It’s safe to say Asake, born Ahmed Ololade, has just delivered one of those moments. New Instagram photos released by the Afrobeats hitmaker on October 14, show the chart-dominating superstar sporting a cleanly shaved head, button-up shirt, and a polished poise.
Fans are already gasping. Others are whispering. Some are celebrating.
Asake first exploded onto the scene with Fuji-inspired Afrobeats and the unmistakable aura of ‘Mr. Money With The Vibe.’
His image has always been revolving. The 30-year-old Lagos native went from the colourful dreadlocks of his debut to the Basquiat-styled locs. This established him as one of the most fashionable figures in Nigerian music.
Now, the star has executed a shocking aesthetic U-turn. Most notably, his visible face tattoos are no longer there.
This latest move is a deliberate shedding of past identities. It signals a transition months after launching his own independent record label, Giran Republic. This is Asake’s most profound artistic statement yet.
And it now compels us to decode what this means for his brand, his music, and his lasting legacy.
Earlier this year, Asake debuted prominent facial tattoos, including dollar signs and a “Believe” inscription. Fans were divided by the look, which was accompanied by a rougher, shorter hairstyle.
In an interview on the Grammy Red Carpet in February 2025, Asake shared that he is in his military era, where he is choosing to do whatever he wants.
He also added that he can wake up and decide to get rid of all his face tattoos because that’s what it means to live free of expectations. Insert Twitter posts He backed this claim with the release of a freestyle rap song, ‘Military’ in February, on which he declared his defiance to live as he pleases without caring for external opinions.
In his latest rebrand, Asake has gotten rid of his face tattoos as he continues showcasing what it means to operate in a ‘military’ era where expectations are met with resistance.
Asake’s tattoos were a major statement; their absence is an even bigger statement. His rebrand serves as both an act of resistance and a demonstration of an artist who is aware that confidence is the key to genuine influence. Overt visual rebellion is no longer necessary for him. He’s at a level where he can convey sophistication even in simplicity.
The tension that Asake’s visual rebrands generates is one of the things that makes it so spicy. Fans hold different strong opinions. Critics speak out, and the media offer different positions. Some argue whether his change in style is indicative of a deeper meaning, perhaps a reflection of an inner crisis. Others considered it a marketing ploy engineered to attract mass attention.
While some lament this style rebrands as a loss of character, otherscelebrate it as another exciting evolution. For many, his dreadlocks and facial tattoos served as his distinguishing feature. Removing them meant losing some of his raw, defining features and mystic. But then, mystic and be conveyed in different ways.
Asake’s new look conveys more than just image-tweaking, if style is a signal. It implies that he is getting ready for something important. Fresh tunes? A sonic shift towards a new sound.
The removal of facial tattoos also has symbolic meanings. Removing ink from the face is a form of surrender; leaving it on the face is a visible declaration.
The artist often wants you to concentrate on the message when there aren’t many visuals.
Additionally, it impactshis commercial image by making listeners focus on the message rather than the aesthetic.
Call it Asake 2.0 or the Low Cut Era, but what we are seeing is more than a simple image change. This is a dramatic unmasking: a rebuke of expectations, a sharp redefinition of identity, and perhaps a sign of artistic reinvention. The hair is shaven, and the excess has been stripped away. Now it’s time for the message and the music to echo louder than ever.
The Hair’s Gone. The Face Tattoos Too. Asake’s Clean Slate Is Loud
