With an incredible 680,000 sales, the Nigerian superstar Wizkid’s album ‘Made In Lagos’ has apparently become the best-selling African album in the United States. Wizkid has done incredible things for Afrobeats all across the world, and here are some of the most significant things he has done that no one else has. As the first artist to perform these things, HowNG takes a deeper look at Wizkid’s incredible accomplishments that set him apart in Afrobeat history.
1. ‘Made In Lagos’ hits US Best-Selling African Album record
WizKid’s ‘Made In Lagos,’ has shattered the record for the best-selling African album in the United States, selling 680,000 copies.
The album also outperformed projections in terms of streaming, with over 1.02 billion on-demand streams in the United States alone.
The album’s staggering 1.02 billion on-demand streams in the USA alone highlight the power of streaming in reaching a wide audience and solidifying WizKid’s global fan base.
2. First African to enter Spotify global album charts with debut album
Wizkid’s timeless composition, ‘Made In Lagos,’ not only made its debut on the Spotify Global Album Chart as the first African artist to do so, but it also entered the prestigious top 10 tier. The album debuted at number 10 in an astonishing demonstration of its popularity.
This feat occurred over a one-week tracking period lasting from October 30th, 2020 to November 3rd, 2020, establishing him as a pioneering force in the global music landscape.
3. Longest-Charting African album on billboard world albums chart
Wizkid achieved an unprecedented milestone by remaining the longest-running African artist on the Billboard World Albums Chart. His incredible record ‘Made In Lagos’ lasted on the charts for an amazing 70 weeks. This accomplishment is significant since it breaks the previous record held by the famous Cesaria Evora, whose album ‘Cesaria’ held the record for 27 years.
Furthermore, ‘Made In Lagos’ set a new record by debuting at number one on the Billboard 200, making it the highest-charting album by a Nigerian artist.
4. First Nigerian nominee for the Billboard awards
Wizkid proudly claimed the distinction of becoming the first Nigerian to receive nominations for both collaborative and solo performances at the prestigious Billboard Music Awards. His path to the Billboard Music Awards began with an incredible seven nominations, ignited by his collaboration with Drake on the song ‘One Dance’ in 2017.
Wizkid received yet another nomination in 2022 for his mesmerizing solo composition, ‘Essence.’ This huge global recognition cements Wizkid’s position as a trailblazer, demonstrating his outstanding talent and influence in the music industry.
5. First African and Nigerian song to get platinum certification in the USA
Wizkid’s chart-topping single ‘Essence,’ a collaboration with Tems, accomplished something truly remarkable in 2021. It received RIAA platinum certification for sales of over a million copies, a unique honor. What makes this accomplishment even more impressive is that ‘Essence’ was the first African and Nigerian song to receive this prestigious accreditation in the United States.
Wizkid is no stranger to making music history. In fact, he has received platinum certification three times for three different songs. This incredible achievement cements Wizkid’s position as the African musician with the most RIAA platinum certifications in the United States. This incredible milestone was further reinforced when ‘One Dance,’ a tune featuring Drake from Wizkid’s ‘Sounds From The Other Side’ album, was also certified platinum.
6. African artist with the most BET award nominations
Wizkid has been nominated for the BET Awards, which will take place in June 2022. He got a BET award, and what’s even greater is that he’s the first African musician to win a BET award in a category other than the normal Best International Act category. Wizkid has been nominated for seven BET Awards during his career. It is a significant accomplishment for Nigerian music entertainers.
