This week sees the launch of the first Official UK Afrobeats Chart – a new Top 20 weekly rundown spotlighting the fast rising Afrobeats scene in the UK, initiated by celebrated festival Afro Nation and compiled by the Official Charts Company.
Understood to be one of the world’s first official charts for the genre, the Official UK Afrobeats Chart is to be compiled using UK sales and streaming data from over 9,000 outlets, incorporating physical sales, downloads, audio streams and video streams.
The chart is described as a landmark moment for a genre whose growing influence on popular music culture is exploding across the globe – driven by a growing community of independent and major label artists.
The very first chart will be unveiled in a special ‘Official UK Afrobeats Chart Show’ on BBC Radio 1Xtra on Sunday 26th July from 1pm-3pm, featuring a range of hosts and artists from around the world celebrating the launch of the Official UK Afrobeats Chart. The Top 20 chart will be published every Sunday thereafter at 2pm via a weekly Spotify ‘Official UK Afrobeats Chart’ playlist featuring the 20 biggest Afrobeats tracks of the week plus a bonus slot to spotlight a new release for listeners to discover. There will also be a weekly video countdown on the Afro Nation and Official Charts social channels, with the full chart published on OfficialCharts.com.
To celebrate the launch, a new Official Charts Company-compiled list of the ‘Official Top 20 Afrobeats Artists Of The Past 12 Months’ based on official UK sales and streaming data is unveiled (see table in appendix) with an accompanying playlist.
The Official UK Afrobeats Chart promises to be a rich celebration of a culture in full flight. Born from joyous celebrations across Africa, the Afrobeats genre represents the spirit of a people and a continent, welcomed around the world and a key component in the sound of modern culture – from the pioneering days of Fela Kuti and Tony Allen, through dance and UK rave culture to the continued success of the genre throughout Africa and the world.
Nigerian singer and rapper Rema said:
“It’s a great thing to witness Afrobeats finally receiving the international success and recognition it deserves. This is more than just a genre to me, it’s part of my identity, my culture, it’s in my blood and I’m honoured to be a part of the movement.”
