By Ibeh Fortune Chidinma
In a genre crowded with kings, where kings are crowned by the volume of their loudous presence, Ckay has built his throne in silence, with music that speaks louder to emotions.
While others shout their way into charts, Ckay whispered into the hearts of millions locally and globally. All from Kaduna to the billboard global 200, letting melodies do the talking.
His reign is etched on billion stream milestones, cross continental chart dominance and a sound so unique, that is birthed on a sub genre: Emo-Afrobeats as he calls it.
Chukwuka Chukwuma Ekweani with stage name Ckay known for his music style of fusion of deep emotional lyricism, Afrobeats rhythm mixed with RnB, highlife and intimate storytelling, is a multi-talented music star, writer and producer, who started his early musical training under his father’s tutelage in church, and by age thirteen, was proficient in multiple instruments. That early grounding in musicianship, laid the foundation for a career that would quietly shake the global stage.
From underdog to global force, CKay left Kaduna for Lagos at nineteen, unsure if his career would ever hit its peak. Nearly a decade of relentless grind later, he stands among Africa’s most successful musicians globally. His 2019 sleeper hit “Love Nwantiti” became a global obsession in 2020 after exploding on TikTok. Amassing nearly 2 billion views due to it’s tiktok vitality, turning him into the first Nigerian act to fully harness the platform’s viral might. Hitting nearly a billion views on YouTube and charting No 1 in Norway, India and Switzerland.
This is why I call him the ‘Silent King’ of afrobeats, he further went on to breaking the musical historical record as the first ever African artiste to feature in the top 100 billboard artiste year-end chart. This feat anchors Afrobeats soaring rise in the global music scene. The track’s countless remixes featuring DJ Yo! & AX’EL, ElGrandeToto, Franglish, Joeboy, and Kuami Eugene, further entrenched his status as Africa’s most streamed artist at the time.
“Love Nwantiti” not only attained platinum but multi-platinum status in five countries, including the United States, India, and Italy, but also secured gold certifications in the UK, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. CKay’s unprecedented success on the UK Singles Chart, maintaining a top 5 position for four consecutive weeks, marked him as the first African artist in 50 years to achieve such a milestone.
Following the chart-topping success of “Love Nwantiti,” CKay continued his global dominance with the release of “Emiliana,” amassing over 340 million streams and dominated charts, from claiming #1 spot on the UK Afrobeats Chart, reaching #2 on Shazam Top 200 (Afrobeats), and secured the #1 position in six countries on Apple Music. He’s since expanded his repertoire with songs like Hallelujah (ft Blaqbonez), Wahala (ft Olamide), By Now, Trumpet (ft olamide) Watawi and Nwayi, tracks that proves his catalogue is as deep as it is also diverse.
Ckay also released several albums “boyfriend”, “Sad Romance,” “emotions” and his latest release “Ckay the second”, projects that solidifies his position as a musical force to be reckoned with, amassing hundreds of millions of streams and features collaborations with both icons and rising stars: Davido, Ayra Starr, Bella Shmurda, Mayra Andrade, Sabrina Claudio, and Focalistic among them.
CKay has secured his place in Afrobeats history not as the loudest voice in the room, but as its most unforgettable echo.
In Afrobeats history, Ckay has cemented his footprint not as the loudest voice in the room, but as lingering echo.
The silent king of Afrobeats
About the Author
Ibeh Fortune Chidinma is a media creative, podcaster, and culture writer passionate about music and entertainment space.
He explores Afrobeats and African pop culture with a focus on the artists shaping today’s sound.
When not writing, he is hosting the Spillers Podcast, where bold conversations meet social commentary. Follow him on X @Datafricanboy .
Chioma Ugo Nwachukwu