It is officially the end of an era for YBNL Nation. After months of intense speculation, global Afrobeats star Asake (Ahmed Ololade) has confirmed his departure from Olamide’s legendary record label to launch his own independent imprint, Giran Republic.
The “Lonely at the Top” crooner signaled the transition on February 12, 2025, with the release of his single “Why Love,” which was noticeably published under the Giran Republic label. Reports indicate that Asake’s original two-year contract, signed in February 2022, expired in late 2024. While Olamide reportedly offered a lucrative renewal, Asake opted for full independence to have greater creative control and ownership of his future projects.
Despite rumors of a “frosty” split—fueled by Asake unfollowing everyone on Instagram and removing YBNL from his bio in December 2024—the transition appears to be professional. Asake paid homage to Olamide in his earlier 2025 track “Military,” and industry insiders suggest Olamide gave his blessing, viewing Asake’s move as a natural progression of the YBNL “mentorship” philosophy. Asake will continue his international distribution partnership with EMPIRE, but he is now officially his own boss.
