Afrobeats has reached a new height in the global world. Billboard has partnered with a music festival and global Afrobeats brand AfroNation to launch the first-ever United States chart for Afrobeats music.
The Afrobeats Songs Chart would rank the 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the United States. The chart is expected to go live on Billboard.com on March 29.
The ranking would be based on a weighted formula incorporating official streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of leading audio and video music services, plus download sales from top music retailers.
“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,” Afro Nation founder, co-head of UTA London and Event Horizon founder Obi Asika said of the partnership in a press statement.
“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 AfroNation 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.”
Afrobeats sounds and influences have grown in the U.S. market throughout the 2010s, through artists such as Beyoncé and Drake, and now, the genre has yielded some of the biggest success stories of the young decade — including songs like Wizkid‘s “Essence” featuring Tems, CKay’s “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)” and Fireboy DML‘s “Peru.”