20 Nigerians That Made History As The First And Paved The Way

by Adaora Nwangwu

Breaking new grounds in the international scene is major for many Africans. This accomplishment either ushers you into stardom or proves you are world-famous with many devoted fans. For many in the Nigerian sports and entertainment industry, receiving international endorsements, recognition, and awards is the ultimate goal. Years back, fulfilling this pursuit seemed far-fetched. But thanks to Grammy Award Winners Wizkid, Burnaboy, and Tems, they have shown us that global success is very possible.

A recent addition to the list of Nigerian trailblazers is Mavin signee Ayra Starr. On Thursday, her 2022 single Rush became the first solo song by a Nigerian female artiste to have over 100 million streams on Spotify. In light of her groundbreaking achievement, we have highlighted 20 Nigerians who made history as the first and opened the doors for future generations.

This list is divided into two; the men and the women.

The Men;

Babatunde Olatunji

• First Nigerian to Win a Grammy

Drummer, singer, educator, and activist Babatunde Olatunji left Nigeria in 1950 to study in the United States. Seven years later, he got signed to Columbia records after Columbia label talent administrator John Hammond discovered him while playing the drums in Radio City Music Hall dance production, ‘African Fantasy.’ In 1959, he debuted his first album, Drums of Passion, under the label. Between 1959 and 1966, he recorded five albums for Columbia. Olatunji contributed to Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum album and earned a Grammy for ‘Best World Music Album’ in 1991. In 2003, he died from diabetes complications.

Fela Kuti 

• Afrobeat Pioneer 

Born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, Fela Anikulapo Kuti was an artiste, band leader, human rights activist, and political rebel. He is widely considered a pioneer of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre that fuses traditional West African sounds with American jazz and funk. In the 1970s, Fela, alongside his band, which included drummer Tony Allen, gained popularity. Fela was notable for using his lyrics to criticise the Nigerian government and police, and illuminate the country’s bad living conditions. This often led to his being beaten by the military and imprisoned. His famous songs include Zombie, Gentleman, and Water No Get Enemy. The introduction of Afrobeat birthed many Nigerian artistes, including Grammy-award winners Burnaboy and Wizkid, Tekno, Tiwa Savage, Simi, and Ayra Starr. These artistes are also responsible for Afrobeat being a global export and highly sought-after. Fela died in 1997 after contracting HIV/AIDS.

King Sunny Ade 

• First Nigerian to be Nominated for a Grammy Award

After gaining popularity in Nigeria in the 1970s, Juju singer King Sunny Ade joined Island Records in 1982 and released Juju Music album. In 1983, he put out Synchro System album, which was nominated at the Grammys the following year for ‘Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording.’ This achievement made King Sunny Ade the first Nigerian to be nominated for a Grammy Award. In 1998, his album Odu also received another Grammy nomination.

Enefiok Udo-Obong 

• First Nigerian Male to Win an Olympic Gold Medal

• First Nigerian to Win two Olympic Medals

Former Nigerian sprinter and athlete Enefiok Udo-Obong made history as the only Nigerian to win two Olympic medals; a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. 

2Baba 

• First Nigerian to Win an MTV Europe Music Award 
• First Nigerian to Win a BET Award 
• First Nigerian to Win a Music Of Black Origin Award (MOBO Award)

Formerly known as TuFace, 2Baba is famous for the hit record African Queen. In 2004, he released his debut album, Face 2 Face. The following year, he won an MTV EMA for ‘Best African Act’. In July 2006, he dropped the single For Instance and another album, Grass to Grace, in December. In 2011, 2Baba received a BET award at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, for ‘Best International Act (Africa).’ This made him the first Nigerian to win the prize. In 2007, the superstar won the MOBO awards for ‘Best African Act’, making him the first to achieve the award.

