Afrobeats Music is set to explode into an international phenomenon after world famous US music magazine, Billboard, announced on Saturday that it is teaming up with Nigerian festival company, Afro Nation, to launch America’s first ever Afrobeats chart.
This will be a significant breakthrough for the music genre which many music connoisseurs believe was created by late Afrobeat icon, late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, but has now been taken to a “second base” by new generation artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid, Ckay, Davido, Seun Kuti, Fireboy, and a host of others.
It will also be a significant boost for the genre as Billboard publishes music charts showing the most popular albums and songs in various genres every month.
The chart, according to Obi Asika, founder of Afro Nation, will go live on March 29 and will rank the top 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the Nigeria based on their monthly streams and downloads.
“As with much of the world, Afrobeats has grown tremendously as a genre in America. Several Afrobeats songs have had international success recently including Ckay’s Love Nwantiti, Fireboy DML’s Peru and Wizkid’s Essence.
“I am humbled to have made a contribution to growing the genre alongside many talented, passionate people,” Asika said.
“We are proud to showcase the top songs and artists with this new weekly ranking,” Billboard executive, Silvio Pietroluongo, said shortly after making the announcement.