A Night With Asake Live in Johannesburg

Article by Lethabo Motseleng

When Mr Money is in the country, the bar gets raised, and the city of gold is wrapped around his finger. The first weekend of 2026 saw Asake descend on The Goldrush Dome as the headline act of the AfroFuture Festival Johannesburg. With a plethora of DJs, musicians, and surprise acts, the event was a celebration of African creativity.

“We want Asake!”

Tickets for the show sold out, forcing many fans to either buy tickets through third-party resellers, from someone who couldn’t attend, or risk buying from people outside the venue. For the 10,000 lucky individuals who secured authentic tickets, they were treated to performances by Musa Keys, Gbedu Nights, Jazzworx, and Thukuthela. The anticipation for Asake reached fever pitch after 20:30, with the crowd booing the MC and chanting for Asake, even singing his songs to an empty stage. Once Medoo’s
vocals were heard through the speakers, the noise levels rose to deafening levels, with many of those in attendance raising their phones in the air to capture the moment he appeared on stage. Asake performed a medley of songs, most notably Skating, Lonely At The Top, MMS, Che Che, and Amapiano.

“Every day you see the boy, it’s a vibe.”

Asake performed with a live band, similar to Nigerian musicians of the past like Fela Kuti. At times, he was joined by Zulu dancers who blended traditional dances with contemporary dances found on the dance floors of Afrobeats and Amapiano circles. Focalistic and Young Jon were the surprise acts who joined Asake to perform Jon’s Che Che and 2Factor, with many in attendance speaking highly of Jon, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with two of Africa’s greatest modern-day exports in President Ya Strata and Mr. Money. Post their performances, Foca and Jon were spotted speaking backstage; hopefully, it’s on a song or a video for 2Factor along with Asake while all three of them are in Mzansi?

“Our mission is to connect the global diaspora.”

AfroFuture, previously known as Afrochella, seeks to bring together people of African heritage not only in South Africa or Africa but around the world. How they intend to achieve this is through various forms of art, including music, dance, art exhibitions, and commissions. They have hosted events and parties in Ghana, the United States, and France. It continues to bring together and celebrate Africa in all its shapes, colours, and textures. This ideal is important in the face of propaganda and anti-African sentiments that are being pushed in South Africa and around the world. Africans must continue to work together, not just
artistically but also economically and socially. An example that highlights the festival’s ideals is the relationship between Amapiano and Afrobeats. Both genres have shared vocalists and producers who have embedded both genres as an integral part of African dance culture across the continent.

This music is then exported to the rest of the world by themselves and the people who consume the genre, allowing them to perform in cities in lands far away from home. This success trickles down and benefits those below them through record labels and events, which feed the people working in the background, as well as their families all over Africa.

“Asake this week and Gunna the next week in January is crazy!”

2025 saw Asake only release two singles, WHY LOVE and BADMAN GANGSTA; this might be due to the amicable end to his contracts with YBNL and EMPIRE. He also took time to establish his own independent record label, Giran Republic, signing a distribution deal with Gamma and preparing for his historic Red Bull Symphonic performance. 2026 seems to be a year to remember for the Nigerian artist as well as for the South African entertainment industry. From what was announced late last year, you
can expect memorable experiences.