His first tattoo was the phrase “stay real” written across his hands

Asake has opened up on the symbolism behind his trademark ‘ASAKE’ tattoo inked across his neck and his other tattoos.

In a new interview with GQ Magazine, the Afrobeats singer spoke about his career, overall rise to stardom, and his inkwork. The outlet notes that Asake got the tattoo on his neck done at a time when he felt especially discouraged and unsure about his path as a musician.

Asake said, “I was tired, I felt like, I don’t want to keep trying.”

For him, the tattoo symbolised his perseverance and determination to make it big in the entertainment industry. In response to his initial doubt, he got the tattoo done and worked even harder to become the singer his fans have grown to love.

Asake also spoke on the stereotyping in Nigeria regarding tattoos, stating that people with visible tattoos find it difficult to secure employment.

“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,” he explained.

He stressed that his mantra, of not forgetting who he is, was his focus when he got his first-ever tattoo “Stay real” written across his hands. He also admitted that living in Los Angeles makes it harder to do so.

“It triggers you to be more than what you are, but I feel like everybody’s going through the same thing in this place. People find it hard to be normal, to be original,” he concluded.