8 Ghanaian stars to have entered Billboard chart

Ghana music has come very far, with some artistes distinguishing themselves both locally and on the international stage.

As far as international recognition goes, apart from winning awards, the next big thing for any artiste is to debut on The Billboard Charts.

The Billboard charts is a platform which tabulates the relative weekly popularity of music in the United States and other parts of the world.

It is one of the world’s renowned music grading charts and, unless the song or album of an artiste is top-notch, it cannot be featured.

In recent times, some Ghanaian musicians have done very well to debut on The Billboard Charts.

Here are the only eight Ghanaian artistes who have entered the Billboard Chart:

1. Wiyaala Noella

Ghanaian Afro-pop artiste Noella Wiyaala has been one of Ghana’s standout musicians in recent years and her reputation has equally been growing across the globe.

The singer’s exploits have seen her appear on the Billboard Next Big Sound chart.

Wiyaala debuted with the song “Go Go Black Starts… Goal!” – a track purposely for Ghana’s male national team ahead of the 2014 World Cup.

The “Lioness of Africa” remains the only female Ghanaian artiste ever to feature on the Billboard chart.



2. Fuse ODG

UK-based Ghanaian artiste Fuse ODG has also debuted on the Billboard Charts before.

The afro-pop artiste chart in 2016 after he was featured on “Light it Up” by Major Lazer.

The said song peaked at number 73, having lasted 20 weeks on the chart.



3. Shatta Wale

Dancehall sensation Shatta Wale also featured on the Billboard Chart following the launch of his “Reign” album.

The “Ayoo” hitmaker launched his much talked about album last October at the Fantasy dome in Accra.

The self-acclaimed dancehall king had a sold-out concert, with many of his ever-loving fans filling the whole place.

The “Reign” album, which had 17 tracks, peaked at number 6 on the Billboard charts.



4. Rocky Dawuni

Reggae artiste Rocky Dawuni is also one of few Ghanaian musicians who has appeared on the Billboard Chart.

The legendary artiste first appeared on the charts in 2015 after the release of his album “Branches of the same Tree”.

The album peaked at number 10 on the charts. It was Rocky Dawuni’s 6th studio album.



5. Samini

Reggae/dancehall artiste Samini made it to the Billboard Top 10 Reggae albums and songs list after releasing his latest album last December.

The album, titled “Untamed”, is strictly reggae and contains 22 tracks, including hit songs Obaa, My Own and Obimbra.

Just 10 days after its release, the album broke into the Billboard Top 10 Reggae albums and songs list debuted at number eight.



6. Stonebwoy

Another Ghanaian dancehall artiste to have appeared on the Billboard Chart is Stonebwoy.

The “Kpo k3k3” hitmaker appeared on the Billboard World Albums chart after releasing his “Epistles of Mama” album in 2017.

The album lasted a week on the charts and peaked at number 13 on the chart.



7. R2Bees

Musical group R2Bees, made up of Omar Sterling and Mugeez, are the latest Ghanaian artistes to debut on the Billboard Chart.

The group released their “Site 15” album earlier in March, featuring artistes like Wizkid, Burna Boy, King Promise, among others.

The “Site 15” album, which has 15 tracks, debuted number 10 on the charts.



8. Osibisa

Perhaps the greatest musical group to ever emerge from Africa, Osibisa made Ghana proud way back by appearing on the Billboard Chart.

In fact, the musical group was the first from Ghana to debut on the Billboard Chart after winning the hearts of many with their electric songs.

Osibisa actually made it onto the charts seven times in a row including twice in 1971 and 1973.

The first appearance was in 1971 with their album “Osibisa”. It entered the Billboard Hot 200 at number 105 and later climbed up to number 55.

Their song titled “Woyaya” also peaked at number 66 on the Billboard chart, while their third studio album “Heads” also debuted at number 125 in 1972.

Osibisa’s other albums “Happy Children”, “Osibirock”, “Welcome Home” and the song “Superfly TNT” also debuted on the Billboard Chart.