Wizkid Day: 7 Records only Wizkid holds in the African music industry

In our own little way of celebrating Wizkid day, here is a list of the top 7 achievements and records only Wizkid holds as an African in the music industry.

The success of Afrobeats today in the global market has been attributed to the quality of music Nigerian artists have continued to put out for their fans.

One artist who has been viewed as an inspiration to many and one who many categorize as the first artist that broke the barrier and crossed the gap is the Grammy award-winning Nigerian singer Ayodeji Balogun who is popularly known as Wizkid.

What is Wizkid's Day about?

In 2019, the governor of Minnesota officially declared October 6th as "Wizkid Day" in the state. This unique celebration honors the Nigerian singer and songwriter's contributions to the music industry and his cultural impact worldwide.

Wizkid has set different records for Afrobeats all around the world, and here are some of the biggest achievements or records Wizkid became the first artist to achieve and the record only he holds.

7. First Afrobeat Artist To Hold A Top 10 Position On Billboard Hot 100

Wizkid became the first Afrobeats artist to hold a top 10 position as the lead artist on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Wiz peaked at number nine on the Hot 100 chart with the remix of his record-breaking song 'Essence,' on which he featured Tems and Justin Bieber on the remix as well.

This was huge for the afrobeats movement because the Hot 100 chart is a US-based chart which solely takes only numbers on US digital streaming platforms and airplay.

6. The African Artist With The Highest Platinum Certification In The US

With a total of 3 platinum certifications with three different songs, Wizkid is the African artist with the highest number of platinum certifications by the RIAA in the US of all time. This record was confirmed with the certification of 'One Dance,' which features Drake off his 'Sounds From The Other Side' album.

5. First African To Debut With An Album On Spotify Global Album Charts

Wizkid became the first African act to debut with an album on the Spotify Global Album Chart with his classic album 'Made In Lagos.' The album did not just debut on the chart but debuted in the top 10 position.

The album debuted in the number 10 position with just one week of tracking from 30th October 2020 to 3rd November 2020.

4. The  Longest Charting African Album On Billboard World Albums Chart

Wizkid has the longest charting album for an African on the Billboard World Albums Chart as 'Made In Lagos' has spent over 100 weeks on the chart. Wizkid beat the legend Cesaria Evora who held the record for 27 years, with her album ‘Cesaria.’

It is also the highest charting album by a Nigerian on the chart when it peaked at the number one position.

3. First Nigerian To Be Nominated For The Billboard Awards

Wizkid became the first Nigerian to be nominated for the Billboard Music Awards in collaboration and with his own song as well. He had received 7 nominations following his collaboration with Drake on 'One Dance' in 2017 and had been nominated for his song 'Essence' in 2022.

2. 1st African And Nigerian Song To Receive Platinum Certification In USA

Wizkid, with his hit song 'Essence,' which featured Tems, received the RIAA platinum certification after selling over a million copies as of Monday, October 4, 2021. Wizkid's 'Essence' became the first African and Nigerian song to ever receive this certification in the USA.

1. African Artist With The Highest BET Award Nominations

Wizkid became the most nominated Nigerian artist at the BET Awards following his nomination in June 2022. The singer became the first African artist to win an award at BET outside the Best International Act category. Wizkid has received a total of seven nominations at the BET Awards so far in his career.

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