We’re rolling out the 50 tracks that are the most foundational, influential and popular within Afrobeats, starting Tuesday (July 22).
Clockwise from left: Burna Boy, Davido, P-Square, Wizkid, Yemi Alade and Tiwa Savage.
Shot By Nee; Swan Gallet for WWD; Jalal Morchidi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images; Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage; Gilbert Flores for Billboard; Noor-u-Nisa Khan for WWD
Over the last decade, Afrobeats has made significant inroads in the global music industry, from invitations to conquer the biggest stages in the world to cross-cultural collaborations with Western superstars like Beyoncé, Drake and Ed Sheeran. And it’s earned institutional recognition. Billboard launched the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart in 2022 that ranks the 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the country every week, two years after the Official Charts Company launched the Official U.K. Afrobeats Chart that ranks the 20 most popular Afrobeats in the nation. Last year, The Recording Academy introduced the best African music performance category one year after the MTV Video Music Awards and two years after the American Music Awards presented the best Afrobeats video and favorite Afrobeats artist awards, respectively.
And to commemorate the game changers of the genre, Billboard is ranking the 50 best Afrobeats songs of all time. This list is highlighting the foundational, influential and popular songs within Afrobeats with an s, not to be confused or conflated with Afrobeat, another genre from the 1960s that Fela Kuti pioneered, which fuses West African percussive rhythms and styles like fuji and highlife with American jazz and funk as well as unabashedly political lyrics and chanted vocals.
Emerging in the 2000s, Afrobeats is a popular style of West African music that employs polyrhythms and syncopation and draws inspiration from hip-hop, R&B, dancehall and more while incorporating romantic, celebratory and sociopolitical lyrics sung in Yoruba, Nigerian Pidgin and English. We didn’t include some popular songs that contain only some elements of Afrobeats, like Tyla’s “Water.” (Tyla herself has acknowledged that Afrobeats has paved the way for her international success as an African artist, but it’s not the hallmark attribute of her music). And we sprinkled in some alté to honor Nigeria’s alternative scene, as well as street-pop to represent the pivotal subgenres under the Afrobeats umbrella.
Billboard staffers and contributors agreed on the following criteria: stylistic representation of the genre, local popularity, regional expansion, cultural impact and commercial success. Given the geographical makeup of this group of journalists – ranging from the U.S. to the U.K. to Nigeria – these 50 songs represent how Afrobeats gained momentum at home before migrating and making noise in different markets, echoing the rallying cry of “Afrobeats to the world!” The making of this list did not go without a few debates about which songs stayed and which ones didn’t. And even though a few heavy-hitters like the heralded “Big 3” – Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy – have contributed numerous defining hits, the max number of songs one artist can have on the list is three, to ensure we capture the breadth of the music as best we can by making room for more artists.
We’re rolling out this list 10 songs a week, starting Tuesday (July 22). Read No. 50-41 below, and stay tuned next week for the unveiling of No. 40-31.
50. Weird MC, “Ijoya” (2006)
To put it simply, Weird MC was radical. She strode onto the scene with baggy pants, a shaved head and a hip-hop-inspired bravado – incredibly novel for women who were already the minority in Nigerian music. On the Don Jazzy and JJC Skillz-produced “Ijoya,” she proved herself to be ahead of her time not only where aesthetics were concerned, but also in craft. Her slick Yoruba lyricism and rapid-fire delivery, accentuated now and again by talking drums, make “Ijoya” an ageless dance hit, while the song’s inventive visuals made her the first-ever Afrobeats artist to release an animated music video. – BLOSSOM MADUAFOKWA
49. Nonso Amadi, “Tonight” (2016)
Soulfully tinged with R&B tendencies, Nonso Amandi’s breakout hit “Tonight” bathes in an array of genres and thus articulates the breadth and depth of Afrobeats in the middle of the 2010s. The song not only helped spearhead Afro-R&B — a pocket in which artists like Tems comfortably sit today — but also builds on the act of yearning, which Afrobeats is well known for. It adds to the canon of male Afrobeats acts shedding their ego and leaning into vulnerability. And with “Tonight,” the Nigeria-born, Canada-based singer scored a top 10 on Nigeria’s now-defunct Playdata airplay chart. – NICOLAS-TYRELL SCOTT
48. Timaya, “Dem Mama” (2005)
