THE UK will launch its first ever official chart for Afrobeats music on BBC Radio 1Xtra.

The two-hour inaugural show will kick off on Sunday from 1pm, with the top tracks being revealed every Sunday at 2pm via a Spotify playlist.

The Official UK Afrobeats Chart will list the top 20 songs in the genre, compiled using UK sales and audio and video streaming data from 9,000 outlets.

To celebrate the new chart, a list of the top 20 Afrobeats artists of the past year has been revealed.

J Hus, Burna Boy, NSG and Yxng Bane top the list, followed by B Young and ZieZie.

Young T & Bugsey – whose track ‘Don’t Rush’ has been named the biggest Afrobeats song in the past year – Not3s, Darkoo and Kojo Funds also fall within the top 10.

Davido, Wizkid, Mr Eazi, Fuse ODG, Afro B, T Mulla, Aya Nakamura, Rema, Tekno and Naira Marley complete the lists most successful artists of the genre in the UK.

Recognition Afrobeats deserves

The new chart has been welcomed by a number of artists, with Darkoo saying: “Africa to the world and back! It’s nice to see recognition of our music in the Official Charts, it’s a real game changer.

“We’ve gone from listening to Afrobeats on a more cultural level to now seeing it in a commercial space – nice to see!”

Mista Silva added he believed the rise of Afrobeats has played a “massive role” in shaping the UK and global music scene.

He said: “For the last 10 years it has provided inspiration, confidence in identity, confidence in culture and pushed the boundaries of the music industry.

“It’s beautiful to see the growth and exciting to see where it goes.”

Rema said it was a “great thing to witness Afrobeats finally receiving the international success and recognition it deserves”.

He added: “Afrobeats 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.”