Wizkid Surpasses Cheb Khaled to Become Africa’s Best-Selling Artist

Wizkid, born Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, has emerged as Africa’s best-selling artist of all time, according to aggregated industry tallies that place his certified units at or above 81 million worldwide.

The figure—an amalgam of albums, singles, downloads, and streaming equivalents—edges past the long-standing benchmark set by Cheb Khaled, the Algerian Raï icon whose career-defining run was built in an era dominated by physical sales and downloads.

The shift is more than a leaderboard update. It marks a generational turn in how African music travels and accrues value, propelled by global platforms that have amplified Afrobeats far beyond its regional roots.

In mid-2025, music data trackers also credited Wizkid as the first African artist to surpass 20 billion global on-demand audio streams across all credits, a milestone spanning services including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

Those numbers are underwritten by a catalog that has crossed borders with unusual ease. Essence, his duet with Tems, became a worldwide touchstone during the pandemic years, while his appearance on One Dance—alongside Drake—introduced Afrobeats to a mass international audience. Projects such as Made in Lagos and subsequent releases have sustained that momentum, keeping his streaming totals on a steady climb.

Commercial dominance has been matched by institutional recognition. Wizkid is widely regarded as the continent’s most awarded artist, with more than 178 honors across his career, including a Grammy Award, multiple BET Awards, Billboard Music Awards, MOBO Awards, and a commanding presence at Nigeria’s The Headies.

The accumulation underscores both popular reach and critical validation, a duality that has defined his ascent since early breakthroughs like Holla at Your Boy in the early 2010s.

By contrast, Cheb Khaled’s legacy was forged over decades through classic Raï fusions such as Didi and Aïcha, which sold in vast numbers across North Africa, Europe, and the Arab world.

His dominance reflected the economics of an earlier period, when physical distribution and downloads shaped global success. Analysts note that today’s recalibration does not diminish that achievement; rather, it illustrates how streaming equivalencies have reshaped the pathways to scale.

Recent aggregated rankings of Africa’s best-selling artists reflect this transformation. Behind Wizkid and Cheb Khaled are Burna Boy at roughly 55 million units; Amr Diab at about 50 million; Tamer Hosny and Sherine, each at more than 40 million; P-Square at 40 million; Rema at 30 million; and CKay and Tems at around 25 million apiece. The figures vary by methodology and continue to evolve as certifications are updated.

For industry observers, the milestone is a validation of Afrobeats’ global rise and Nigeria’s central role in exporting contemporary African music.

Wizkid’s formula—melding local rhythms with global pop and hip-hop sensibilities—has helped redraw the map, shifting influence from regional strongholds to streaming-powered innovators. In doing so, he has not only secured a personal legacy but also set a benchmark for a new generation intent on turning African sound into worldwide currency.