Wizkid's Essence Makes it To Billboard Hot 100: A Huge Win for Afrobeats

Nigeria's greatest export, Wizkid, finally makes his mark in the American mainstream market. His single, Essence, is on its merry way to being a certified global hit.

Afrobeats has finally secured a place in the American mainstream. For the first time in history, a Nigerian song made it to the Billboard Hot 100. It calls for celebration because we have been struggling to join the race for years, and now we have successfully put a foot in.

Some days ago, I stumbled upon the news that Wizkid's Essence, on which he featured Nigerian singer Tems, debuted at #82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and his album, Made In Lagos, re-entered the Billboard 200 Album chart at #147. According to Billboard, Essence reached 5.5 million US streams two weeks ago. It is also currently gaining momentum on airplay charts, making it to RnB and Hip-hop radio stations in the US.

The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming in the United States."

As much as there have been signs pointing towards Essence gaining grounds in the US, with renowned personalities like Kevin Hart and Lori Harvey posting videos of themselves vibing to the song, it still came as a surprise when the news was announced. Indeed, Wizkid is Nigeria's greatest export. It's nearly 12 years since he became Afrobeats' sweetheart and has been highly recognized as the genre's trailblazer.  

When Wizkid released Holla At Your Boy, it was merely the beginning of greatness. The song elicited several reactions from an audience that wasn't accustomed to seeing young Nigerian artists on their screens. Wizkid quickly became a hot commodity, releasing smash hit singles, and rising to the top within a short while. I remember gaining admission into the university and watching him in music videos, hearing his songs on the radio: a vernal act with tremendous potential.

Signed to Banky W's EME, Wizkid heralded the new school of Afrobeats acts. He released his first studio album, Superstar, in 2011 - where he featured the likes of Wande Coal, Skales, Banky W. Superstar was nominated for the Album of The Year award at the Headies. The album became a staple of Afropop and has often been said to be one of the albums that (re)defined the genre. During that period, Wizkid had the Midas touch. He was jumping on songs, delivering scrumptious hooks, and turning random songs into instant hits.

He would eventually leave EME after his contract expired to start his own label, Starboy Entertainment. But before then, he released his second studio album, Ayo, under the label. The eponymous album contained hit songs like Show Me The Money, Celebrate, Ojuelegba. It was nominated for the Album of The Year award once again that year at the Headies.

Wizkid established a relationship with Chris Brown sometime in 2015, working with him on songs like African Bad Gyal, and going on tour with the American pop star. He featured Drake and Skepta on the remix of his monster hit Ojuelegba in 2016. In 2017, Wizkid made an attempt to crack the American mainstream. His attempt wasn't exactly futile, but it wasn't anywhere near successful. He released his third studio album Sounds From The Other Side (SFTOS), a Caribbean-inspired project containing songs like Picture Perfect, Naughty Ride, Come Closer. He enlisted the help of eminent acts like Drake, Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz on the project. Personally, SFTOS is my favorite Wiz album. And in retrospect, one can truly say that SFTOS started the 'Afrobeats to the world' crusade. The album was released through RCA Records, a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment.

Before the album, Wizkid featured on Drake's One Dance alongside Kyla. The song became a global hit, spending 10 non-consecutive weeks at the #1 position on Billboard Hot 100, and reaching number one on charts in 15 countries. One Dance made it to the Guinness book of records, making Wizkid the first Nigerian artist to be featured on it. It was the first time Wizkid gained significant recognition on an international level. 

Wizkid was featured on Beyonce's Brown Skin Girl - one of the songs from The Lion King: The Gift album - in 2019. The song has earned various nominations and awards including the BET Awards and the Grammy Awards, making it the Nigerian act's first Grammy. The song garnered a lot of attention from the international audience, pushing the singer’s name into conversations.

Wizkid had been teasing the release of his fourth studio album since 2018. He once went live on Instagram, giving shout-outs to notable artists and producers that he'd been working with. He played a snippet of a song with Teni Entertainer, assuring his fans that the album would soon be released. After his contribution to Beyonce's project in 2019, Wizkid released Ghetto Love and Joro. He collaborated with producer Blaq Jerzee throughout on a tape titled Soundman Vol. 1, which was released via the Starboy imprint towards the end of the year. According to Wizkid, Soundman was simply the tip of the iceberg. It was an experiment aimed at testing the Afrobeats audience in the diaspora.

Made in Lagos was released on September 14th 2020. The album is Wizkid's fourth studio album, and it was preceded by two singles, Smile (featuring H.E.R) and No Stress. When the album came out, Nigerians raved on about Wizkid and Burna Boy's undeniable chemistry on Ginger. Ginger became the standout track on the album, enjoying utmost attention from music lovers.

On the album, Wizkid featured Ella Mai, Tay Iwar, Damian Marley, Skepta, and more. Made in Lagos is a mid-tempo album that is characterized by one of the genre's most unique instruments: The saxophone. It is not a stretch to say that Made in Lagos is Wizkid's most impactful project so far. Music critics have opined that the album is Wizkid’s most cohesive work yet. Since its release, Made in Lagos has continually broken records, entering and re-entering various charts in the US and UK.

Essence gradually seeped into the musical sphere in the western world, spreading far and beyond. The journey that the Starboy began many years ago has eventually yielded wondrous results. Even so, we still remain at the beginning of the race. It’s 2021 and Wizkid is still the country’s biggest export.