The Recording Academy has stirred conversation across the Afrobeats community after unveiling its Top 10 Afrobeats Evolution Songs — a curated list honoring key tracks that have shaped the global rise of Afrobeats and helped justify the creation of the new Best African Music Performance Grammy category, launched in 2024.
While the list highlights trailblazing hits from influential artists like Wizkid, 2Baba, Asake, and P-Square, it noticeably omits international heavyweights Davido, Burna Boy, and D’banj — a decision that has sparked intense debate among fans and critics alike.
The Evolution vs. The Explosion
The Recording Academy made a clear distinction: “Afrobeats” (with an ‘s’) is not to be confused with “Afrobeat” — the politically-charged jazz-funk fusion pioneered by Fela Kuti in the 1970s. Instead, Afrobeats is a modern, genre-blending movement that took form in the 2000s and boomed globally in the 2010s, thanks in part to diaspora DJs like British-Ghanaian DJ Abrantee who coined and popularized the term.
Rather than spotlighting chart-dominating artists of the 2020s, the list focuses on songs that paved the way — foundational records that laid the sonic, cultural, and industry groundwork for Afrobeats’ global moment.
Grammy’s Top 10 Afrobeats Evolution Songs
- “African Queen” – 2Baba (2004)
A landmark track in Nigerian pop, this timeless love song introduced Afrobeats to a global audience and proved African artists could produce international hits. - “Do Me” – P-Square (2007)
With infectious rhythms and slick visuals, this club banger helped define the Afrobeats party vibe and raised the bar for music video production in Africa. - “Bumper 2 Bumper” – Wande Coal (2009)
A Mo’Hits-era classic, this song showcased Wande Coal’s vocal agility and helped shape the melodic Afrobeats template. - “Pon Pon Pon” – Dagrin (2009)
The street anthem that brought Yoruba rap into the mainstream and birthed the “streetpop” movement that artists like Olamide and Zlatan would later expand. - “Azonto” – Fuse ODG feat. Tiffany (2014)
A UK chart-topper that captured the Azonto dance craze and Ghana’s creative influence on the Afrobeats explosion. - “Ojuelegba” – Wizkid (2014)
A deeply personal and soulful hit that became a crossover phenomenon after remixes by Drake and Skepta, cementing Wizkid’s global stardom. - “Mad Over You” – Runtown (2016)
This romantic jam blended Ghanaian highlife with Nigerian pop, becoming a pan-African smash and setting trends across West Africa. - “Maradona” – Niniola (2017)
A bold fusion of Afro-house and sensual vocals, this track pushed Afrobeats into deeper, club-friendly territory and earned a Beyoncé sample in “Find Your Way Back.” - “Sungba” – Asake (2022)
A breakout moment in the amapiano wave, this track introduced Asake’s genre-bending style, later amplified by a Burna Boy remix. - “Ozeba” – Rema (2024)
Marking a post-amapiano shift, Rema infused his sound with “mara,” a fast-paced chant-heavy subgenre, pointing toward Afrobeats’ ever-changing future.
A Win for the Genre, But What About Burna and Davido?
The list aims to reflect evolution, not necessarily popularity or awards. Still, the exclusion of Davido, who played a major role in globalizing Afrobeats with hits like “Fall”, and Burna Boy, a Grammy winner and cultural bridge between Afrobeat and Afrofusion, feels like a glaring omission to many.
Some fans also noted the absence of D’banj’s “Oliver Twist”, a 2012 record that helped crack the UK Top 10 and arguably set the stage for Wizkid’s later global success.
Why This Matters
This list arrives at a time when Afrobeats is enjoying unprecedented recognition. The Best African Music Performance Grammy is a landmark moment — one driven by decades of innovation, cross-cultural fusion, and grassroots popularity.
The Recording Academy made it clear: this list isn’t the end of the conversation — it’s the beginning of a wider cultural acknowledgment of Afrobeats’ complex, collaborative evolution.
What do you think? Should Davido, Burna Boy, or D’banj have made the cut? Let the debate continue.
