I Will Always Respect Olamide Baddo Even if I Become the President of America — Asake

In a recent appearance on Korty EO's YouTube podcast, Asake opened up about his journey to stardom, and when the conversation turned to Olamide, the singer made his position clear without hesitation.

The discussion began around 2020, a year the interviewer described as strange because many businesses collapsed while the music industry paradoxically thrived. For Asake, it was more personal. His song ‘Mr Money’ had given him a taste of the spotlight, but what followed was a series of hits that could not quite replicate the success he had with the song. 

"2020 was very serious. Life really humbled me. Imagine God gives you a taste of something and then removes it. That's what happened in 2020," he said.

After that brief flicker of visibility, things almost dried up for the Grammy-nominated artist. For nearly two years, Asake navigated misses, trials, and errors, working to find his footing in an industry that had momentarily acknowledged him and then moved on. He had been signed to the now-defunct TFT Records as far back as 2018, releasing singles including ‘Kanipe’ in 2019; however, the breakthrough he was working toward remained out of reach.

That changed in February 2022, when Olamide signed him to YBNL Records. The same month, Asake released his debut EP, Ololade, which featured ‘Omo Ope’ alongside Olamide and the single ‘Sungba’. What followed was one of the most remarkable ascents in recent Nigerian music history. 

Between 2022 and 2024, Asake accumulated over 20 awards, becoming one of the country's most-streamed and celebrated artists. It is in regard of that history, that his words about Olamide came to be.

For anyone who has followed Asake's career closely, his comments are unsurprising. He has consistently and publicly credited Olamide as a pivotal figure in his story, and that loyalty has never appeared performative.

Going from a young artist who once had his big moment snatched back to one of Nigeria's biggest exports, Asake has not forgotten the hand that kept him afloat till he found solid ground again.

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