Kirk Franklin and Davido’s “Hope In You” climbed as high as No. 9 on Nigeria’s iTunes Top 100, then slipped out of the ranking entirely by November 6.
That’s a quick exit, but the song isn’t done in Nigeria yet. It’s still turning up on other charts, and that’s where things get interesting.
On Nigeria’s YouTube music ranking, the track reached No. 68. It also landed at No. 92 on the country’s monitored radio airplay chart for the week of November 9, a sign that radio is only just catching on.
The song arrived on October 30, 2026, as part of Franklin’s new album, I Am What I Am. The project runs fourteen tracks and mixes gospel with hip hop, Afrobeats and other current sounds.
It’s built as a double project, with seven studio recordings sitting alongside seven live performances. Davido isn’t the only guest either, with GloRilla, Jelly Roll and Tobe Nwigwe all appearing on the album.
Fans got a first taste well before release day. At an exclusive album listening event in Atlanta on October 12, Davido performed his verse live and then joined the choir for the presentation.
After the album dropped, the pair took the song to From The Block, the performance platform. That appearance stirred up conversation across both fan bases, which don’t always overlap.
Musically, the track leans on Franklin’s familiar contemporary gospel approach, with Davido bringing his melodic Afrobeats touch on top. The arrangement is bright and hopeful, the kind of thing built for a choir to lift.
For Franklin, bringing Afrobeats into the fold fits a long habit of borrowing from outside gospel while keeping the faith at the center.
He’s been pulling hip hop and pop into church music for decades, so a Nigerian superstar on a gospel record feels like a logical next step rather than a stunt.
Davido’s side of the story is a little different. He’s already built a global audience by blending African rhythms with pop.
Teaming up with one of contemporary gospel’s most recognised names puts his voice in front of listeners who might never have queued up an Afrobeats playlist.
There’s a cautious read here too. The early chart placements show real curiosity, but Daily Times Nigeria points out that the song’s commercial staying power will hinge on sustained listening, radio exposure and international streaming.
That iTunes dip could simply be the fade that follows a big album launch week. The radio number is the one to watch, since it’s the only chart where the song is still sitting right now.
So “Hope In You” lives in an odd middle zone, off one chart and just creeping onto another. The next few weeks of airplay and streaming data should show which way it’s heading.
