Three years after its release, Asake’s Mr Money With the Vibe is still doing numbers. At the time of press, the track ‘Nzaza’ currently ranks 23rd on Spotify Nigeria’s Top 50 songs, that’s 148 weeks and counting, nearly three years of nonstop streaming for a debut project.
For most artists, a first album fades after its moment. For Asake, it’s really that moment that refuses to fade.
The Album That Started It All
Released September 8, 2022, through YBNL Nation and Empire, Mr Money With the Vibe arrived when the streets already knew Asake’s name. He had already spent months turning singles like Sungba into hits. This 12-track debut built on that momentum, and he managed to do even more.
The project blends Afrobeats, Amapiano, and Fuji influences, creating a sound that can be global yet deeply Nigerian. Songs like Joha, Terminator, and Organise became instant hits, setting the tone for Asake’s larger-than-life run that would define Afrobeats in the mid-2020s.
Breaking Records From Day One
From its first day out, Mr Money With the Vibe shattered expectations and redefined what a Nigerian debut could do.
Apple Music Africa: The album broke records for the most first-day and most opening three-day streams ever by an African project.
Apple Music Nigeria Top 100: For a brief, almost unbelievable stretch, every single track on the album occupied the first 12 spots on the chart.
Global Reach: The project reached #1 on Apple Music Album Charts in 26 countries, including six across Europe.
Billboard World Albums: It peaked at #2, a rare feat for an Afrobeats record.
Billboard 200: The project debuted at #66, the highest debut ever for a Nigerian album at the time and still one of the top four highest-ranking Nigerian albums in Billboard history.
TurnTable Charts: It became the first album in history to have seven songs in Nigeria’s Top 10 simultaneously. At one point, Terminator led the chart while Organise, Joha, PBUY, Nzaza, Dull, and Dupe filled up the rest.
UK Albums Chart: Mr Money With the Vibe entered at #22, becoming the first Nigerian debut album to chart in the UK.
What Keeps It on Top Three Years Later
Albums fade, trends change, and new stars rise every quarter. Yet Mr Money With the Vibe remains glued to the top. That consistency says something about both Asake and his audience.
For one, the project captured a moment in time, the rise of a new street-pop generation that blurred the lines between amapiano and Yoruba-rooted rhythm. Every track carried Asake’s trademark vocals and a hypnotic tempo that became instantly recognisable across countries.
It’s not just nostalgia keeping the album alive. The songs continue to find new listeners. Even listeners who missed the album’s 2022 debut can rediscover it through viral snippets, edits, and playlists that keep its replay value high.
Its sudden rise on the charts is also likely connected with Asake’s recent headlining performance on the famous Redbull Symphonic stage. At the New York concert, the Grammy nominee delivered orchestral performances of his classic hits, including songs from his debut album. The trending clips from the concert likely generated activities on his debut album, which led ‘Nzaza’ to return to the top 50 3 years after its release.
It’s rare for an album to become both a cultural timestamp and a steady fixture in everyday listening. Asake managed both.
