Tyla’s ‘Water’ extends historic Billboard Afrobeats reign as Mavo and Black Sherif make fresh moves

NEW YORK — More than three years after its release, Tyla’s “Water” is still refusing to surrender the top of Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart.

The South African singer’s global breakthrough holds at No. 1 on the chart dated September 19, 2026, extending an extraordinary run that has now reached 159 non-consecutive weeks on the ranking. Behind it, however, a younger group of African acts is reshaping the chart, with Victony holding at No. 2, Mavo making a notable debut and Black Sherif placing two new recordings in the top 50.

Tyla has further reinforced that position with multiple entries. “Chanel”, another former No. 1, sits at No. 4 after 46 weeks on the chart, while “Is It Love” holds at No. 9. That gives the South African artiste three songs inside the top 10.

Nigeria’s Victony provides the closest challenge. “Slick” remains at its No. 2 peak in its 10th week, while his “FRE$H” is at No. 36 and his collaboration with BNXN, “Who This”, stands at No. 45.

At No. 3, “Mi Chico” by DJ Goja, Jason Derulo and Melody rises from No. 4. The recording has already topped the chart during its 14-week run.

Asake floods the chart

Few artistes, however, have as much numerical weight on this week’s ranking as Asake.

The Nigerian star occupies three positions in the top 10 alone: “Forgiveness” holds at No. 5, “Gratitude” remains at No. 7 and “MCBH” climbs one place to No. 10.

His presence extends deep into the chart. “Rora” is No. 32, “Skilful” No. 35, his Kabza De Small collaboration “Asambe” No. 37, “Amen” No. 38 and “Oba” No. 41.

That amounts to eight Asake entries in the top 50, seven of which have spent 19 weeks on the ranking. The concentration demonstrates an increasingly important feature of contemporary streaming charts: successful albums and projects can generate a large cluster of simultaneous chart entries rather than relying on one dominant single.

The Second Voice’s “Let Me Be”, meanwhile, remains at No. 6. The song, which has previously reached No. 1, has spent 29 weeks on the chart.

Davido, Mayorkun and FOLA’s “B4 B4” holds at No. 8, completing the top 10.

Mavo makes his move

One of the week’s more significant developments comes further down the ranking.

Mavo debuts at No. 25 with “Find My Babe”, the highest new entry among the positions supplied for this week’s chart. More strikingly, the Nigerian artiste has four appearances across the top 50.

“Money Constant”, his collaboration with DJ Maphorisa, DJ Tunez and Wizkid, surges from No. 41 to No. 26, a 15-place advance and a new peak.

Mavo also returns to the chart at No. 48 with “Ice Cream”, while “Aura Salad”, his collaboration with SSSoundGawd, re-enters at No. 49.

Four simultaneous appearances suggest that interest is extending beyond a single track. For an emerging artiste, that breadth can be a more telling measure of momentum than one isolated hit: listeners are moving through the catalogue.

Black Sherif arrives with two new songs

Ghana also has fresh representation through Black Sherif, who places two new songs on the chart.

“Love Again”, featuring Full Blown, enters at No. 31, while “Forever”, featuring AratheJay, debuts at No. 42.

The pair of entries gives Black Sherif an immediate foothold on this week’s ranking and adds to a chart still heavily influenced by Nigerian performers but increasingly representative of music moving between African markets and the US.

Elsewhere, FOLA continues to build a substantial presence. “Attention!” rises from No. 20 to No. 21 according to the supplied chart data, while “Treat U Right” with Ayra Starr advances from No. 24 to No. 23. He also appears alongside Davido and Mayorkun on the No. 8-ranked “B4 B4”.

Ayra Starr similarly occupies several positions. In addition to “Treat U Right”, her Leon Thomas collaboration “Pressure” is No. 27, “Tornado” sits at No. 30 and “Dangerous” is No. 40.

