Entertainment magazine and global music chart publisher, Billboard, has ranked Nigeria’s 2Face Idibia’s first solo single, “African Queen”, as the greatest Afrobeat song of all time.
The list that includes 50 other Afrobeats songs was created to “commemorate the game changers of the genre”, according to the magazine. The criteria used to rank the songs include “stylistic representation of the genre, local popularity, regional expansion, cultural impact and commercial success.”
The song, released in 2004, was the lead track on 2Baba’s debut solo album, Face 2 Face, under Kennis Music, marking his transition from the band Plantashun Boiz.
Upon its release, the song gained regional popularity and was in heavy rotation on popular radio stations in Kenya and on the music channel MTV Base. However, it earned international recognition when it was included in the soundtrack for the Mo’Nique-led 2006 romantic comedy film Phat Girlz.
Additionally, the music video helped launch the careers of Annie Idibia (then Annie Macaulay) and Yvonne Jegede, both of whom later became renowned in Nollywood. Annie later married 2Baba in 2013, and the song became a symbol of their love story.
The album sold around 2 million copies in Nigeria.
Other Afrobeats songs included in the list are:-
2 – Wizkid, “Ojuelegba” (2014)
3 – Flavour, “Nwa Baby (Ashawo Remix)” (2011)
4 – Rema, “Calm Down” (2022)
5 – Wizkid feat. Tems, “Essence” (2020)
6 – CKay, “Love Nwantiti” (2019)
7 – D’banj, “Oliver Twist” (2011)
8 – Davido, “Fall” (2017)
9 – Burna Boy, “Ye” (2018)
10 – P-Square, “Chop My Money (Remix)” (2012)
