Industry Roundup
Industry Roundup is a new weekly series by TurnTable Charts which will present major Afrobeats-centric news and interviews across the world. New TTC columnist, Lade Kindle will helm the weekly segment.
Asake signs with EMPIRE
Latest YBNL Nation signee and 2022 breakout star, Asake, becomes the latest addition to San Francisco based distribution company, EMPIRE. With a tweet on 18th of July, EMPIRE announced that Mr. Money has joined their roster of star studded artistes. This agreement and announcement might not come as a surprise to many since EMPIRE is home to Asake’s label boss, Olamide, and his label mate, Fireboy DML. In addition, YBNL Nation huncho, Olamide mentioned back in 2020 when he announced the joint venture between YBNL Nation and EMPIRE that every artiste signed to YBNL Nation will benefit from the partnership.
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In an interview with TurnTable Charts earlier in 2022, Vice President, Market Development of EMPIRE Africa, Eze Ezegozie stated; “they [YBNL] allowed us to work side by side with them to strengthen the existing infrastructure for Olamide, providing him with additional minds and resources to achieve his goals, while simultaneously building a similar infrastructure for Fireboy DML's, and the YBNL brand as a whole.”
He also added that the JV “has allowed us to continue to do business with YBNL and of course the subsequent acts after Olamide”
It is therefore no-brainer that Asake, with his red hot form in addition to being an YBNL Nation artiste, joins EMPIRE. The music audience is excited and anxious about what this means for Mr. Money, will he be taking his street influenced sounds to the world or will he adjust his sounds to suit the other side of the world? Well, fingers crossed, but, one thing is for sure, Mr. Money will keep coming with the vibes. Congratulations, Asake!
Last Last: from MSG to Billboard Hot 100
When the conversation is about live performances and stage craft among Afrobeats acts, Grammy winner, Burna Boy is the name on everyone’s lips — he’s that good! After years of performing songs from his expansive and rich discography across different venues in different continents across the world, Burna Boy seems to have unlocked a new level of stage artistry many will say they have never before seen in an Afrobeats act.
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It is then only rewarding for Burna Boy’s first ever solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 to be a song that got its first set of listening ears from the audience of Burna Boy’s iconic One Night in Space show at the Madison Square Garden in late in April before the song dropped in the second week of May.
Burna Boy performed “Last Last” at the MSG before he released it officially and also performed the song two days after release at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards.
For an artiste often praised for his exceptional live performances, having a song that has taken this route only seems deserving. “Last Last” is Burna Boy’s first solo entry and second overall on the Billboard Hot 100 and it’s gaining so much steam to launch itself into the list of Afrobeats anthems.