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11 Trailblazing Achievements by African Artists
Billboard is continuing to expand its global footprint with the launch of Billboard Africa, which was announced Wednesday night (June 4) at our inaugural Global Power Players event in London.
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In partnership with Global Venture Partners, Billboard Africa will continue Billboard's commitment to highlighting major developments within the African music industry and embracing the continent's diverse voices and rich stories through events, awards and exclusive multimedia content. The platform aims to become the leading hub for African music and culture, strengthening ties between artists and fans as well as the local music economy.
'We are thrilled to launch Billboard Africa, a pivotal step in recognizing Africa's profound contributions to global music culture,' said Josh Wilson, managing director at Global Venture Partners. 'African music is not only rich and diverse but a driving force that continues to reshape global music trends. Billboard Africa will create a space where these voices are amplified, where artists connect with new audiences, and where fans and industry professionals alike can witness the full impact of Africa's creative energy.'
In honor of Billboard Africa launching, we're celebrating 11 African artists' trailblazing efforts in the global music scene.
While Rema's 'Calm Down,' featuring Selena Gomez on the remix, became the first African artist-led song to hit one billion Spotify streams, he's not the only African artist in Spotify's Billions Club. Wizkid was the first African member and also one of the first members ever when Drake's 'One Dance,' also featuring Kyla, became the very first song to hit one billion streams on the streaming service in 2016. And while Wiz is also the first Nigerian artist to have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the same song in 2016, South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela became the first African artist to top the all-genre songs tally nearly 50 years earlier with 'Grazing in the Grass.' CKay also landed a historic No. 1 on a Billboard chart that was brand new at the time: the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart that we launched in partnership with Afro Nation in 2022, which ranks the 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the country.
Like Masekela, many African acts have paved the way for others to achieve historic firsts in their own right. Miriam Makeba, also known as 'Mama Africa,' was the first African artist to win a Grammy in 1966, and almost 60 years later, Tyla won the first Grammy in the best African music performance category that the Recording Academy introduced in 2024. And Tems, who won her second Grammy in that category earlier this year with 'Love Me JeJe,' made history in a whole different field when she became the first African-born woman to own a Major League Soccer team when she joined the San Diego FC ownership group as a club partner.
From the 1960s to the 2020s, take a look back at more of the historic firsts African artists have accomplished.
Miriam Makeba became the first African artist to win a Grammy in March 1966, taking home the trophy for best folk recording with her and her mentor Harry Belafonte's 1965 album An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba. Her 1965 solo album Makeba Sings! was also nominated in the same category.
Hugh Masekela became the first African artist to have a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 with 'Grazing in the Grass' in July 1968. It spent two consecutive weeks at the top. The song also reached No. 15 on Adult Contemporary and spent four weeks at No. 1 on Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles.
CKay's 'Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)' became the first No. 1 hit on Billboard's U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart in March 2022. It eventually finished at No. 3 on Billboard's 2022 year-end tally. 'To be honest… it was overlooked. No one took it seriously because it wasn't a fast song,' he said in his 2021 Billboard Chartbreaker interview. The song also reached No. 26 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts while also topping Rhythmic Airplay, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Top Triller U.S.
Davido became the first African artist to perform at the FIFA World Cup outside of Africa in December 2022. He performed 'Hayya Hayya (Better Together)' alongside American singer-songwriter Trinidad Cardona and Qatari singer-songwriter Aisha, which was featured on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Soundtrack, during the closing ceremony at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
Uncle Waffles became the first amapiano act to perform at Coachella in April 2023. 'The sound deserves to be on stages this big,' she told Billboard before her set. She returned to the desert earlier this year to perform at REVOLVE Festival. 'I'm so excited to be bringing the sound to the world. I know a lot of people, they probably won't know what amapiano is, but I'm excited to be their first experience. I hope everyone loves it after they get to see me,' she told Billboard.
Burna Boy became the first Nigerian artist to headline and sell out a U.S. stadium during his show at NYC's Citi Field in July 2023. The historic stop was part of his Love, Damini world tour and fell on the first anniversary of his album Love, Damini, which peaked at No. 2 on World Albums and earned a 2023 Grammy nomination for best global music album. The previous April, he became the first Nigerian artist to headline and sell out NYC's Madison Square Garden.
'It's like I'm better at [performing] than making music. And that says a lot because I'm really good at making music,' he said in his 2022 Billboard cover story. 'You see how with Christ, there's B.C. and A.D.? I feel like that's how it is for me with performing. There's going to be a 'Before Burna Came' and 'After Burna's Death' time period in the performing arts world. That's my legacy.'
Rema's 'Calm Down,' featuring Selena Gomez, became the first African-artist led song to hit one billion Spotify streams in September 2023. 'It's a blessing. It's not just a big win for me, my team and family, it's also a big one for the culture. I feel really happy and I'm really proud of the fans as well for going back to the song and putting people on the song. Shout out to the DJs and everyone who made this possible,' he said in a press statement.
The song also reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 and hit No. 1 on the following Billboard charts: U.S. Afrobeats Songs (for a record 59 weeks), World Digital Song Sales (32 weeks), Pop Airplay (five weeks), Rhythmic Airplay (four weeks) and Adult Pop Airplay (two weeks).
Black Coffee became the first South African DJ to headline and sell out NYC's Madison Square Garden in October 2023. 'It's always been one of my biggest dreams to take this music and sound to the highest level possible and to expose it to the largest audience imaginable and so I've dreamt of my @thegarden debut for many years — it's finally a reality!' he wrote on X while sharing the concert flyer.
The previous April, he became the South African DJ/producer to win the Grammy for best dance/electronic album with his 2021 album Subconsciously, which was ranked No. 3 on Billboard staff's best dance albums of 2021 list.
Tyla won her first Grammy and the first Grammy in the augural best African music performance category for her 2023 smash 'Water' in February 2024. 'It's something that a lot of people strive toward and want to win at least once in their lifetime. And I'm so blessed to have received one so early in my career,' she said in her Billboard cover story last year. 'That category is something that was introduced in my lifetime, and I was the first person to win it. And I'm able to bring it home back to South Africa. The South African genre of amapiano just started bubbling, and I'm so proud that South Africa has a genre that people are enjoying and paying attention to. I'm super proud of my country and where our sound has gone.'
The Hot 100 No. 7 hit also won top Afrobeats song at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards and best Afrobeats video at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Tems became the first African-born woman to own an MLS team when she joined the San Diego FC ownership group as a club partner in February 2025. 'I grew up around my uncles and brother watching matches, and because they're so loud, I'm forced to pay attention. I always wondered about being able to be in the business of it because it's a man's world,' she said in her Billboard cover story this year. She works closely with the Right to Dream Academy, a youth association football academy that started in Ghana has a U.S. branch in San Diego. 'That's something that piqued my interest, being able to build other Africans up, build other children up and give them more opportunities that they wouldn't have otherwise seen.'
The music video for Aya Nakamura's 2018 hit 'Djadja' became the first video by an African female artist to hit one billion YouTube views in February 2025. Seven years ago, shortly after its release, the song made history in the Netherlands by becoming the first French-language song to hit No. 1 since Édith Piaf's 'Non, je ne regrette rien' in 1961.
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