Wizkid 

• First Nigerian to Feature on the Billboard Hot 100
• First Nigerian to Reach Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 
• First Nigerian Album to Spend 100 weeks on Billboard 200
• First Nigerian Artiste to Receive a US Diamond Certification

Wizkid has many international achievements under his belt. In 2016, he earned a spot on the Billboard chart for his feature on Drake’s One Dance off Grammy-nominated Views album. This achievement, which gave Drake his first number 1 on the chart, made Wizkid the first Nigerian to appear and top the charts. In 2019, International megastar Beyoncé featured Wizkid on Brown Skin Girl, off her The Lion King: The Gift album. The song secured a Grammy in 2021 for ‘Best Music Video’. In the same year, his global hit Essence featuring Tems off his 2020 album Made In Lagos became the first Nigerian song to debut at number 1 on Billboard Chart, and the album also became the first to spend 100 weeks. In December last year, Wizkid received a Diamond Certification for his contribution to One Dance making him the first Nigerian to obtain the award. 

Davido

• Most-Watched Nigerian Music Video on YouTube 
• First Nigerian Music Video to Hit 100 million views on YouTube
• First Nigerian to Secure a UK Gold Certification
• First Nigerian With Two UK Gold Certifications 
• First African Artiste to be featured on the FIFA Soundtrack

Aside from good vibes and energy, Davido knows how to churn out extraordinary music. One of the most memorable times in his career was in 2017 when the singer dished out a line of hit songs; If, Like Dat, and Fall. In 2018, Fall became the most-streamed Nigerian music video on YouTube and the first to hit over 100 million streams. The next year, he became the most streamed Nigerian artiste on the video streaming app. Between 2018 and 2022, Davido put out another series of hit songs, including Assurance, and two albums. In 2020, Fall went Gold in the UK and If went Gold the following year, making him the first Nigerian to earn these plaques. In 2022, Davido was featured on the soundtrack of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) World Cup. This makes him the first Nigerian artiste featured on the global soccer fiesta theme song. 

Ckay

• First African to Reach One Billion Streams on Spotify
• Most-Streamed Project by an African on Spotify

Chocolate City signee, Ckay is currently one of Nigeria’s biggest artistes. The singer debuted his first EP CKay The First, in 2019. The following year, he released fan-favourite Felony. In 2021, the singer released Boyfriend album; and his song Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah), off his first EP, went viral on the video creation app TikTok, racking up 15 billion views on the app. Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah) also debuted on US Billboard Hot 100, making CKay the first African to reach this milestone. In February, the multi-platinum-selling artiste’s EP CKay the First became the highest-streamed project by an African act in Spotify history.

Rema 

• First African Artiste With the Most Spotify Listeners
• Highest Charting African Song on Billboard 100

Since his debut in the Nigerian music scene, Rema has consistently put out many hit songs and collaborated with international superstars, including Chris Brown, Skepta, and Selena Gomez. In March last year, he debuted his album Rave & Roses, which featured the hit record Calm Down. Six months later, he released the remix featuring global megastar Selena Gomez. On March 6th this year, the Mavin signee broke Spotify’s record after accumulating over 38 million monthly listeners. He made history as the first and only African artiste to reach over 38 million monthly listeners on the digital streaming platform. Over two weeks later, Rema’s Calm Down featuring Selena Gomez, became the highest charting lead Nigerian single in Billboard 100 history after peaking at number 8.

Burnaboy 

• First Nigerian to win a Grammy as a Solo Act
• First Nigerian Artiste to Sell Out Madison Square Garden 
• First Nigerian to Sell Out State Farm Arena
• First Nigerian and African Artiste With Two Certified Albums in The UK
• First African to Headline a UK Stadium

When it comes to dishing out quality music or crafting a beautiful body of work, count on Burnaboy to deliver. In 2019 he released the African Giant album, which received a Grammy nomination for ‘Global Music Album’ the following year. In 2020, he put out Twice As Tall album, which was awarded a Grammy at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. Many people believe it was through the help of international superstar P.Diddy, who executive-produced Twice As Tall, that Burnaboy earned a Grammy. Following this accomplishment, Burnaboy became the first Nigerian to win a Grammy for his project. In 2022, he also became the first Nigerian to fill up New York City’s Madison Square Garden and sell out State Farm Arena in the United States. On March 6th, the singer became the first Nigerian and African artiste to have two certified albums in the UK; African Giant (Gold) and Love, Damini (Silver). In June, Burnaboy is expected to headline London stadium ahead of his Love, Damini tour. This makes him the first African to headline a UK stadium.