No Room for Afrobeats Stars as Amaarae’s “S.M.O.” Ranked Pitchfork’s #3 Best Song of 2025

Pitchfork has dropped its definitive "100 Best Songs of 2025" list, and the verdict is in: Ghana is in, and the Nigerian Afrobeats stars are out. The prestigious tastemaker bypassed some of the genre’s biggest stars including Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, and Tems, clearing the path for two Ghanaian queens to take centre stage.

Leading the charge is Amaarae, whose genre-bending anthem 'S.M.O.,' off her 2025 album BLACK STAR, rocketed to a staggering #3, cementing her status as a global pop auteur rather than just a regional star.

"S.M.O." isn't your standard radio fodder. Lifted from her critically acclaimed album Black Star, the track is a masterclass in sonic rebellion, fusing baile funk with subtle highlife undertones. 

Pitchfork’s editors didn't just include it; they crowned it, placing it above global heavyweights including Addison Rae’s 'Headphones On' at #4, Bad Bunny’s 'NUEVAYoL' at #11, Sabrina Carpenter’s 'Manchild' at #27, Lady Gaga’s 'Abracadabra' at #29, Kehlani’s “Folded' at #37, Justin Bieber’s 'Daises' at #46, and Morgan Wallen & Post Malone’s 'I Ain’t Comin’ Back' at #98.

While Nigerian megastars filled stadiums in 2025, their absence from this critical list suggests that commercially massive doesn't always mean critically relevant.

Joining Amaarae in the prestigious circle is fellow Ghanaian sensation Moliy.

Her infectious hit, 'Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix),' landed at #72, serving as the only other West African entry on the list. The track, a high-octane collaboration featuring dancehall heavyweights Skillibeng and Shenseea alongside Silent Addy, was inescapable this year. It dominated social media, sparked viral challenges, and topped the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats chart for weeks.

Moliy’s inclusion is significant. It proves that her sound, a breezy, confident fusion of Afropop and dancehall,  has cut through the noise in a way that many big-budget releases failed to do. She didn't need a major label machine to make the list; she just needed a beat that forced the world to dance. However, this critical acclaim stands in stark, painful contrast to how the music industry’s biggest institution treated the very same song.

While Pitchfork celebrated Moliy’s remix, the Recording Academy slammed the door in her face. In a controversial ruling that has reignited the "Grammy Snub" debate, 'Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix)' was declared ineligible for the 2026 Grammys.

The Academy’s rigid rules disqualified the track from the Global Music Performance category simply because it was submitted as a "remix," despite it being the definitive version of the song that conquered the charts.

Industry insiders are furious, with some accusing the academy of gatekeeping global success. The fallout even reportedly led to the dismissal of a Grammy official who tried to enforce the rules, adding a layer of corporate drama to the artistic slight. For African artists, the message is confusing: you can be good enough for Pitchfork’s top 100, you can be #1 on Billboard, but you can still be denied a seat at the Grammy table on a technicality. As 2025 closes, Ghana holds the critical crown, but the fight for institutional respect continues.