Music
Billboard Is Launching A Music Chart Dedicated To Afrobeats In The United States
With musicians like Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Tems, and Davido, Afrobeats genre and influence have become more popular in the United States of America. The genre has produced some of the most popular songs in this decade, including Wizkid & Tems‘ “Essence,” Burna Boy‘s “Ye“, CKay‘s “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah),” and Fireboy DML’s “Peru.” International stars such as Beyoncé, Drake, Madonna, and others have promoted this genre.
That’s why for the first time, Billboard and Afro Nation have teamed together to create a chart dedicated to Afrobeats music in the US.
The leading US entertainment magazine announced the news in a blog post. Official charting of Afrobeats music is set for March 29th.
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Using a weighted algorithm, Billboard plans to list the 50 most popular Afrobeats tracks in the US. It will include official streaming on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of prominent audio and video music services, as well as download sales from key music stores.
Obi Asika, the founder of Afro Nation, in a press statement, explains that the project is a response to the rising popularity of Afrobeats in the global music world.
The last decade has seen Afrobeats explode into a worldwide phenomenon, influencing culture and fashion across the globe and I am humbled to have made a contribution to growing the genre alongside many talented, passionate people. There is still so much more potential within the scene and the community that has grown around it and I believe it is vital that with Billboard we now have a U.S. chart that reflects this growth and provides a platform for emerging artists from every continent to showcase their talent to new audiences.
“Billboard is excited to collaborate with Afro Nation on the launch of the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart,” added Billboard’s SVP of Charts and Development, Silvio Pietroluongo. “As with much of the world, Afrobeats has grown tremendously as a genre in America and we are proud to showcase the top songs and artists with this new weekly ranking.”
