Two years after it removed the Reggae Digital Song Sales chart from its platform, Billboard in collaboration with Afro Nation has announced the launch of its first-ever Afrobeats music chart in the United States.

The entertainment magazine broke the news in a blog post published last week.

According to Billboard, the Afrobeats music chart will officially go live on its platform as from March 29.

The magazine said the chart will rank 50 most popular Afrobeats songs in the US based on weighted metrics.

This, it said, would incorporate official streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of leading audio and video music services as well as download sales from top music retailers.

Speaking on the collaboration, Afro Nation co-founder, Obi Asika, said the initiative comes in the wake of growing influence of Afrobeats in the global music landscape.

“The last decade has seen Afrobeats explode into a worldwide phenomenon, influencing culture and fashion across the globe and I am humbled to have made a contribution to growing the genre alongside many talented, passionate people.

“There is still so much more potential within the scene and the community that has grown around it and I believe it is vital that with Billboard we now have a U.S. chart that reflects this growth and provides a platform for emerging artists from every continent to showcase their talent to new audiences,” Asika said.