‘Them Never See Me Coming’

To any culturally conscious person, one immediately curious feature about the 27-year-old singer and songwriter, Asake, is his name. ‘Asake’ is a Yoruba name that loosely translates to ‘One who is chosen to be pampered’ and is traditionally reserved for girls and women. Asake adopted the name as a tribute to his mother after being referred to as ‘Omo Asake’ (Child of Asake) for many years. Asake, whose real name is Ololade Ahmed, has also referred to himself as ‘Mr. Money’, a name drawn from the 2001 Nollywood blockbuster, Ololade Mr Money, in which Ololade (Ebun Oloyede), tried to get rich at any cost and displayed unusual extravagance when he eventually became rich. ‘Mr. Money’ is also the title of Asake’s 2020 hit song, whose 2021 remix featured Zlatan Ibile and Peruzzi. Though his nicknames were the first hint at Asake’s creative prowess, one EP (Ololade), one LP (Mr. Money with the Vibe), and two notable features later, it is now clear that there is much more to Asake than what he chooses to be called.