Afrobeats: Billboard to launch first US chart

The last decade has seen Afrobeats explode into a worldwide phenomenon, and now US magazine Billboard says it is teaming up with festival company Afro Nation to launch America's first ever Afrobeats chart.

The chart will go live on March 29 and rank the top 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the country based on streams and downloads.

".I am humbled to have made a contribution to growing the genre alongside many talented, passionate people” Afro Nation founder, Obi Asika told Billboard.

As with much of the world, Afrobeats has grown tremendously as a genre in America. Several Afrobeats songs have had international success recently including Ckay's Love Nwantiti, Fireboy DML's Peru and Wizkid's Essence.

"We are proud to showcase the top songs and artists with this new weekly ranking," Billboard executive, Silvio Pietroluongo, said.

Billboard publishes music charts showing the most popular albums and songs in various genres.