Afrobeats star Asake has had a relatively quiet 2025 so far. Aside from the release of “Why Love” back in February, he hasn’t put out much else since the calendar flipped, perhaps still recovering from his Lungu Boy World Tour last year.
It looks like his output will be picking up from here on out, though. Today, he’s released the video for a new single, “Badman Gangsta,” featuring French rapper Tiakola. Over a sample of Amerie’s iconic 2005 hit “1 Thing,” Asake redefines the “badman” lifestyle; visually, the clip follows him documentary style as he lives his life, vacationing in the tropics, recording his music, and flexing alongside a classic DeLorean (yay!) and a Cybertruck (boo!). The whole thing is filmed in tasteful black-and-white, giving it the luxurious air of a really long designer fragrance ad.
While Asake hasn’t put out too much new music this year, he’s still remained visible stateside thanks to a strong performance at Hot97’s Summer Jam last month and the launch of his own label, Giran Republic, in partnership with Gamma. Meanwhile, adding Tiakola to his latest (taking a page from Wizkid) also expands his international appeal; just about every comment under that video is in French, meaning Asake’s got at least three countries looking to see what he does next.
Watch Asake’s “Badman Gangsta” video featuring Tiakola above.
