Legendary Afrobeats musician, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has reached 10 billion combined streams on Spotify, becoming the first African star to achieve the career milestone.
Wizkid reached the milestone after a decade of hits, with Drake’s ‘One Dance’ alone delivering nearly 4 billion streams and ‘Essence’ adding over 334 million.
His catalogue includes features with Beyoncé and Chris Brown, outpacing Burna Boy’s 9.08 billion and Davido’s 3.24 billion.
The achievement highlights Afrobeats’ global rise following the transition from traditional listening formats to digital streaming.
This landmark figure is the result of years of consistency, evolution, and global influence. Wizkid’s catalog — spanning Afrobeats, R&B, pop, and international collaborations — has resonated deeply with audiences worldwide, transcending borders and language barriers.
From early breakout records to globally acclaimed projects like Made in Lagos, Morayo, etc, his music has maintained both cultural authenticity and mainstream appeal.
Surpassing 10 billion streams across all credits also highlights Wizkid’s impact beyond solo releases. His presence on major international records, cross-continental collaborations, and genre-shaping features has played a crucial role in amplifying African sound to a global audience, helping pave the way for the current Afrobeats explosion.
More than just a streaming statistic, this milestone represents a shift in global music consumption — where African artists are no longer emerging participants, but dominant forces.
Aside from Wizkid reaching the billion-stream status, other African artists have also attained the milestone, with Wizkid leading the charge as the first to cross every billion-stream threshold.
The award-winning Afrobeats singer, Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has sparked controversy with his claim that he “had no blueprint” for the success recorded so far in his musical career.
Afrobeats lovers expressed reservations over the recent statement, which featured in his HBO documentary “Long Live Lagos”, as it was perceived by many as overlooking the significant role played by Empire Mate Emirates boss, Banky W.