Burna Boy Sets New Billboard 200 Record, Surpasses Wizkid Despite Poor US Album Debut

Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy has officially surpassed fellow Nigerian icon Wizkid by holding the record for the highest number of Nigerian albums to appear on the US Billboard 200 chart. Before now, Burna Boy and Wizkid were equally matched with four albums each making it onto the prestigious chart.

However, Burna Boy’s latest project, ‘No Sign Of Weakness’, has tipped the scale in his favor. The album, despite receiving mixed reactions, debuted on the Billboard 200 this week—though at the very bottom of the list. This entry now brings Burna Boy’s total number of charting albums in the US to five, solidifying his lead among Nigerian artists.

Interestingly, ‘No Sign Of Weakness’ only managed to sell approximately 8,800 units in the US, which was just enough to secure the #200 spot on the Billboard 200 chart. This figure unfortunately makes it the lowest debut for a Nigerian album on the chart to date.

One of the major reasons behind this underwhelming performance is Billboard’s updated policy, which now exclusively counts album sales and streams generated within the United States. Previously, artists like Burna Boy and Wizkid benefited from their massive fan bases in regions like Nigeria, Ghana, the UK, and other parts of the world. This global support once contributed to higher chart positions despite modest US numbers.

Now, with this localized streaming policy, Nigerian and other international artists face stricter hurdles to climb the Billboard 200 unless they establish significant US-based streaming and sales figures.