory would go, as he has already delivered some classics within the two years in quick succession, and even with his releases, he does not seem to be creatively exhausted. A good sign to show the depth of his talent that would contribute to a very impressively lengthy career.
CONSISTENCY
Asake has displayed a consistency that is largely incomparable to his peers. He is very consistent in releases; in two years of him being active, he has shared an EP, two albums, and a great handful of singles. But that is on an inferior hand. As we mentioned with Rema, it is not just about the amount but the rate of conversion into hits that runs concurrently with the quantity. With this, Asake has been able to translate very effectively. Since his first hit single in 2022, every subsequent release from him has gone number one up until 2024 where he had a single that peaked at #3. Even in 2022/2023, he has had twelve consecutive #1s, earning him the nickname “landlord”.
His projects also hold several records on Spotify, Apple Music, and almost every other streaming platform available in charts, streaming, and other benchmarks. Bottom line, he has had multiple releases that have resulted in hits due to his insane consistency.
MULTIPLE QUALITY PROJECTS
As mentioned earlier, Asake has churned out classics in just over two years in the limelight. Within this short period, he has released an EP and two full-length albums, all of which rank highly in album rankings. These three projects are considered modern classics, backed by commercial success and general chart entries. His trilogy, consisting of “Ololade Asake,” “MR Money With The Vibe,” and “Work Of Art,” stands among the greatest three-project runs we have seen in the Afrobeats scene for quite some time.
COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE
Asake has achieved very respectable commercial success over his years in the limelight, consistently outperforming himself with every release. His #1 dominance on Apple Music and his nickname in the Nigerian music scene are obvious indicators of his influence. On Spotify, both of his albums have over 300 million streams each, and he has amassed over a billion streams on the platform. In 2023, he topped Spotify Wrapped Nigeria’s list as the most-streamed act. He held the title of the most-streamed act on Audiomack for a significant period before being replaced. Currently, he occupies the second spot with almost 1.5 billion streams. On Boomplay, he previously held a record of 25 weeks at #1 on the charts. The list goes on to show how much he is commercially successful.
STARPOWER
Just as previously utilized, we would apply a three-category performance parameter to determine star power: fan base, impact on culture, and live performance. The Asake fan base is still largely growing, and to be frank, every other fan of Afrobeats is a fan of Asake. Furthermore, there is no fancy nomenclature for it yet, but his supporters cut across every Afrobeats enthusiast.
In terms of his impact on the culture, he is among the Nigerian artists who championed the Nigerian style of Afrobeats, popularizing it and even turning it into his identity. Live performances for Asake do not need much elaboration. He has sold out O2 within 2 months (for context, Davido & Rema took about 5 months), sold out Barclays Centre in the United States as the first Afrobeats act, and held two shows in Canada. That ought to be enough proof of his live performance credentials.
With these credentials in place, does Asake have a claim for the Big 4 Spot? Let us know your thoughts on our Twitter page.
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