After three years under Olamide’s YBNL Nation, the label that catapulted Asake into global stardom, the Nigerian pop star declined to renew his contract and founded his own independent label, Giran Republic. The timing felt right for a reinvention. 2023’s Work of Art didn’t shift dramatically away from the Afrofusion blueprint of his debut, and by his third record, 2024’s Lungu Boy , the stylistic monotony was becoming noticeable. Too often, it felt like he was piling on collaborations and genre experiments out of obligation. His latest album, M$NEY, was supposed to be the one that Asake made just for himself. Instead, it’s his most generic project yet. Asake stays cautious, opting for a come-one, come-all approach. This perspective influences every element of the record. Asake’s Fuji-tinged Afropiano sound is intact, but it has been aerated into a jazz-soaked haze with smoky brass, twinkling keys, and flute trills flickering around the edges.…