Billboard has launched Billboard Africa, a platform dedicated to showcasing the rich and diverse music culture of Africa.
To celebrate this milestone, they highlighted 11 African artists who have made significant contributions to the global music scene.
These trailblazers include Miriam Makeba, the first African artist to win a Grammy Award in 1966; Hugh Masekela, who topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968 with “Grazing in the Grass”; and CKay, who reached No. 1 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart with “Love Nwantiti” in 2022.
Other notable artists include Davido, who became the first African artist to perform at the FIFA World Cup outside Africa in 2022; Burna Boy, who was the first Nigerian artist to headline and sell out a U.S. stadium in 2023; and Tyla, who won the first Grammy Award in the Best African Music Performance category in 2024.
Additionally, artists like Rema, Uncle Waffles, Black Coffee, and Aya Nakamura have also achieved historic milestones, such as breaking records on Spotify, YouTube, and in sports.
These artists are paving the way for future generations and showcasing the immense talent and creativity of Africa’s music industry.
According to Billboard, they listed on their website:
From the 1960s to the 2020s, take a look back at more of the historic firsts African artists have accomplished.
1. Miriam Makeba becomes the first African artist to win a Grammy (1966)
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.
2. Hugh Masekela becomes the first African artist to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (1968)
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.
3. CKay’s “Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)” becomes the first No. 1 hit on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart (2022)
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.
4. Davido becomes the first African artist to perform at the FIFA World Cup outside of Africa (2022)
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.
5. Uncle Waffles becomes the first amapiano act to perform at Coachella (2023)
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.
6. Burna Boy becomes the first Nigerian artist to headline and sell out a U.S. stadium (2023)
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.”
7. Rema’s “Calm Down,” featuring Selena Gomez, becomes the first African artist-led song to hit one billion Spotify streams (2023)
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).
8. Black Coffee becomes the first South African DJ to headline and sell out NYC’s Madison Square Garden (2023)
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.
9. Tyla wins the first Grammy in the best African music performance category (2024)
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.
10. Tems becomes the first African-born woman to own a Major League Soccer team (2025)
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.”
11. Aya Nakamura’s “Djadja” music video becomes the first video by an African female artist to hit one billion YouTube views (2025)
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.
