Their latest entries came from features on J. Cole’s album "The Fall-Off". "Bunce Road Blues" featuring Tems and Future, debuted at number 34, and "Only You" with Burna Boy entered at number 78. That pushed both of them past the South African band Seether, which previously held the African record with seven entries.
Tems has been especially prolific in 2026, racking up three Hot 100 entries this year alone, a pace no other African artist has matched so far.
Tems has been especially prolific in 2026, racking up three Hot 100 entries this year alone, a pace no other African artist has matched so far.
The entries include "Raindance", her collaboration with British rapper Dave, which charted on the Hot 100 early in the year and "What You Need", her solo single.
Burna Boy, on the other hand, became the first African artist to chart a Hot 100 song in six consecutive years from 2021 through 2026.
Who else has charted?
Billboard Hot 100 entries for African artists aren’t just a recent thing. Over the past few years, several track appearances have punched through, with a show of growing global influence:
- Wizkid’s “Essence” (featuring Tems) was a breakthrough moment for Afrobeats on the Hot 100 and became one of the first African songs to reach the Top 10.
- CKay’s “Love Nwantiti” debuted on the Hot 100 and grew into a genuine international hit, propelled by social media and global streaming.
- Tyla’s “Water” made history as the first South African solo artist in over five decades to enter the Hot 100, reaching as high as No. 7, the highest peak for an African female soloist on that chart.
- Davido & Lojay scored their first Hot 100 entry through a high-profile feature on Chris Brown’s Sensational in 2024.
- Moliy, the Ghanaian-American singer, also entered the Hot 100 with “Sad Girlz Luv Money,” peaking at No. 80 earlier in her career.
These milestones reflect a shift in how global audiences consume music. Afrobeats and related genres no longer register only as niche or regional sounds; they enter mainstream conversation and sometimes dominate it.