Davido has three appearances: “B4 B4” at No. 8, “Already Falling” at No. 24 and “I Know Who I Be”, with JAZZWRLD and GL_Ceejay, at No. 29.

Nigeria remains its centre of gravity, represented heavily by Asake, Davido, Victony, FOLA, Ayra Starr, BNXN, Wizkid, Omah Lay and others. Yet South Africa’s Tyla continues to control the summit, while Ghana’s Black Sherif has two new entries.

There are also collaborations that complicate any simple national classification.

British singer Jorja Smith appears with Wizkid on “Alive” at No. 34, while her collaboration with Odeal, “Coming Home”, is No. 39. DJ Maphorisa, DJ Tunez, Wizkid and Mavo combine across national and musical boundaries on “Money Constant”. Asake’s “Asambe” pairs him with South African amapiano heavyweight Kabza De Small.

The result is a chart labelled “Afrobeats” but increasingly populated by records drawing from a broader ecosystem of African and diaspora pop.

Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs — Week of September 19, 2026

1. Water — Tyla (=)
2. Slick — Victony (=)
3. Mi Chico — DJ Goja, Jason Derulo & Melody (↑ 1)
4. Chanel — Tyla (↓ 1)
5. Forgiveness — Asake (=)
6. Let Me Be — The Second Voice (=)
7. Gratitude — Asake (=)
8. B4 B4 — Davido, Mayorkun & FOLA (=)
9. Is It Love — Tyla (=)
10. MCBH — Asake (↑ 1)
11. GTA — Seyi Vibez (↑ 2)
12. Worship — Asake & DJ Snake (=)
13. Eja Meja — BNXN & Asake (↑ 1)
14. Diamond Or Gold — TML Vibez (↑ 8)
15. Chanel — Blaqbonez featuring Asake (↑ 1)
16. BIG PERFORMER — Blaqbonez (↑ 3)
17. Back 2 U — Seyi Vibez (↓ 7)
18. TEA — Rema (↓ 1)
19. That Girl! — Darkoo & Asake (↓ 4)
20. Wa — Asake (↓ 2)
21. Attention! — FOLA (↓ 1)
22. I Am — Omah Lay (↓ 1)
23. Treat U Right — FOLA / Ayra Starr (↑ 1)
24. Already Falling — Davido (↓ 1)
25. Find My Babe — Mavo (NEW)
26. Money Constant — DJ Maphorisa, DJ Tunez, Wizkid & Mavo (↑ 15)
27. Pressure — Ayra Starr featuring Leon Thomas (↓ 1)
28. Back Outside — BNXN & Sarz (↑ 2)
29. I Know Who I Be — Davido, JAZZWRLD & GL_Ceejay (↓ 2)
30. Tornado — Ayra Starr (↓ 5)
31. Love Again — Black Sherif featuring Full Blown (NEW)
32. Rora — Asake (↓ 4)
33. Morning Magic — Millionaire Muses (↓ 4)
34. Alive — Jorja Smith featuring Wizkid (↑ 1)
35. Skilful — Asake (↓ 4)
36. FRE$H — Victony (↓ 3)
37. Asambe — Asake & Kabza De Small (=)
38. Amen — Asake (↑ 2)
39. Coming Home — Odeal & Jorja Smith (↓ 7)
40. Dangerous — Ayra Starr (↓ 6)
41. Oba — Asake (↓ 5)
42. Forever — Black Sherif featuring AratheJay (NEW)
43. Very Soon — BNXN (↑ 3)
44. Hardest Truth — Jubet (↓ 2)
45. Who This — Victony & BNXN (↓ 6)
46. Baba — Hotkeed featuring Zlatan (↓ 3)
47. Elumelu — Young Jonn (↓ 2)
48. Ice Cream — Mavo (RE-ENTRY)
49. Aura Salad — SSSoundGawd & Mavo (RE-ENTRY)
50. Sunita — Rybeena & TML Vibez (↓ 2)