Grammy Award-nominated Nigerian artist, Ahmed Ololade, popularly known as Asake, is currently trending on X in Nigeria after some of his recent actions sparked rumours of a fallout with his record label, YBNL, and its founder, Olamide.
The controversy began when Asake made dramatic changes to his Instagram profile. A check by Tribune Online confirmed that the ‘Sungba’ crooner had removed YBNL from his Instagram bio and unfollowed everyone, including Olamide.
Adding to the drama, the noticeable absence of Asake at Olamide’s recent concert in Lagos was also quickly interpreted as a sign of a possible disagreement with the label.
Speculation grew when reports suggested that Asake’s contract, which he signed with YBNL in February 2022, had expired and that he had declined an offer to renew it. Instead, he is rumoured to be pursuing an independent career.
The development has, however, continued to spark different reactions on social media, particularly on X. While some fans believe Asake should stay with YBNL, crediting the label for his rise to fame, others are of the opinion that both Asake and YBNL can succeed independently.
Criticising Asake over his alleged departure from YBNL, controversial social media critic @DanielRegha wrote, “Asake doesn’t have the luxury of beefing with Olamide or parting ways right now. He’s still an upcomer in the game & his fan base is mostly YBNL supporters who are core fans of Olamide; This means that his relevance is partly tied to Olamide’s influence in the industry. He’s no doubt a global sensation, but still has more to lose if there’s an issue with Olamide or YBNL at this early stage of his music career. No offense.”
In a contrary opinion, popular music influencer @itzbasito tweeted, “Asake leaving YBNL is not a bad thing for him, it was only a matter of time. Artistes cannot stay with a record label forever, sooner or later the artiste will have to leave the label that put them on. Stop making it look like Asake leaving YBNL means he’s ungrateful to Olamide. Asake will be fine and also YBNL will be fine.”
However, this is not the first time Asake’s actions have raised questions about his relationship with YBNL. In June 2024, he made similar changes to his social media profile, leading to widespread speculation.
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