Afrobeats heavyweight Burna Boy has officially surpassed his counterpart Wizkid in a major career milestone charting the most albums on the US Billboard 200 by a Nigerian artist.
Before now, the duo were tied neck-and-neck with four albums each making it to the prestigious chart. But Burna Boy has just edged ahead with the debut of his latest project, No Sign Of Weakness, which entered the Billboard 200 this week at the 200th position, the very bottom of the list.
Despite the modest numbers, the album’s entry pushes Burna Boy’s tally to five Billboard 200 entries, officially setting a new record for Nigerian artists.
No Sign Of Weakness moved just 8,800 units in the United States during its opening week, a surprisingly low figure for an artist of Burna’s stature. As a result, it marks the weakest debut for any Nigerian album on the Billboard 200 to date.
However, the album’s underwhelming performance on the chart is not solely a reflection of its quality or popularity. According to industry analysts, Billboard’s recently implemented charting rules played a major role. The updated policy now limits eligible streams and sales to those originating strictly from within the United States.
This shift significantly affects international acts like Burna Boy, who rely heavily on their massive fanbases across Africa, the UK, and other global markets. Previously, streams from countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK boosted Afrobeats albums into higher chart positions. With that leverage now stripped, the challenge for African stars to chart strongly in the US has become even tougher.
Nevertheless, Burna Boy’s achievement remains significant. Cracking the Billboard 200 is no small feat, especially five times over. The album’s chart entry regardless of position cements his standing as one of the most commercially consistent Nigerian exports to the US music market.
With this, the self-proclaimed African Giant reclaims a solitary spot in the Billboard history books proving that even with shifting rules and competitive pressures, he still knows how to make a mark.
