Billboard launches first-ever Afrobeats music chart

Billboard has collaborated with Afro Nation for the launch of its first-ever Afrobeats music chart in the United States.

The top US entertainment magazine broke the news in a blog post on Tuesday. According to Billboard, the Afrobeats music chart will officially go live on its platform as from March 29.

The magazine said the chart will rank 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the US based on a weighted formula.

This, it said, will incorporate official streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of leading audio and video music services as well as download sales from top music retailers.

Obi Asika, Afro Nation founder, said the initiative comes in the wake of growing influence of the Afrobeats in the global music landscape.

“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,” Asika said.

“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.”

In his remark, Silvio Pietroluongo, Billboard’s senior vice-president (SVP) of charts and development, said the move would further help in promoting the Afrobeats to a global audience.

“Billboard is excited to collaborate with Afro Nation on the launch of the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. 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,” he said.