Blaqbonez & Asake's 'Chanel' Breaks Nigerian Rap Streaming Record With 1.62M Spotify Streams

Nigerian rap has a new benchmark, and it arrived with 1.62 million reasons to pay attention.

Blaqbonez and Asake released their collaboration 'Chanel' this week, and the response was immediate and historic. The track pulled in 1.62 million Spotify streams on its first full day, breaking the record for the biggest opening day streams ever recorded by a rap song in Nigeria. The previous record belonged to Odumodublvck and Wizkid's 'Big Time', which had set the mark at 1.17 million streams. 'Chanel' did not just clear that number it surpassed it by nearly half a million.

The song debuted at number one on Spotify Nigeria and has held strong on Apple Music Nigeria since its release. For Asake, it is his fifth number one single of 2026 alone, a run of dominance that places him in a conversation about the most commercially consistent artist in the Nigerian music space this year. For Blaqbonez, it is validation of something he has argued for a long time that rap, done right and packaged well, can compete at the very top of the Nigerian streaming charts in an era when Afrobeats has commanded almost every conversation.

The record works because it does not ask either artist to abandon what makes them compelling. Blaqbonez brings his sharp, precise rap delivery, the kind that rewards close listening without ever losing the casual listener. Asake provides his signature blend of melodic rhythm and street energy, the sound that has made him inescapable on Nigerian charts across the last two years. Produced by Johnson IP, Spykida and JayP, the track sits in a space that feels fresh without straining for novelty a record that sounds exactly like two artists at the height of their confidence.

The music video, directed by Christian Saint and Edgar Esteves, has drawn its own share of attention. The visuals have been widely praised for their production quality and creative storytelling, adding a visual dimension to the song's momentum that has extended its reach beyond audio platforms and into the kind of shareable content that sustains a record's life in the weeks after release.

Blaqbonez was not content to let the numbers build quietly. He actively called on fans including supporters of other artists, notably Wizkid FC to stream the song and contribute to a record-breaking run. The move was deliberately strategic and it worked. The engagement it generated across social media added fuel to an already strong debut, turning what might have been a very good opening day into a historic one.

The significance of the record extends beyond the numbers themselves. Nigerian rap has long operated in the shadow of Afrobeats on the global stage, present and respected but rarely the dominant commercial force. 'Chanel' does not resolve that conversation on its own, but it makes a loud and well-timed argument. A rap-led collaboration sitting at number one on Spotify Nigeria and rewriting the country's streaming records is a data point that is difficult to dismiss.
Fan challenges, dance videos and covers have been circulating widely since the release, signals that the song has connected beyond its initial audience and has the kind of organic energy that keeps a record climbing long after its launch week.

Asake's 2026 continues to be extraordinary. Blaqbonez has made his most emphatic statement yet. Together, they have given Nigerian music one of its most talked-about moments of the year.