Ololade Ahmed, often known as Asake, is a well-known Afrobeats artist from Nigeria. He has shared his struggles prior to becoming successful in the music business.
Asake stated in an interview with GQ that obtaining a neck tattoo was the first step towards being unable to obtain an actual employment opportunity.
The singer has a large, noticeable tattoo over his neck that features all five of his stage name.
The 29-year-old artist explained that his tattoos represent determination.
“In Nigeria, if you have a tattoo on your neck, you can’t work anywhere. I can’t work for any company. I can’t sell anything,” Asake explains.
According to Asake, he got the tattoo during a particularly depressing, hopeless, and uncertain period in his life.
“I was tired,” he recalls. “I felt like, I don’t want to keep trying.”
His response to those feelings of doubt was to get a neck tattoo and give himself no other option.
“The second step is just working really, really, hard. You have to understand: I got there in two years, but I’ve been working for years,” he says.
“People are counting the days you’re successful. They don’t count the days you’ve been working toward it. Nobody gives a f3ck about that.”