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo There is no Afrobeats without the conscious music of its earliest stars like Timaya. On his 2005 breakout single “Dem Mama,” the Port Harcourt-born singer decried the heavy-handedness of the Nigerian government and its armed forces. Specifically referencing the 1999 massacre in his hometown, Odi, located in Bayelsa State, he wove a haunting tale of the military’s brutal attack that cost 30 lives. Critiquing a democracy that was in its infancy, just as Afrobeats was taking form, “Dem Mama” was both an unflinching portrait of its time and a social justice anthem to rally around. – WALE OLOWOREKENDE
47. Jazzman Olofin feat. Adewale Ayuba, “Raise Da Roof” (2004)
Long before Afrobeats fully emerged in the early 2000s, indigenous genres like fuji, apala and highlife inspired Nigerian music. “Raise Da Roof” paid homage to that sonic lineage by melding hip-hop and fuji for a futuristic take on Afrobeats, crafting a seminal hit that’s still a party favorite to this day. OJB Jezreel’s skittering production and the synergy between Jazzman Olofin and fuji icon Adewale Ayuba gives the song a playful edge that has provided a template for the future takeover of the genre by fuji-adjacent stars like Asake and Seyi Vibez. – W. OLOWOREKENDE
46. Victony & Tempoe, “Soweto” (2022)
“Soweto” emerged as a semi-sleeper hit from Victony’s 2022 EP Outlaw. Masterminded by the ever-talented Tempoe, “Soweto” is led by an addictive guitar riff and Victony’s suggestive pen. The song eventually blew up on social media with smooth TikTok dance challenges and resulted in a four-week No. 1 stint on the UK Afrobeats chart, and a top 10 entry on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs and TurnTable Top 50 (which has since rebranded as the Official Nigeria Top 100), thanks to remixes with Don Toliver and Rema as well as Omah Lay. – B.M.
45. Olu Maintain, “Yahooze” (2007)
With minimal institutional support accessible in the early days of Afrobeats, fraudsters – or “yahoo boys,” as Nigerians affectionately call them – were a critical source of much-needed cash. While Olu “maintains” that the song is simply about a young talent coming into money after securing a lucrative music deal, its lyrics – and Afrobeats history – suggest a naughtier reality. Even as the track’s true meaning remains a matter of debate, its impact doesn’t: “Yahooze” and its corresponding dance craze are just as capable of turning any Afrobeats party on its head as they did in their glory days. – B.M.
44. Ice Prince feat. Brymo, “Oleku” (2010)
Hip-hop is undoubtedly an integral part of Afrobeats’ DNA, and no label underscored its importance better than Chocolate City. Following the early-2000s success of brothers M.I Abaga and Jesse Jagz, Ice Prince was touted as a star-in-waiting after a series of features and singles as part of the label’s much-vaunted supergroup, The Choc Boiz. Released in June 2010, “Oleku” was the coronation of a new rap monarch: Featuring an all-timer chorus from fellow Choc City star Brymo and lithe bars from Ice Prince, “Oleku” exploded across Nigeria and became one of the country’s most remixed songs. – W. OLOWOREKENDE
43. Kizz Daniel feat. Tekno, “Buga” (2022)
Since breaking into the Afrobeats scene in 2014 with “Woju,” Kizz Daniel has proven his talents pass the tests of time on multiple occasions. Nearly a decade after “Woju,” Kizz Daniel came roaring back with the Tekno-assisted “Buga,” making Afrobeats lovers around the world get up on their feet and dance the day and night away. It became the most Shazam’d song in the world two weeks after its release in 2022 and took over social media with a dance challenge, while later establishing itself as a top contender for that year’s Afrobeats song of the summer. – WONGO OKON
42. Libianca, “People” (2022)
The Cameroonian American singer-songwriter pours her raw melancholy and a stirring melodic blend of Afrobeats and R&B into her sobering breakout hit “People.” The forthright opening lines serve as a wake-up call for those who can’t see what their friends are really facing, as Libianca’s lithe vocals shed light on the effects of mental health on personal relationships. With remixes featuring Ayra Starr and Omah Lay, Becky G and Cian Ducrot, “People” hit No. 1 on the UK Afrobeats chart and reached No. 80 on the Hot 100. – HERAN MAMO
41. Asake, “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY)” (2022)
Image Credit: Courtesy Photo By the time Asake released “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY)” in June 2022, he had completed a brazen takeover of Afrobeats, sealing the most unprecedented breakout year in the genre’s history. Built around his signature fusion of amapiano log drums and stacked vocals, “Peace Be Unto You (PBUY)” signaled the rising appeal of the Afrobeats subgenre, street-pop, as a global force to be reckoned with. Performed in a spirited blend of Yoruba, English and Pidgin, the song draws inspiration from Asake’s experiences growing up on Lagos Island, while paying homage to the religious undertones that shaped the origin of Afrobeats. – W. OLOWOREKENDE
“Children of the Grave” (Master of Reality, 1971)
