The Billboard Hot 100 is the chart every pop star in the world is measured against, and for decades African artists barely appeared on it. The few who did made history each time. Look at the African firsts on the Billboard charts in order and you see two eras: a burst of South African and Cameroonian hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, then a long gap for Africa-based artists until the Afrobeats wave of the 2010s and 2020s.
Here are ten milestones, in the order they happened.
1. “Pata Pata” reaches number 12 (1967)
Miriam Makeba, living in exile in the United States, re-recorded her township dance song with producer Jerry Ragovoy, adding a spoken English part. On 25 November 1967 “Pata Pata” peaked at number 12 on the Billboard chart, one of the earliest African songs to break into the American top 20.
2. “Grazing in the Grass” goes to number one (1968)
A year later South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela went all the way. His instrumental “Grazing in the Grass”, written by Philemon Hou, followed Herb Alpert to the top of the Hot 100 in 1968 and finished as the year’s 18th biggest hit. Read the story of an exile’s number one.
3. “Soul Makossa” charts twice at once (1973)
Manu Dibango’s Cameroonian B-side became so popular in New York clubs that more than 20 groups rushed out cover versions. In 1973 his original peaked at number 35 on the Hot 100, and at one point it sat on the chart at the same time as a cover by the group Afrique. Read the Soul Makossa story.
4. Wizkid becomes the first Nigerian at number one (2016)
Then came a long wait for artists based on the continent. It ended with Drake’s “One Dance”, which spent ten weeks at number one on the Hot 100 in 2016. Wizkid, the featured artist, became the first Nigerian artist to chart on and top the Hot 100.
5. “Essence” becomes the first African top ten hit as lead artist (2021)
Wizkid and Tems‘ “Essence” was the first Nigerian song to chart on the Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200. In September 2021 it reached the top ten and became the first African song certified platinum in the US. Justin Bieber’s remix helped, but the song was climbing before he joined.
6. CKay’s “Love Nwantiti” follows (2021)
The same month, CKay became the second Nigerian pop artist to debut on the Hot 100 with “Love Nwantiti”, a song from 2019 that TikTok turned into a global hit two years later.
7. Billboard launches a US Afrobeats chart (2022)
In March 2022 Billboard created the US Afrobeats Songs chart, recognising that the sound had grown big enough to need its own ranking. The year before, “Essence” had spent 27 weeks on a US radio chart. The UK had launched its own official Afrobeats chart in July 2020.
8. Tems gets her first number one (2022)
Future and Drake built “Wait for U” on a sample of Tems’ song “Higher”, with her vocals at its heart. It debuted at number one on the Hot 100 in 2022, her first, and later won the Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance.
9. “Calm Down” spends 58 weeks at number one (2022 to 2023)
Rema‘s “Calm Down” with Selena Gomez reached number three on the Hot 100 and led the US Afrobeats chart for a record 58 weeks. Billboard called it Afrobeats’ biggest crossover hit. Read about its 52 weeks on the Hot 100.
10. Tyla ends a 55-year wait for South Africa (2023)
When Tyla‘s “Water” entered the Hot 100 in 2023, she became the first South African solo artist to do so in 55 years. The last time had been 1968, the year Hugh Masekela went to number one. “Water” went on to win the first Grammy for Best African Music Performance.
What the African firsts on the Billboard charts show
The long gap for Africa-based artists between the 1970s and 2016 is the story. African music did not stop being good in those years. What changed was access: streaming, TikTok, the diaspora in London and Toronto, and American artists who wanted to work with Africans rather than just borrow from them. Masekela and Tyla, 55 years apart, bookend that story. The next chapter will not take another half-century.
