Legendary Afrobeats musician, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has reached a historic milestone after surpassing 10 billion combined streams on Spotify, becoming the first African artist to achieve the feat.
The milestone crowns over a decade of global success for the Nigerian superstar. Wizkid’s streaming numbers are powered significantly by Drake’s global hit “One Dance,” which alone has amassed nearly 4 billion streams, while his Grammy-winning collaboration “Essence” has recorded over 334 million streams on the platform.
Wizkid’s extensive catalogue, which includes collaborations with international stars such as Beyoncé and Chris Brown, places him ahead of other African heavyweights. His total streams currently outpace Burna Boy’s 9.5 billion and Davido’s 3.24 billion, further reinforcing his dominance in the global Afrobeats space.
The achievement also underscores the continued global rise of Afrobeats, driven by the shift from traditional music consumption formats to digital streaming platforms. While several African artists have crossed the billion-stream mark, Wizkid stands out as the first to surpass every major billion-stream threshold.
Top 5 Most-Streamed African Artists on Spotify
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Wizkid – 10B
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Burna Boy – 9.5B
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Rema – 5.6B
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Tems – 4.4B
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Tyla – 3.6B
Meanwhile, the milestone comes amid renewed public debate following Wizkid’s recent statement that he “had no blueprint” for the success he has achieved in his music career. The comment was made in his HBO documentary, “Long Live Lagos.”
The remark sparked mixed reactions among Afrobeats fans, with some expressing reservations over what they perceived as a downplaying of the influential role played by Empire Mate Entertainment boss, Banky W, during the early stages of Wizkid’s career.
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