Skip to content
Curated Artist Library

Forge Brief

Asake

2018-present; commercial peak 2022-present (Mr. Money With the Vibe, Work of Art)

Theatrical, Lagos-Yoruba-fuji-street-pop, Lagos — afrobeats as Lagos-via-Asake-school Yoruba-fuji-chant-revival ritual.

Genres

afrobeatsstreet-popamapiano-influenced afrobeatsfuji-influenced afrobeats

Vocal character

Asake: distinctive Nigerian-Lagos-accented tenor with theatrical-street-pop precision and theatrical-fuji-Yoruba-chant verse delivery. Almost-shouted chorus peaks with multi-member-Yoruba-chant choral arrangement; multi-tracked harmonies on himself + theatrical-Yoruba-chant chorus; afrobeats + street-pop + amapiano-influenced + fuji-influenced hybrid precision.

Production markers

Magicsticks productionafrobeats + street-pop + amapiano-influenced + fuji-influenced foundation (afrobeats drums — log-drum + shaker + Caribbean-percussion + 808 sub-bass + amapiano log-drum + minor-key piano + fuji-Yoruba-chant arrangement + horn-section occasional)multi-tracked vocal harmony stacks with theatrical-Yoruba-chant chorusreverb-light intimate vocal productiontheatrical-Yoruba-chant arrangementYBNL-Nation + Empire sonic

Lyrical themes

celebration of Lagos-Nigeria + Yoruba-Muslim identity (Joha, Sungba, Lonely at the Top)romantic devotion + sensual-celebrationobservation of Lagos-nightlife + come-up narrativecelebration of fuji + Yoruba-Islamic music traditionstheatrical first-person street-pop storytelling

Signature moves

afrobeats drums + amapiano log-drum + fuji-Yoruba-chant choral foundationalmost-shouted chest-voice belted chorus peak with Yoruba-chant precisionmulti-tracked Yoruba-chant chorus responsetheatrical fuji-Yoruba bridge

Avoid — off-brand for this artist

EDM drops without afrobeats polishmetal guitarauto-tune as crutchcountry productionlo-fi indie production

More like Asake

Ranked by genre overlap + era proximity. Browse the full library →