Nigerian Afrobeats singer Asake has attracted widespread attention online after a video showed him attempting to reach the revered Black Stone during a pilgrimage in Mecca.
In the circulating clip, the artist, whose real name is Ololade Ahmed, is seen standing among a dense crowd of worshippers gathered around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque. Several people around him appear to lift him slightly as he stretches his arm toward the stone embedded in the eastern corner of the structure.
The video shows thousands of pilgrims moving in close circles around the Kaaba while attempting to approach the sacred site. The singer, dressed in a flowing white robe similar to those worn by many pilgrims, struggles to move through the tightly packed crowd as he leans forward in an effort to reach the stone.
The Black Stone holds strong symbolic significance in Islam. Many pilgrims attempt to touch or kiss it because it is believed that the Prophet Muhammad did so during pilgrimage. Due to the large crowds around the Kaaba, however, many worshippers simply raise their hands toward the stone from a distance.
The singer is currently in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah during the holy month of Ramadan.
Earlier, he shared another moment from the journey on social media, posting a clip of himself praying at Raudhatul Jannah inside Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina. The video was captioned “Alhamdulillah.”
The post drew reactions online, particularly because it appeared shortly after speculation circulated on social media suggesting that the singer might convert to Christianity. Some fans interpreted the post as a reaffirmation of his Islamic faith.
This has also revived earlier controversies linked to the singer’s music videos.
In 2024, Asake faced criticism after releasing the video for his song Only Me. In the video, he appeared dressed in Christian-themed attire, wearing a halo while dancers dressed similarly collapsed after he threw money toward them. Some social media users accused the singer of mocking Christian symbolism.
Similar reactions followed the video for Bandana, a collaboration with Fireboy DML, which also included church-themed imagery that some viewers considered controversial.
In September 2024, a Muslim commentator on TikTok also criticised him for using a verse from Surah Al-Ikhlas in his song I Swear.
In the video, the commentator said, “If you are a Muslim and you listen to this rapper, he used a whole Quranic verse in his song, Surah Al Ikhlas.” He added, “This is disgusting behaviour. As Muslims, we encourage good and forbid evil, and this right here is not good at all.”
The discussion also brought back an online prophecy that circulated in March 2024, when a Nigerian pastor claimed that “God is going to arrest singer Asake before the end of 2024.”
The singer has also been in the news over developments in his family life.
On Friday, March 6, 2026, he gifted his father, Fatai Odunsi, popularly known as Malo, a 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado reportedly valued at about ₦130 million. The gift came days after he presented his mother with a Mercedes-Benz G-Class reportedly worth about ₦311 million.
The gestures followed earlier criticism online after his father, a stroke survivor, accused him of neglect in a viral video in March 2025.
In the video, Odunsi said, “I am suffering from a partial stroke and need assistance.”
Days later, he said the matter had been resolved, stating, “Asake said he will do everything that I want. We have settled; no more problems.”
The singer has not publicly commented on the viral video showing him attempting to reach the Black Stone. However, his posts from Mecca and Medina continue to circulate widely on social media as fans react to his pilgrimage.
