Rachel, the sister of the late Rebecca Ikumelo, has criticized popular musician Asake for his tribute to the deceased during his Sunday concert in London. Rebecca and a security guard named Gabrielle Hutchinson tragically passed away after sustaining injuries during a crowd surge at one of Asake’s shows in December 2022. During his recent concert, Asake displayed pictures and videos of Ikumelo and Hutchinson before starting his performance. He also urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the police. Expressing her discontent on X (formerly Twitter), Rachel, using the handle @Rachaeliku, labeled the tribute as a “sorry excuse.” She mentioned that the singer had not spoken to any member of their family since the incident occurred.
Her tweet read, “What a sorry excuse of a ‘tribute’ from @asakemusik. My sister lost her life at your show, and you haven’t spoken to a single member of my family since. But you can hold another concert in London less than 9 months later and play her videos as a ‘tribute’? RIP Rebecca Ikumelo.” Following the tragic incident, Asake issued a statement expressing his condolences to the family. He stated, “I am devastated by the news that Rebecca Ikumelo, who was in critical condition since Thursday, has sadly passed away. My sincerest condolences to her loved ones at this time. Let us please keep her family in our prayers. I have spoken to them, and will continue to do so.” When Twitter users pointed out to Rachel that Asake had, according to his statement, reached out to her family, she clarified that the singer did not seek her family’s consent before sharing videos of Rebecca. She wrote, “My point is, he should not be using her videos or giving a ‘tribute’ without speaking to my family beforehand for consent.
I hope you’re getting paid to ride for Asake like this.” Due to crowds of people, many without tickets, attempting to access the venue, Asake was forced to cancel his sold-out show at O2 Academy Brixton in December. Ticketless fans tried to breach the venue doors, resulting in the show being halted halfway. Unfortunately, two people lost their lives, and several others were hospitalized due to the surge.
