Asake’s ‘M$NEY’ hit number one on UK Apple Music on May 3, 2026. The Afrobeats king locked in the top spot, and the culture immediately went crazy.
Chart-tracking account @chartdata confirmed the milestone, and it spread fast. The announcement pulled nearly 5,000 likes and 585 retweets. Those numbers don’t lie. People were waiting for this moment.
This is a certified big move for the Lagos-born star. The UK is one of the most competitive streaming markets on the planet. Pop heavyweights, UK drill acts, and global R&B names are all scrapping for that top spot on any given day. ‘M$NEY’ climbed over all of them.
Let’s put that in context real quick. UK Apple Music number one means Asake‘s song was the most-streamed track in the country. Not a genre-specific chart. Not a regional playlist. The whole market.
Asake – born Ahmed Ololade Asake in Lagos, Nigeria – has been making moves in the UK for years now. He came up through the Nigerian music scene. Then he broke through internationally. His sound sits at the intersection of Afrobeats and Fuji, a traditional Yoruba style from Nigeria. That blend is his whole identity. He doesn’t sound like anyone else in the game. That distinctiveness has always been his edge.
His UK fanbase has been growing steadily. From early buzz in Afrobeats circles to mainstream streaming charts, the trajectory has been consistent. Reports of sold-out shows and growing festival presence have followed him across the UK for the past couple of years. A number-one on Apple Music is the payoff for all that work.
‘M$NEY’ carries that classic Asake swagger in the title alone. The dollar sign replacing the O says everything. The song has been building steam for a while, and the chart position is just confirming what listeners already knew: this record connects.
The @chartdata engagement tells the real story about where Asake’s fanbase stands right now. Chart-tracking accounts post updates all day long. Most of those posts pull a few hundred interactions and disappear. Nearly 5,000 likes on a single chart update is a statement. That’s a community showing up for a milestone they feel personally invested in.
Afrobeats has been making serious moves in the UK for years. Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Tems have all put up big UK chart numbers at different points. Each of those wins expanded the lane. Asake hitting number one on Apple Music puts him in that same league conversation. The genre isn’t a subculture in the UK anymore. It’s mainstream. ‘M$NEY’ sitting at the top is the latest proof.
The UK has always been a gateway for African artists pushing toward global recognition. A chart-topping run in London opens doors everywhere else. Europe, North America, and beyond all take notice. This kind of milestone changes booking conversations and opens up new collaboration opportunities across the board.
What comes next is the real question. A chart peak like this opens doors quickly. More radio play, bigger festival slots, and high-profile collaborations are all possibilities now. UK artists and producers tend to pay attention at moments like this. Asake has the momentum. How he capitalizes on it will define how long this run lasts.
For now, the crown is his. ‘M$NEY’ at number one in the UK is the move of the week. Asake did that. And the culture is feeling every bit of it.
