"2:30" combines simmering percussion with synths described by Rolling Stone as "straight out of a dingy basement," a texture that underscores the song's raw and unfiltered energy. Produced by Magicsticks and Blaisebeatz, the track draws from Asake's street-pop roots, celebrating his authenticity and individuality.[2]
Music video
The music video for "2:30" coincided with the song's release. It was shot in Los Angeles and was directed by Edgar Esteves and Joshua Valle, and produced by Blank Square Productions.[3]
Commercial performance
"2:30" debuted at No. 22 on the 'Official Nigeria Top 100 chart during the week of 7 April 2023. During the week of 17 April 2023, it amassed 5.23 million on-demand streams (No. 1 on streaming) and a radio reach of 65 million impressions (No. 5 on radio). This marked Asake's ninth top-ten entry on the chart, setting a record for the most top-ten singles in Nigeria since the chart's inception in November 2020. The song's streaming figures nearly doubled that of the next highest-ranked track, Davido's "Unavailable," which recorded 2.84 million streams.
The following week, it quickly rose to No. 1.[4] "2:30" maintained its No. 1 position for a second consecutive week, tallying 3.08 million streams and 72.7 million radio impressions, becoming Asake's third song of 2023 to log multiple weeks at the summit.[5]
By its third week (ending 27 April 2023), the song remained at No. 1, with 2.94 million streams (No. 2 on streaming) and 82 million radio impressions (No. 2 on radio), extending Asake’s record for his longest chart-topping run as a lead artist.[6]
In its fourth week on the chart (week ending 12 May 2023), "2:30" rebounded to No. 1, recording 78.4 million in radio reach (No. 1 on radio) and 2.28 million streams (No. 3 on streaming). It became the first of Asake’s songs to spend four weeks at the summit.[7] However, by the following week, the track fell to No. 3 after being displaced by Rema’s "Charm" and Kizz Daniel’s "Shu-Peru."[8]
