By Ghazali Ibrahim
Grammy-winning Afrobeats artists Tems and Burna Boy have set a new record on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the African musicians with the most entries in the history of the U.S. chart.
The milestone came after two of their featured tracks from American rapper J. Cole’s latest album The Fall Off debuted on this week’s Billboard Hot 100. Tems was featured on J. Cole’s “Bounce Road Blues” (debuting at No. 34), while Burna Boy appeared on “Only You” (entering at No. 78).
With these latest chart appearances, both artists now each have eight Billboard Hot 100 entries, the most ever for African acts.
Tems’s breakthrough on the Billboard chart this week adds to an already historic run. Earlier in February, her song “What You Need” debuted at No. 93, bringing her career total to seven entries, making her the first African female artist to reach that tally. That performance tied her with Burna Boy and South African group Seether before the latest entries pushed both Nigerian stars ahead.
In addition to her newest entries, Tems has appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 with several other songs, including “Wait For U” (with Future and Drake), as well as her solo tracks and collaborations like “Essence” with Wizkid.
For Burna Boy, this achievement also reflects sustained success in the U.S. market, extending his record of chart appearances across multiple years.
With entries dating back several years, he has now recorded Hot 100 entries from 2021 through 2026, becoming the first African artist to achieve at least one entry for six consecutive years.
Tems and Burna Boy’s record-breaking Billboard success adds to a wave of achievements for African musicians in recent years, underscoring Afrobeats’ evolution from a regional genre into a significant global musical force.
