Following his appearance at the Grammys, Asake gets the year 2025 lit with a new single, “Military. The track comes from the artiste’s appearance on the Grammy red carpet, looking fly in a stunning military camouflage two-piece.
The track “Military,” on which Asake shoots back at critics-most notably those who have questioned the use of Yoruba in his music, and his not-so-great English accent.
Sing-rapping in Yoruba language on the song, he informs critics to “talk all they want” while confidently letting them in on a secret that he just feels uncomfortable speaking in English.
This is not his typical song with log drums on an Amapiano beat that we are used to seeing top the music charts. On the beat of Tupac’s Do It for the Love, Asake delivers s just a message that needs to be passed across to his critics from his table. Whether it becomes an instant hit or not, he needed to put it out there that he sees all they say but he’s less concerned.
In the song, he brags about his success, claiming to be the richest artist among his peers. Beyond the wealth, the track reveals his deeper focus: making more money and doing his own thing. Asake’s message is clear: he’s not concerned with what others say.
He makes it clear that he does not need to be dramatized with the fuss about his image and accent; he even alludes to a parody of his “American gangster” look and “village man” accent: “Oyinbo ko ro le nu mi” is used playfully to become the stand-in for his disinterest in fitting into what others want him to be.
One of the major highlights from the song for me was when Asake sends an emotionally touching shout-out to his ex-boss Olamide Baddo. “Shout out Olamide Badoo idan/ Mo le drop album lola tinu ba bimi/ Seven tracklist mo le gbe won sare ni/ Mo le ni kan lo gbawon leti ni/ But mo ma stop tori mo shishe debi ni/ Talk your s**t/ Mo mo pe o ma n ko bani/ Omo f**k that s**t/ Kuro ni bi ni, Asake sang.
This is very important because, in recent times, there have been speculations of a feud between the two, following the removal of “YBNL” from his Instagram bio and the unfollowing of everybody. By this, Asake comes clean to give it up to Olamide publicly and to show there is no bad blood between them, even when he hasn’t appeared publicly with him since he left the label.
‘Military’ lasts less than two minutes, Asake’s claim to be the “richest” in the song does raise some eyebrows, but at the same time, it does show his assertion of being successful and his ability to define his future. With parts bragging and parts reflective, the track captures his focus on the business of music, rather than the noise of criticism from the outside world.
Asake is someone that you barely see in the news based on controversy on and off the music scene, so “Military” is one of those rare times he finally lets the critics in, who tear apart his accent, his fashion, his looks, and anything else he’s doing. He responds simply: he’s not bothered. All he is is true to himself and the music that speaks to him.
This song’s unapologetic tone seems to say that Asake is in full control of his narrative, doing things on his terms, whether it be his musical style or his image.
Recently, Portable had taken jabs at Asake, but Asake has stayed silent in response and instead dropped ‘Military’ to serve as a response to Portable and other critics. Portable mocked him, After Asake lost his category to Tems, who made the nation proud by becoming a 2x Grammy winner for her hit single ‘Love Me Jeje’ , Portable mocked him further.
He claimed that Asake has been copying his style—first with the oversized shirts and jeans, and now with the military-inspired fashion. Portable called Asake a copycat, claiming that despite Asake’s self-proclaimed title as “President Giran Republic,” he’s just imitating others.
In Asake’s single “Uhmm Yeah” from his third studio album Lungu Boy, he declared, “Emi President Giran Republic, everyday na me be their topic.” It turns out he wasn’t exaggerating, as he’s been one of the most talked-about artists in the Nigerian music scene this year (2025), even though he hasn’t dropped an official release this year. This surge in attention came largely due to his new look based on the tattoos on his face, which sparked a buzz when he dropped a snippet early this year.
A two-time Grammy nominee and consistent hitmaker, Asake has continued to grow and stake his claim in the Nigerian music scene, as he came into the music limelight in 2022 when he was signed to YBNL and released the 2022 hit single ‘Omo Ope’ featuring Olamide.
He has three studio albums to his discography, MMWTV in 2022, Work of Art in 2023, and Lungu Boy in 2024. shows Asake’s consistency in releasing music projects, and we can likely expect an album from Mr Money in 2025 to maintain his annual streak of album releases.
