Nearly three years after its release, Asake’s debut album, Mr Money With the Vibe, continues to prove its staying power.
As of press time, the fan-favorite track “Nzaza” sits comfortably at No. 23 on Spotify Nigeria’s Top 50, marking an incredible 148 weeks on the chart, a rare feat for any project, let alone a debut.
For most artists, a first album comes and goes. For Asake, it’s that moment that refuses to fade.
Released on September 8, 2022, under YBNL Nation and Empire, Mr Money With the Vibe arrived with massive expectations and somehow exceeded them all. Long before the album dropped, the streets already echoed with his name, thanks to smash hits like “Sungba.”
The 12-track project cemented his dominance, blending Afrobeats, Amapiano, and Fuji influences into a sound both global and unapologetically Nigerian.
Songs like “Joha,” “Terminator,” and “Organise” became instant anthems, fueling Asake’s meteoric rise and shaping the sonic identity of Afrobeats in the mid-2020s.
From day one, the album was a record-breaking phenomenon:
- Apple Music Africa: Broke the record for the most first-day and opening three-day streams for any African project.
- Apple Music Nigeria Top 100: Every single track on the album once occupied the top 12 spots simultaneously — an unheard-of milestone.
- Global Reach: Reached #1 on Apple Music Album Charts in 26 countries, including six across Europe.
- Billboard World Albums: Peaked at #2, a massive achievement for a Nigerian album.
- Billboard 200: Debuted at #66, the highest-ever debut for a Nigerian project at the time, and still among the top four today.
- TurnTable Charts: Became the first album in Nigerian history to place seven songs in the Top 10 simultaneously.
- UK Albums Chart: Entered at #22, making it the first Nigerian debut album to chart in the UK.
Three years on, Mr Money With the Vibe isn’t just an album; it’s a cultural blueprint. It redefined what a debut could achieve, broke global barriers, and reminded the world that Asake wasn’t just another breakout star; he was a movement.
And with “Nzaza” still charting strongly, that movement clearly isn’t slowing down anytime soon.